TBT: Art and AI

TBT: Art and AI

In late August, Jason Allen's AI-generated artwork "Théâtre D'opéra Spatial" took first place in the digital category at the Colorado State Fair. One critic called it "the death of artistry." But others, like Shelly Palmer, say if he crossed a line, "we’ve been walking up to the edge for decades." Allen himself believes AI-generated art will eventually become its own category.

Today, we're looking back at some of the ways AI has been incorporated into the visual arts realm.

Data Integrity -- The Foundation for Success in the Future

Data Integrity -- The Foundation for Success in the Future

If you work in your organization’s management systems, how often are you caught by data that you cannot trust? The degradation of data integrity typically comes from human error (entry of data or maintenance), formatting inconsistencies, collection processing errors or data field misalignment, or, for larger companies, data breaches. This article will help clarify how to create ecosystems for data integrity and the opportunity a strong data infrastructure provides for a data-ready future.

POAPs: Audience Engagement and Memorabilia in the Web3 Era

POAPs: Audience Engagement and Memorabilia in the Web3 Era

The average theater-goer walks into a performance with their ticket stub freshly procured from the box office. An usher hands them a playbill as they find their seat. Both items are unique to the time and place of the event, and available only to those physically in attendance at the performance. These forms of memorabilia offer audiences collectible, tangible tokens to commemorate an arts experience. However, today it is common practice to take a picture of the stage from one’s seat with playbill in hand to post on social media and store in the cloud, transforming a physical token of memorabilia into a digital one.

In the News: August 2022

In the News: August 2022

It is that time of the year – work is starting to pick up and school is back in session. To mark the beginning of a new academic year, this month’s round up of news focuses on current events regarding arts education.

Crypto Philanthropy: Opportunities and Considerations

Crypto Philanthropy: Opportunities and Considerations

Cryptocurrency has the potential to and is already beginning to disrupt philanthropy and the ways that nonprofit organizations collect donations. In previous eras, philanthropic innovation was spurred by “new sources of wealth,” as with John D. Rockefeller creating America’s first foundation or Bill and Melinda Gates translating his immense success in the tech revolution into global philanthropic influence in areas of “poverty, disease, and equity.” Similarly the emergence of a new class of “crypto-elite[s]” has the potential to disrupt traditional methods of philanthropy. Now, as blockchain technology and its myriad applications become more mainstream and our society becomes more crypto-curious, nonprofit organizations have an opportunity to adapt by incorporating cryptocurrency and its various tokens into their fundraising strategies.

Art Restoration Technologies: Renewing Artwork in the 21st Century

Art Restoration Technologies: Renewing Artwork in the 21st Century

In the visual arts, there is no guarantee that work will be preserved for any time after it has been created. While physical pieces are certainly more permanent that performances, all works are subject to deterioration and destruction. Some pieces are more susceptible, such as work made of fragile material or located in an unstable environment, but all pieces will eventually face wear and damage. Restoration is thus required in order to renew pieces to their original and/or best form. Ultimately, the goal of restoration is to safely and accurately bring pieces to their best form for study and public enjoyment. Through technology, this goal can be accomplished.

Arts Organizations & Using the AI Stack

Arts Organizations & Using the AI Stack

Carnegie Mellon University (CMU) was ranked number one in 2022 for Artificial Intelligence Programs by U.S. News and World Report. Incorporating CMU’s AI lessons is critical for all industries but particularly those that are historically considered to be “non-technical fields.” Within these fields, the ones who thrive will be those who incorporate at least the lower levels of the stack, namely data management, but an understanding of each layer of the stack will provide industries with a road map to understand how they can increase the efficiency and output of their organization’s business processes.

Approaches to Data Privacy in Arts Organizations

Approaches to Data Privacy in Arts Organizations

In the current digital economy, privacy is elusive. In fact, much of the Internet as we know it is made up of services and practices that use data as a form of payment, without making that transaction clear. This article explores how individuals and organizations in arts enterprises can maintain better privacy and data protection for themselves and their clients using existing technology and techniques. It begins with a brief background on the state of digital privacy, and then provides into an overview of existing techniques and technologies that could be applied within the arts.