Where We Are and Where We've Been - Annual Report

It has been almost a full year since I joined Technology in the Arts, thanks to the Master of Arts Management program at Carnegie Mellon University. As we enter another school year and prepare for a new group of research associates, we’ve got a look back at the past year. Research Associate Terry Boyd prepared this Annual Report with our highlights, summaries, and where we have room to improve.

Tech in the Arts Annual Report

If you're a fan of metrics, be sure to check out the report. Here are some of my favorites:

Highlights

• Staff size! We added 5 authors last year!
• Page views jumped by 63%
• Visitor total increased by 78%

Social Media

• Even though our Facebook page is only 2 years old, Facebook is our largest traffic source
• Over 7,000 clicks from Facebook posts led to our blog posts last year.
• Our Twitter account saw an increase of followers by 28%

There's plenty of room for improvement (always!) and we hope readers will join us in the next year! We also have a friendly, non-flash version of the report here.

What the upcoming election mean for the arts

What will happen to arts, arts education, and arts agencies after the coming election?  If you are registered to vote then you hold part of the answer in how you decide to cast your ballot.  The coming election could very well decide whether or not there are numerous municipal, statewide, and national agencies that help support arts infrastructure and education. Americans for the Arts collects information on elected candidates based on their voting record and stated policies.  At the top of the ticket President Barrack Obama has gotten good marks from Americans for the Arts.  He has proposed and supported increasing funding to the National Endowment for the Arts and the National Endowment for the Humanities and has come out against cuts to arts education funding and the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.  Mitt Romney on the other hand has pledged to cut funding to the National Endowment for the Arts, the National Endowment for the Humanities, and the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.

Support for the arts, arts funding, and arts education doesn't split strictly on party lines though and it is incumbent upon us as voters to understand where our national, statewide, municiple and local elected officials stand on support the arts, education, and the creative economy.  Americans for the Arts has a handy tool that you can use to look up the positions of elected officials at all levels. 

What’s Trending on Twitter this Week

Take a look at what caught our attention on Twitter this past week:

@MuseumNext A great presentation from @clairey_ross and @chrisspeed on QR codes, Smart Objects, Museums and Public Engagement.

@idealware Great introduction to Google Grants from @MRCampaigns- including the time it generally takes to set up ads & monitor

@sumojim The Digital Engagement in the Arts Framework from Jim Richardson

@sumojim I've been playing with the social media tool SocialBro for a few weeks, and I think it's worth checking out (it's free)

@HuffPostCulture Culture's biggest world record holders

@wikimania2012 Have you taken a look at our awesome schedule of workshops, talks, meetups, and events? Check it out

@youvecottmail When it comes to social media, are you following "the rule of thirds"?

@FracturedAtlas Check out 1.1, creating 1.1 million life-size images of kids, 1 for every child in a NYC public school.

@mashable 12 Essential Social Media Cheat Sheets

‏@HuffingtonPost FACT: For the first time in history, the US Olympic Team consists of more women than men

@HuffPostCulture Frank Gehry's crumpled opera design

Be sure to share with us what caught your eye by RTing to @TechInTheArts.

Pittsburgh's GoogleServe 2012

Technology solutions can be a challenge to any nonprofit. You're trying to do too many things with too little staff, and the last thing on your mind is how you're going to find room in the budget for an IT guy or gal. Thankfully, if you're based in Pittsburgh, there may be a solution.

GoogleServe 2012 is a full day of local Google employees helping nonprofits maximize their utilization of the products and services Google can provide.The event, now in its 4th year, will feature sessions for both the clueless and those who already have Google products in place at their nonprofits. GoogleServe is hosted by HandsOn Tech, Pittsburgh Cares, and, obviously, Google.

HandsOn Tech is a local nonprofit, seeking to help other Pittsburgh-area nonprofits with technology training and support. I had the opportunity to attend one of their workshops last month, about using Google+ for Nonprofits and really enjoyed the experience. If you have time to volunteer your tech skills, I highly recommend checking out their site.

Pittsburgh GoogleServe 2012 will be held Friday, June 15 at Google Pittsburgh in Bakery Square. For more information and to register, check out their website.

In Case You Missed It - May 2012

Things are slowing down here at Tech in the Arts as we prepare to enter our summer schedule. A decrease in posts does not mean a decrease in quality, however, and this past month we had some great articles.

• Before you utilize social media, Playing by the Rules: Creating a Social Media Plan
• A practical guide of Six Ways Arts Organizations Can Improve Their Facebook Advertising
• Continuing our fascination with 'gaming' in the arts world by Touring the Lourve with a Nintendo 3DS
• Still Up for Debate: What is the Best Way to Fund the Arts in America?
• We always knew, but now it has been Confirmed by Nonprofit Quarterly: Generating online content is NOT optional
• Finally it's Time to Artify It
• Then maybe head over to Artstack: the Social Platform for Discovering Art through People
• Also consider Turning Around Education with the Turnaround Arts Initiative

Overall, a really great month. Here's to June!

A Recap of the Year We Spent Together

First, some sad news to share with everyone: this is my last post for Tech in the Arts, the quintessential blog looking at the intersection of arts and technology online. As a student here at Heinz College, it has been an honor to share with you on a weekly basis a look at different trends and topics at that very intersection, with a little bit of policy thrown in. For my final post, I wanted to take a look back at some of my favorite posts from the past year, and share with everyone what my thought process was when it came to writing about the important issues that affect the arts community on a daily basis.

Compared to the other writers here at Tech in the Arts, I have always tried to take a different approach – one that is centered on public policy, and how it impacts the arts community and arts lovers everywhere. As a Master’s student in public policy here at Carnegie Mellon, this is what I study on a daily basis and what I am passionate about, and I have been determined to include it in the overall conversation.

One of the topics I have written about frequently is the issue of funding for the arts, and the somewhat uncertain future it faces. Many cities and states, and even the federal government, are facing times of budget austerity, and cuts to the arts are happening at an alarming pace. I also wrote about the National Endowment for the Arts and its funding history, along with the new upstart on the arts funding block, Kickstarter. Arts financing in Europe has also been the target of deep cuts, and I finally looked at the debate surrounding what method of funding was the best for the arts in America. And in my very first post, I talked about how important it was (and still is!) to protect federal funding for the arts.

One of my favorite topics to write about was where arts and public policy intersected. One of my favorites to write was looking at where public policy lived through the eyes of the artists; another was a look at artistic revisions of the American Dream of buying a home. As we all know, the arts play a large role in economic development, which I wrote about, and I also took a look at how cities are thinking differently when it comes to development, often using the arts to differentiate them. Finally, I took a look at how cities are beautifying themselves through public works of art, as they face budget shortfalls and have to think creatively.

The most popular piece I wrote this year (and perhaps the most controversial, given some of the feedback and comments!) was looking at the debate over the most artistic city in America. The winner (as crowned by the Atlantic) was Santa Fe, but certainly cities everywhere can make their own legitimate cases for being the most artistic. Its topics like that are so much fun to write about; everyone has an opinion, wants to make their case for their own city, and it encourages discussion and debate.

I also enjoyed writing about an issue that doesn’t receive a lot of attention in the arts community, but is very important nonetheless, which is the issue of net neutrality. I wrote about how important the issue is, and also about how the issue is not going away anytime soon.

Finally, two of my favorite posts were about topics that don’t fit neatly within any of the above categories: My look at the Google Art Project and the White House, and also my look at the fall of Kodak and its effect on artistic inspiration.

It’s been a pleasure being a part of the fantastic and talented team here at Tech in the Arts for the past year. Thanks go out to everyone on the team for their help and support, and chiefly for the opportunity to write for all of you on a weekly basis. Thank you to everyone for reading, for being so supportive and for the kind comments and responses throughout the year.

For those so inclined, you can follow me on Twitter at @seanbowie, and can reach me by e-mail at seanmbowie@gmail.com. It’s been a pleasure everyone, thank you!

In Case You Missed It - April 2012

April showers brought May flowers and some great articles here on Tech in the Arts. In case you missed it, here are some of our highlights from the month. We had the honor of featuring Kickstarter Art Program Director Stephanie Pereira in our speaker series, and offered our additional thoughts on her visit on the blog. We also took some time to reflect on how cities are thinking about art differently and Melissa Snoza of Fifth House Ensemble elaborated on how her organization thinks about art and technology. Since new technologies are constantly improving how organizations function, we took a look at Eventbrite’s Newest Ticketing system for your iPad!

The Google Art Project is often on our minds, and we took a look at its new home – The White House. It’s a global application, and we discussed it along with Art.sy as methods to help us understand our cultural universe. A universe that expanded into the realm of the internet with the BMW Tate Live.

What a month! As our school year draws to a close, we hope your May is as pleasant as those flowers we’ve been promised.

White Space on the Broadcast Spectrum and Why We Should Care

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) regulates every device that emits radio waves.  This means cell phones, radio, television, and wireless microphones.  In 2010 the FCC issued a rule that ordered users of wireless microphones to stop broadcasting at 700 MHz.  This resulted in the forced scrapping and purchase of tens of thousands of dollars of wireless microphones that broadcast on that length of spectrum.  Story over?  Not really.  Now, two years later the FCC is talking about 'repacking' the broadcast spectrum again. Any change of this type would result in tens of thousands of dollars of additional cost for every arts organization effected.  This is cost that was already borne out in good faith two years ago.  As congress moves forwards with legislation that would patch the budget with broadcast spectrum  auctions the arts community finds itself potentially under the gun in a time where budgets are already lean.

To give a sense of scope for this issue, there are an estimated 21,000 school theaters in addition to the thousands of professional theaters.  Combined, these facilities serve millions of patrons and students and contribute nearly eight billion dollars to the economy.

The problem is that the FCC hasn't formally recognized wireless microphones formally as a broadcast user of the spectrum.  As a result it is easy to give away the spectrum that they use.  For more information on this issue Theater Communications Group (TCG) has put together a list of articles on the subject.

Motion-Capturing Conductors, Pianos & Landmines, and Facebook & Twitter Symbols

A roundup of my favorite applications of arts and technology this month: 1) Music and Gestures: Capturing the Movement of Conductors

In “The Maestro’s Mojo,” Daniel J. Wakin of the New York Times interviews Alan Gilbert, the music director of the New York Philharmonic. The article discusses the importance of the conductor's form, gesture, and physical presence during a concert, breaking down the essential components of each movement: right hand, left hand, face, back, lungs and brain.

What is most revealing, not to mention beautiful, is the motion-capture sequence and interactive demonstration of Gilbert’s movement and gestures while conducting. Even if you view the interview with the sound on mute, the digital simulation of Gilbert conducting is worth your time. Captured in this digital transformation is the grace, the lines and the precision of a conductor at work. The digital transformation is both a work of art in itself and a fascinating study of the movements that perhaps, so nuanced, evade even the most cultivated and experienced concertgoer.

[embed]http://www.http://vimeo.com/40095898[/embed]

2) Pianos and Landmines

Did you catch this story earlier in the month? It’s about Marian Bechtel, a 17-year-old finalist in the 2012 Intel Talent Search competition. Bechtel presented her invention of a low-cost minesweeper that uses sound waves to detect explosives. A pianist, Bechtel applied her knowledge and expertise on the logistics of sound wave travel in music, to that of determining the location of land mines. Though her minesweeper prototype did not win her first place in the competition, Bechtel’s inspirational and innovative discovery is one that spans the fields of science, engineering, technology, warfare, humanity, and music- the juxtaposition of melodic beauty and peace, with war and destruction.

[embed]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nGW2qAHLJCc[/embed]

3) Not about music, but some good news about Facebook and Twitter Logos!

And last but certainly not least, proof that those little, cute, perfectly-square Facebook and Twitter symbols DO, in fact, generate traffic to the organization’s respective pages. According to a study conducted by the global consulting firm, Accenture (shout out to Technology Planning and Implementation),

Accenture found that, in the U.S, about a third of TV viewers have liked a show’s or brand’s Facebook page or tweeted about what they saw on TV after seeing one of these logos.

This implies that a television viewer, if not using his/her computer at the time the advertisement is viewed, will "like" or visit an organization's Facebook or Twitter page after the fact. If that is the case, are the benefits of including the logos in your organization's e-mails and correspondences with patrons even greater? Furthermore, the study indicated

…11% of viewers scanned a QR code while watching TV.

Given what we know about QR code usage in the US, and its slow-to-catch-on-if-ever status, 11% is a surprisingly high number.

Moral of the story? Be sure to include those Facebook and Twitter symbols in every e-mail blast, online correspondence, and virtual newsletter. Your Facebook or Twitter presence is important. Inserting the logos in an e-mail is quick, free (monetarily) and according to what you probably already knew and is now confirmed by this study, a crowd-pleaser. People will click, Tweet, post, Retweet, and follow.

In Case You Missed It - March 2012

March was a delightful month, and I hope you also enjoyed that brief taste of summer we got here in Pittsburgh. We featured some great posts here, and if you missed them the first time around, here’s a brief recap:

We took a dive into the world of QR codes with QRpedia, then headed to Wikipedia with part one and part two of our interview with Lori Byrd Phillips, a Wikipedian in Residence. Not yet satiated, we took on Pinterest in a mini-nar and a work of art that will Tweet back at you.

There’s also a theoretical side to technology and the arts, and we heard from a Millennial about the death of telemarketing. However, people love to give to the arts through Kickstarter, and we had a great discussion on the role of the arts in economic development. Not all is well, and we took a look at the loss of public funding for the arts in Europe.

Carnegie Mellon hosted a lovely TED event, TEDxCMU, which had some artistic implications.

We have another installment to our speaker series today (March 30), starting at 12:30 EST – with the Art Program Director of KICKSTARTER, Stephanie Pereira. Hit us up on Twitter to follow along with the conversation @TechInTheArts

Dang, what a great month! Here’s hoping April is just as awesome. Enjoy your weekend, folks!