This article explores the intersection of digital art, NFTs, and community governance through the lens of the furry fandom, a decentralized community of artists and enthusiasts. With the rise of NFTs, the ability to authenticate digital art and protect creators' work has become a critical concern. The study examines the resistance within the furry community to adopt NFTs, highlighting their reliance on community-based trust and governance over "trustless" blockchain systems. While some see potential in NFTs to safeguard intellectual property, many furries are skeptical, valuing social trust and ethics over commercialization. By studying the furry subculture's approach to art ownership and the challenges they face, the article poses larger questions about the future of NFTs and blockchain technology in creative spaces.
As technology continues to reshape the arts and entertainment landscape, our readers and listeners have shown a clear appetite for understanding these transformations. From AI's role in creative processes to the evolution of virtual reality and streaming, this year's most popular content reveals the questions on everyone's minds.
This article explores the rise of virtual production (VP) and its impact on contemporary filmmaking through the use of large-scale LED volumes that merge physical sets with real-time digital environments. Using high-profile productions such as The Mandalorian and 1899 as case studies, it examines how VP reshapes creative workflows across departments, redistributes labor rather than eliminating it, and demands new hybrid skill sets from designers, location managers, and technicians. The piece also addresses the role of labor unions and training programs in adapting to emerging technologies, alongside the economic challenges of scalability, access, and high upfront costs. Ultimately, the article positions virtual production as a transformative - yet uneven - evolution in the entertainment industry, emphasizing the need for equitable training and infrastructure as VP becomes a lasting mode of production.
This article explores how extended reality (XR) - including augmented, mixed, and virtual reality - is reshaping acting training by layering immersive technologies onto long-established methods like Stanislavski-based technique and the Method. Drawing on examples from Basrah to Juilliard and Odin Teatret, the piece shows how XR can deepen character work, expand dramaturgical research, and personalize feedback through data-driven simulations. At the same time, it raises urgent legal, ethical, and social questions around biometric data, FERPA and HIPAA protections, digital Blackface, and harassment in virtual spaces. Rather than treating XR as a magic solution, the article argues that thoughtful pedagogy, clear institutional policies, and equity-minded design are essential if these tools are to support - not replace - human-centered theatre education.
This article analyzes Ireland’s emerging position as a global cultural policy case study, focusing on the Basic Income for the Arts (BIA) program and its place within the national framework Culture 2025. While Ireland’s consensus-driven political system, strong arts advocacy networks, and history of support for artist income have enabled an ambitious, research-oriented basic income pilot, the article highlights deeper tensions within cultural policymaking. Drawing on Stephen Hadley’s concept of “cultural policy realism,” it argues that Ireland’s policies—despite their novelty—remain rooted in traditional, instrumentalist views of culture as an economic engine and national branding tool. By contrasting democratization of culture with cultural democracy, the piece situates Ireland’s model between innovation and reversion, emphasizing the need for sustained experimentation, critical evaluation, and more genuinely democratic approaches to cultural support.
Last week the world watched in shock as Notre Dame, a building that has stood as a sentinel over hundreds of years of French history, burned. While the physical and psychological devastation of these events is difficult to fathom and must not be trivialized, technological projects carried out at many of these historical locations and museums provide a ray of hope that what is gone may not truly be forever lost.
There are many ways that technology can aid in assessing students’ progress, for both the teacher and the student. One such application of technology in both the private or group music lesson is drill and practice software, which can “provide a more persistent learning since it allows a drill and practice at desired level and desired amount” (Nart 80).
Image Source: (Linden 535)
If you are creating a VR experience for your institution there is a reasonable chance it will be your guest’s first VR experience. Crafting an experience that is intuitive, has a well designed introduction, and an appropriate time to readjust to the “real” world afterwards can help make their first experience a great one.
Immersive Experiences (AR, VR, and mixed reality) are emerging in the performing arts world. Let’s take a close look to gain a better understanding of the reasons why performing arts organizations implement these kinds of technology and discover whether it was worth the investment at this time in the technology’s development.
What if we, as artists, could learn to use AI to remove the barriers between gender, race, and social status? Here are 3 takeaways for arts managers to consider when thinking of how to better engage audiences and communities within their institutions through AI.
Image Credit: Dinkins, Stephanie. "Project al-Khwarizmi (PAK)." Dinkins Studio. https://www.stephaniedinkins.com/project-al-khwarizmi.html.
Podcasts aren’t just for news and politics anymore. Arts and culture podcasts represent a small but growing niche in the field as an engaging channel for sharing stories, exploring industry trends, and offering a behind-the-scenes perspective into the different arts disciplines. For managers keen on adding more arts and culture content to their playlists and seeing how other arts organizations are leveraging the podcast medium, here’s a list of shows to check out.
One of the most challenging aspects of publicly exhibited works is their conservation, both in the physical and digital sense. One of the most challenging aspects of publicly exhibited works is their conservation. These works are often forced to directly withstand the elements, but also must be protected from graffiti and defacement. There have been examples of conservation issues forcing a public art office to remove an artwork, and Danielle Brazell from the Office of Cultural Affairs in LA described having to de-accession a work that could not be salvaged due to weather-related damage. The Cambridge Arts Council has worked to develop a streamlined system to mitigate problems with a pre-emptive strategy.
There are many important questions an organization must ask itself before implementing a blockchain system. Three questions are especially salient for nonprofits.
Are you considering implementing new programs, technology, or resources to enhance visitor experience for differently abled patrons? If your answer is yes, there are a few key points to remember: respect the community you are serving; ensure the changes are mission oriented; confirm ADA compliance; and install measurable methods of evaluation.
Image Credit: Jil Wright
There are a lot of options for how people may choose to allocate their time, attention, and financial resources. To an extent there is competition in the cultural sector between museums, theaters, and other similar organizations, but external options, such as other forms of entertainment or educational technology, present a plethora of choices for the consumer. With that in mind, as we start the year let’s take a brief scan of what was hot in the tech world through the 2018 holiday season, and what appears to be on the horizon.
As we wrap up 2018, we want to take a moment to thank our AMT-Lab readers and contributors for another great year of all things arts, management, and technology. We will be taking a short break to celebrate the holiday season, but we will be back after the New Year. In the meantime, be sure to follow the AMT-Lab Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and LinkedIn pages for “sweet” updates and posts on some of our favorite past articles.
Have a safe and happy holiday season. We’ll see you next year!
The AMT-Lab Staff
Live streaming has become a popular trend for performing arts organizations, and many have turned to Facebook to broadcast their shows. Many organizations may find it beneficial to start their live streaming journey with Facebook Live, continue to use the platform for events that are likely to attract a lot of Facebook users, and invest in higher quality live streaming services as they grow.
In spring of 2017 AMT Lab contributor Kara Post created a Museum App blueprint that establishes a set of standards to consider when designing or evaluating a museum application for the enhancement of the visitor’s experience. This framework is applied to the CMOA Gallery Guide
Public art in commercial and recreational structures is a means to bring communities together and directly connect people with the physical space around them. Typically, public art is presented in the form of murals, sculptures, architecture, and environmental art. In addition to social bridging, public artworks can serve as identity-markers for particular locations, mediums to express distinct points of view, and vehicles to inspire personal and social change.
