13 Social Media Infographics Every Marketer Needs to See

Happy Friday! What’s everyone doing this weekend? Perhaps you’re saddling up to head to Louisville for the National Arts Marketing Project Conference. The conference starts tomorrow and goes through next Tuesday the 15^th – in which case, enjoy the conference! If you can’t make it to Kentucky this weekend, a lot of the conference will be online. Three sessions will be streaming live and archived as webcasts if you miss them. The conference will also be accessible via twitter with hashtag “#nampc”. The National Arts Marketing Project (NAMP) offers resources year round on their website to help your arts organization be better marketers. One of these is their newest ebook, 13 Social Media Infographics Every Marketer Needs to See.

The first in a series of free publications, 13 Social Media Infographics Every Marketer Needs to See is an accessible and enlightening tool for those interested in social media marketing. The publication covers the history of marketing channels, basic tips for social media usage, and then moves on to more complex topics like the demographics for each social media website. If you're looking for a way to make sense of all the social media out there, this is a great starting point.

Technology in the Arts also has a lot of great social media resources, including how to analyze your success, tap into that prized demographic, and important current trends. How is your organization using social media to be better marketers?

GlacierWorks: A Detailed Look at Climate Change

‘The glaciers are melting’ is a phrase that we have heard and read, in all its literary permutations and combinations, ad infinitum. And the term “ad infinitum” should raise concern among us because when certain phrases are repeated so often, when they are so widespread, the world becomes inured to them. Ironically, despite of the size and scale of most glaciers, many of us have probably never encountered these sublime bodies of ice. So when we hear about the plight of our glaciers, we shrug and give a slight brrr of concern, for we are not acclimated to contemplate the cold beyonds of planet earth.

But what if we could visualize our glaciers at different points in time? What if we could see how much they have changed over the past century? Would we finally comprehend the glacial magnitude and urgency of climate change? GlacierWorks certainly thinks so.

“GlacierWorks is a non-profit organization that uses art, science, and adventure to raise public awareness about the consequences of climate change in the Greater Himalaya. By comparing our modern high-resolution imagery with archival photographs taken over the past century, we seek to highlight glacial loss and the potential for a greatly diminished water supply throughout Asia.”

The GlacierWorks team, which is led by “filmmaker, mountaineer, and adventurer”, David Breashears, re-traces the photographic and mountainous footprints of early 19th and 20th century photographers, each of whom dared to explore the Himalayan terrain during the course of their lives.

Among these early pioneers is the famous 19th century Italian mountaineer and photographer, Vittorio Sella, who is best known for his breathtaking images of the mountainous landscapes in Europe, Asia, Africa, and America. Whilst in India, Sella took a series of “awe-inspiring images of the Jannu and Kangchenjunga Glaciers, as well as the Karakoram’s Lower Baltoro Glacier.”

Another eminent photographer, whose images are traced by GlacierWorks, is Sir Edward Oliver Wheeler who was the Surveyor-General of British India from 1941 to 1947, and was knighted as a result of his notable work  in topography for the Indian subcontinent. Other noteworthy photographers of Mount Everest and its surrounding terrain include German filmmaker, Norman Günter Dyhrenfurth, and  George Herbert Leigh Mallory, who was a member of the 1921 British Reconnaissance Expedition, which “explored routes on Mount Everest and produced the first accurate maps of the region.”

In order to provide us with a compelling difference between the masses of our glaciers today as opposed to just a century ago, the GlacierWorks team determines the photographic point or location from where each of the images by Vittorio Sella or Sir Edward Oliver Wheeler were taken. As such, we are able to make a glance-by-glance comparison of the Himalayan glaciers through two images taken from the exact location, but with a century’s worth of time in between them. This visual comparison is sublime, even melancholic, but the overarching message is grim, for these images provide us with the cold, icy truth about our glaciers; not only are they melting, but they are doing so at a devastatingly alarming rate.  

On their website, we are encouraged to do some virtual mountaineering of our own so that  we may become familiar with the majestic but eternally distant Himalayan glaciers. In collaboration with xRex studio, “a visual effects practice which explores the intersection of high-end computer graphics and advances in digital photography”, GlacierWorks has created incredible 180 and 360 degree immersive explorations that re-create the awesome entirety of the Himalayan landscape, all in gigapixel imagery.

And with the use of gigapixel imagery, GlacierWorks has accomplished an uncanny yet astonishing feat: they have placed before our very eyes, the detailed truth on glacial loss; and they have made us confront, the absolute reality about the future our glaciers. GlacierWorks’ photographs incite a sense of loss and the necessity to change our profligate ways, before all that remains is a set of high resolution imagery, before the comparison between the glaciers of the past and those of the present is beyond discernment.

The 2011 UN Climate Change Conference will take place in Durban later this month. Here’s hoping they agree on at least a few environmental measures because inconclusive climate summits is something we have heard and read about ad infinitum.

Deconstructing, Reconstructing and Tidying Up Art

In this Wednesday's post, exhibit viewers re-choreograph Henri Matisse’s Dance II and a Swiss comedian cleans the floor of Vincent van Goh’s Vincent’s Room, Arles. Yes, you read that correctly, what I have to share today is as glorious and odd as it sounds. It has taken me quite some time to settle down long enough to write this post- I have been rather distracted by these projects and videos. I know you will be too…sorry in advance… Let’s first take a look at Intel’s newest project in its Visual Life campaign- “Remastered: A Visually Smart Production from Intel.” Showcasing the work of leading curators and innovative designers, the exhibit on display at London’s One Marylebone explores and pushes the boundaries between art and technology; more specifically, between “old art” and Intel’s newest processing technology. The result, you ask? A sound installation remake of Wassily Kandinsky’s On White II, an online application of Pablo Picasso’s Guernica, a moving image rendering of Salvador Dali’s The Persistence of Memory, a food design and photography adaptation of Leonardo Da Vinci’s The Last Supper, a visual animation of J.M.W. Turner’s Rain, Steam and Speed-The Great Northern Railway, and a stereoscopic, and 3D animation of Casper David Friedrich’s Wanderer Above the Sea of Fog (a special favorite of mine), just to name a few. Collaborating with jotta, Intel’s curatorial and creative partner, the artists “remastered” select classic works of the world’s greatest masters using digital processes to give new meaning to “old art” for a modern audience.

…The exhibition unlocks the creative potential of technology and underlines how visual masterpieces can be created with simply a mouse as a brushstroke or a screen as a canvas.

Exhibitions like these generate much discussion in both the academic and professional art world, as the issue of the digitization of art remains a hot topic of debate. What is most inspiring about these remastered pieces is the beauty in the medium. As an art history student and Italian Renaissance aficionado, I am neither offended nor resistant to the digital world’s claim it can reproduce or master painterly qualities and techniques in its own medium. It is important to view these “remastered” pieces not as competitors of the original work, but as showcases of the power, potential and influence technology has in the modern artistic process.

If you are familiar with Turner’s oeuvre, be sure to view Eric Schockmel’s 3D animation of the painting, Rain, Stream and Speed- The Great Northern Railway. Known for his unsurpassed ability to render light, Turner’s work is an experience of the Sublime, an aesthetic theory originating in the 18th-century. Schockmel’s stunning remastering addresses themes consistent in Turner’s work. But can the advanced technology of 3D modeling, animation software, Adobe After Effects and sound design create an experience of the Sublime, a theory developed in response to a level of advanced and dramatic painterly techniques? Or is it unfair to project such standards and theories on the entirely unique and individual medium of digital art? Do we need to develop a new vocabulary with which to discuss it? The artists featured have contextualized the meanings of the “old art” in today’s modern and digital age. As jotta's head of creative, Ben James stated

The broad range of work and outcomes exhibited within Remastered help demonstrate how technology is being adopted practically and conceptually by artists and designers across all disciplines. The intersection of technology and art has gone far beyond its creation on a computer to a symbiotic relationship -- one where new technology offers new opportunities to the artist or designer who, in return, provides ever-evolving experiences and contexts to our relationship with technology.

If nothing else, each artist’s unique interpretation of the work makes viewing the remastered piece and accompanying videos a worthwhile activity on this midweek, midday Wednesday (Bompas & Parr’s redesign of Da Vinci’s The Last Supper is a good place to begin, it will surely amaze you).

Ok, on to my next obsession. Have you heard of Ursus Wehrli? No? It’s okay. I had not either before viewing his TED Talk. Since then, however, I am either always a) re-watching his talk or b) mentally rearranging and reorganizing the components and forms of any given painting into tidy stacks. My new guilty pleasure is the TED Talk “Ursus Wehrli tidies up art” given by Wehrli, a Swiss comedian, cabaret artist and

…the author of Tidying Up Art, a visionary manifesto that yearns toward a more rational, more organized and cleaner form of modern art. In deconstructing the work of Paul Klee, Jasper Johns and other masters into its component parts, organized by color and size, Wehrli posits a more perfect art world

Take your Wednesday lunch break with Wehrli as he taps into your confusions and Type A tendencies when it comes to viewing and understanding contemporary art. The talk will surely elicit laughter; proceed with caution when at work.

And again, my apologies for any drastic drop in productivity at work or school as a result of time spent transfixed by the digitally remastered masterpieces or watching, and re-watching, Wehrli’s convincing contemporary art cleaning spree.

The Arts and the Race Against the Machine

Will art ever be created by a machine? This is the question that is sometimes asked, late at night over a glass of wine. Perhaps it has been already. Authors Erik Brynjolfsson and and Andrew McAfee ask similar questions and explore the answers in their new book “Race Against the Machine: How the Digital Revolution is Accelerating.” Machines are playing an increasingly prevalent role in the work force and millions of jobs have been changed or replaced by computers or automated process. There is now a program called Stats Monkey that is being used to write about sports. Stats Monkey uses pattern recognition to generate summaries about sporting events. Although this program does not seem to be in usage by any major publication, it highlights the progress that has been made in the advancement of technology and the subsequent replacement of millions of workers by automated, computer controlled devices. For now, the arts world can sigh with relief. It seems as though most endeavors which require intuition are safe from encroachment by computerized processes. We can assume that artists of all stripes are considered “high-skilled” and are intuitive in the creation process.  Both of these characteristics make artists of all stripes the safest categories of workers at this point in time. The pursuit of making art isn’t simple. Artists of all kinds exist within a complex cultural context and react intuitively to it. This context also makes it extremely difficult for machines to interact. You could argue that Heather Knight’s Silicon Based Comedy is the first inroad on this front, but it still seems a bit far away. The complex human interactions intrinsic in the performing arts are a distant land from the world of automated tasks and promise to remain that way for quite some time.

Another barrier to program or automaton generation of art in all forms is the fact that there is a plethora of artists who are working in the market for little or no money.   From the standpoint of economics the lack of money in the majority of the arts field gives developers little reason to make inroads artistic process by replacing people with automation. Aside from the rockstar phenomena in the arts world, there simply isn’t the money in it to make it worth the time.

As technology speeds along we can be assured that these advancements will affect the arts. Already kickstarter promises to reshape the field of development in the arts by cutting out the administrative middleman and connecting artists directly to funders. Will increasingly sophisticated templates and design programs begin to make inroads into graphic design? Will marketing in social media be able to be automated? Will marketing in general be able to be automated. Certain facilities tasks are already being monitored by computers. Vacuuming lobby or gallery floors could be taken over by a fleet of roomba robots.

How will the future of technology manifest in the arts world? Surely at some point in time it is conceivable that a computer will generate a work of art and sell to some museum. This will inevitably make the news. This will spark controversy. Will actors be replaced through cgi? Well, the clear answer to that is not yet. Stage actors are even safer from replacement, but how about stage crews?

It is impossible to discern how exactly machines will interact with the arts. Watching the development of cutting edge technologies can gives clues. Possibilities to interact with our patrons lie largely untapped in the areas of 3d, holography, and new software applications. As with other industries, it is incumbent on artists to watch the horizon and harness technology as it comes into being, otherwise we end up being reactive and being blind-sided by change.

Facebook in the Arts: In Honor of Mark Zuckerberg's Visit to CMU

Mark Zuckerberg, Founder and CEO of Facebook

With the announcement that Facebook founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg will make his first visit to Carnegie Mellon University (CMU) today, the Technology In the Arts team thought it would be appropriate to take a look back on the groundbreaking social media platform and the impact it’s had on how arts organizations engage their audiences. CMU is one of three campuses being visited by Zuckerberg during an East Coast college tour. While here, he will meet with faculty and students and give a talk to an invitation-only audience. He will be joined by Mike Schroepfer, Facebook's vice president of engineering.

Here’s a bit of Facebook Trivia to get us started:

• More than 800 million active users
• More than 50% of active users log on to Facebook in any given day
• Average user is connected to 80 community pages, groups and events
• More than 350 million active users currently access Facebook through their mobile devices
• Facebook is also the most popular social network for all age demographics according to a Forrester Research Survey

One of the most interesting studies on how Facebook has affected arts and cultural organizations was conducted this past summer. ‘The Tangled Web of Social Media’ was a study commissioned by Theatre Bay Area in 2011. The study examined the social media habits of 207 diverse nonprofit arts and cultural organizations with the goal of understanding how social media was being used and what best practices emerged as a result. The study found that Facebook was by far the most popular social network used by these arts organizations. Another similar finding was that community members were eight times more active commenting on the Facebook posts made by arts organizations than mentioning those same organizations on Twitter.

Here are a few ways in which Facebook has revolutionized how arts organizations are engaging with audiences:

1. Sharing Content: Arguably one of the most important ways Facebook has impacted arts organizations is the ability to share and distribute content. Devon Smith recently shared an important comment made by Adam Connor from Facebook during the High Impact Social Media Conference: History of the internet= Browse (Yahoo) –> Search (Google) –> Discover (Facebook). Whether it’s a special Halloween photo from MOMA or a series of intriguing videos from the San Francisco Ballet, arts organizations have the opportunity to share a variety of content with audiences.
2. Giving Campaigns: Facebook has also impacted the way audiences can contribute financially to their favorite organizations. The Chronicle of Philanthropy recently published an article about a California boy, Paddy O’Brien, whose inspirational story about his struggle with bone cancer resulted in 1,000 donations to the Children’s Hospital who treated him via the Facebook Causes platform.
3. Advertisement Campaigns: Facebook Ad Campaigns aren’t just for boosting numbers on fan or group pages. Many organizations have had success with attracting new fans to their events through successful ad campaigns. For further reference, Tech In The Arts published an article on best practices for running ad campaigns.
4. Ticket Buying: Companies like TicketForce have made it possible for many artists and organizations to sell tickets directly through their brand’s Facebook Page. The client operates so that ticket buyers do not have to leave the Facebook Page in order to purchase tickets.
5. Merchandise Sales: Facebook has also provided the opportunity for artists and organizations to sell merchandise on their pages.
6. Building Communities through Facebook Groups: Many arts organizations have also been experimenting with hosting group pages as opposed to “regular” pages. Groups can provide an opportunity for fans to interact with each other on a more intimate level. Beth Kanter recently featured a guest post on her blog regarding best practices for nonprofits interested in building a group page.

There’s no doubt that this social media giant has had an incredible impact on the way arts organizations interact with audiences and will continue to do so. Ultimately, many of these organizations are finding creative ways to interact with existing fans and build new audiences in a manner that has never been done before.

How has Facebook impacted your organization, either positively or negatively?

Art Viewed Through the Prism of 3D Technology

On a typical trip to the American film multiplex these days, you are instantly greeted with the latest 3D films the studios have dreamed up. A market once reserved for the likes of advanced science fiction pictures, the technology has been stretched to now include nearly every major release. Given this barrage of often mediocre films, one would be hard-pressed to not grow tired of a technology still in its relative infancy. 3D technology, however, is not just limited to feature films. In Montreal, a cinema has embraced 3D technology and is using it to provide its audiences with floor-to-ceiling views, advanced speaker systems and a 360-degree view of stunning works of art.

The Satosphere theatre, as reported by AFP, is housed inside a giant silver dome in the city of Montreal, and is offering its audiences a unique way to enjoy the arts. The technology behind the cinema is impressive: measuring 18 meters in diameter, the dome has eight video projectors that display images all along the walls, encircling viewers and creating a truly immersive environment. Along with the projectors, the theatre also includes over 150 speakers, creating a truly cinematic experience.

And the best part of the experience? No bulky 3D glasses are required to enjoy the show.

AFP recently offered a behind the scenes look at the theatre, which you can view here.

The first show to display the technology, “Interior” by Marie-Claude Paulin and Martin Kusch, took place last month and wowed audiences both visually and sensually. With many more performances planned in the months and years ahead, the technology affords artists a new kind of opportunity not yet seen before.

The possibilities here are endless. Imagine an art show where attendees can become part of the experience, interacting with other attendees in a virtual exhibit. Or imagine being lifted to another time period or environment, surrounded by a 360-degree image of an architectural monument, barren deserts or idyllic beaches.

In addition to the opportunities for the arts community, other fields are also taking a look at the technology and seeking ways to possibly integrate it into their industries as well. Developers, hospitals, architects and many others are imagining ways to use 360-degree views to transform the way government officials, tenants, patients and more view planned projects or improvements, offering a way for people to experience a drawing or rendering in a visually immersive way before something is built.

The researchers behind the technology have no plans to just stop at immersive and interactive art shows. One of their current projects is developing a six-lens camera that uses software to merge images together, creating a seamless way to film 360-degree films.

The people behind the theatre are calling the experience “cinema for the 21st century” and “a playground for the next century,” and I’m inclined to agree. As it relates to the arts community, I can only imagine the countless creative ways and uses for a technology such as this; if the technology becomes inexpensive enough to spread worldwide, it’s quite possible it could usher in an entirely new era of artistic expression.

So the next time you leave the movie theater, disappointed with the “3D” technology in films like “Harold and Kumar” or “Puss in Boots,” remember that there are far more innovative uses for the technology being embraced all over the world, often at a significantly higher quality, perhaps headed our way very soon.

The Evolution of Touch

In the 15th century, the Italian renaissance polymath, Leon Battista Alberti, wrote a famous treatise on painting titled De pictura. In his treatise, Alberti praised painting above other art forms such as sculpture because painting often went beyond the act of mere imitation and was able to create an illusion that could persevere through the centuries. Moreover, the art of painting was a uniquely visual experience and, unlike sculpture, it did not incite the desire to touch, for what we saw in a painting remained poetically out of our reach. This treatise postulated by Alberti during the period of the Renaissance is not entirely archaic and arcane to the world of today. We still take pleasure in the transitory ability to escape into the painted world we see before us, and we are in still in favor of preserving the the illusion we see before us. But have we become drawn to what was only considered possible in the realm of sculpture, the desire to touch a painting?

This question of touch is a thought provoking one because of a recent phenomenon that I like to refer to as the “slide to unlock”. Yes, this phenomenon is none other than our increasing desire to avail ourselves of the sense of touch. Apple has gently nudged us along into the wonderful world of touch through iPhones, iPads, and iPods. So, it suffices to say that in the technological realm, we have effectively and decisively entered into the era of the sensory. And this definitive entry into the realm of the sensory has led to the development of apps, some of which have enabled us to explore the world of art at our very fingertips.

Nowadays, we can explore artworks using our sense of touch without compromising our moral integrity or damaging the artwork, and shattering the illusion before us. For instance, in Artfinder’s app on John Constable’s oil sketches from the Victoria and Albert Museum, we “can zoom to show each of the sketches in their incredible painterly detail, and follow Constable’s progress from Suffolk, to London and Brighton.” Artfinder has also collaborated with various other museums to create apps that augment and physically sensitize the viewing experience. As such, the way we engage with art may be undergoing a paradigm shift; a shift towards the touch.

Consequently, more and more museums are now incorporating the sense of touch into what was hitherto seen as predominantly visual and contemplative experience. Earlier this summer, in the exhibition titled “Picasso and Braque: The Cubist Experiment, 1910-1912”, the Santa Barbara Museum of Art provided visitors with iPads that were “equipped with a specially developed iCubist application to scrutinize and delve deeply into four key paintings.” The app also allowed visitors to “deconstruct a cubist composition and attempt to put it back together.” The iCubist app developed for the Santa Barbara Museum of Art demonstrates how the sense of touch, in unison with the sense of sight, can help demystify a movement such as Cubism.

It is also interesting to note how the contemporary art world is evolving with the rise of the touch. For instance, artist David Hockney began painting on his iPhone in 2008 and last year he began using his iPad to create art. Using the Brushes app, Hockney would draw flowers, using just the edge of his thumb, and send them to his friends.  His oeuvre now includes landscapes, still life, and self-portraits all created by a sweeping touch, rather than a stroke, of creativity and ingenuity. Currently, his work is being shown at the Royal Ontario Museum in the exhibition titled “David Hockney’s Fresh Flowers: Drawings on the iPhone and iPad.”

So is the art world moving in tandem with the technological world? Is it stepping into the realm of the sensory?

As artists such as David Hockney remain a rare few, the art of painting on tangible mediums such as canvas will most likely survive decades of technological progress. The modern day audience, however, may be more willing and receptive toward the introduction of touch into the viewing experience. This is because, as an audience, we may be drawn towards what can only be termed as a two-part deception; to make tactile, what in reality is untouchable, while reveling in a scene that in essence, is a grand illusion.

Roadside Digital Galleries: Coming to a City Near You

Every some-odd miles along the highway you zoom past a billboard for Dunkin Donuts seasonal coffees; the local hospital’s most recent, national ranking; a sexy, sleek couple drinking Jose Cuervo and a dramatic advertisement for what can only be described as a less-than-credible attorney. Firms and organizations seek to capitalize on the exposure a billboard provides their brand or service in its commanding position above and along the highway. Hoping to attract potential consumers or clients, the billboard is one of the most prominent and far-reaching means of advertising to a certain geographic location. From the morning commute to the bus ride home, and every moment between, we are inundated with advertisements in one form or another. Though the constant stream of advertisements is admittedly annoying, advertising powers our economy, encourages consumerism and inspires us to try new products and attend performances. But commute after commute, the billboards and their advertisements littered along the highway become nothing more than white noise.

The Billboard Art Project, a Virginia based not-for-profit, is temporarily reclaiming a handful of digital LED billboards in select cities across the country. Repurposing the advertising billboard as an artistic medium and a public art venue, the Billboard Art Project is marketing a different, non-commercial message

Those in-your-face and colorful canvases that you see as you sit stuck in traffic are turned over to local and international artists for a little break from everyday advertising, presenting larger-than-life art in glowing colors…You won't know what is coming next as different artists explore this medium, with the electronic canvas morphing every 6-10 seconds.

While out driving, Billboard Art Project creator David Morrison, was moved by the soothing images displayed during a screen test for one of Lamar Advertising’s (a Louisiana based advertising firm) digital LED billboards. The scrolling images were void of logos, brands, and slogans- images for images’ sake, if you will. In a domain that is typically reserved for corporations, commercial advertising and profit-driven marketing, Morrison found the images refreshing, even humanizing. Deviating from social expectations for exhibiting art and of the function of a billboard, the Billboard Art Project repurposes digital billboards to breathe new life into the daily commute- the epitome of the mundane and the expected, of the everyday and the routine.

The Billboard Art Project launched in October 2010 after Morrison successfully negotiated with Lamar Advertising for use of one of the company’s digital LED screens for 24 hours. Thanks to the digital technology of the billboard, the project promises 24 hours of a continuous stream of vibrant images, without interruption or advertisements. In an open call to doctors; cab drivers; students; clerks; professors; military personnel; hospital workers; the unemployed; designers; mail carriers; New Englanders; Pittsburghers; Texans- anyone- the Billboard Art Project invites submissions to be considered for each show. It is an all-inclusive project in which everyone is invited to participate by either submitting a work or simply driving past it. The medium becomes the message as the digital billboard disseminates art and individuality.

The project is currently showing in New Orleans, with previous exhibits in Chicago, IL; Reading, PA; Duluth, MN; Savannah, GA, Nashville, TN and Richmond, VA. Up next, the Billboard Art Project heads to Baton Rouge, LA then San Bernardino, CA. Each submission is as unique to the individual creator as the final compilation is to the city and billboard. No two shows are alike.

Bringing art to the streets in a free, public and conveniently located show, the Billboard Art Project is challenging the traditional domain for both advertising and displaying art. But is this new manifestation, the roadside digital gallery, a viable venue for art? Let us know what you think. In the meantime, keep one eye on the road and one on the lookout for a roadside electronic gallery, coming to a city near you.

Building online community: sketchcrawl.com

Seven years ago Enrico Casarosa, an artist working for Pixar went on a pubcrawl. He writes that the spirit of community inspired him to create a community for visual artists that he called Sketchcrawl. The first Sketchcrawl happened in 2004 in over 20 locations in six countires. Since then, there have been 33 Sketchcrawls and the event has grown to almost a hundred locations in over 20 counties and now has a website sketchcrawl.com.  The community now has over 3000 members and is still growing.  At first, only Enrico was moderating, but Sketchcrawl has since grown to have numerous other worldwide administrators organizing participation and the community has strong leadership in both Asia and Europe as well as in North America.

A Sketchcrawl is a day predetermined thoughout the world, where artists young and old, professional and amateur pledge to sketch for anywhere from 20 minutes to 8 hours.  The results of the event day are posted online for the whole worldwide community to see.  There are  some true gems in these online galleries. Participants speak of both the reward and difficulty of committing to draw for an entire day.  They recount the lucidity that comes from a full day of observation and moving from subject to subject.  They also comment on the difficulty of focusing their attention for so long. Side by side, these artists are creating a community through a shared experience and their love of art. Alongside their peers the collection of images lead us through a sense of movement throughout the day and objects and people that once were ignored as mundane become visible and interesting.

This community, built through a mutual love of the arts, is a strong sign of the growth of the arts online and should give the arts community at large hope for the future in the face of declines elsewhere.  The next Sketchcrawl is on January 21, 2012.  It is easy to sign up and there are also multiple social network sites for the community at large and for individual city groups.