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Museum of Modern Art features 32,000 art pieces on iPhone app

The Museum of Modern Art has unveiled an iPhone application that lets users access 32,000 works of art via their mobile device.

The application lets users view renowned collections, exhibits and events. The application, which was designed in-house is available for the iPhone and iPod touch in the Apple App Store.

?Like all museums large and small, we have to think carefully about how we allocate our resources,? said Allegra Burnette, creative director of digital media at MoMA, New York. ?But we also wanted to try doing a project specifically for this platform.

?So we decided to create an app that could both take advantage of the features of an iPhone or iPod touch, but which could also form the foundation for other apps across multiple devices and also for our mobile Web site,? she said. ?Mobile is clearly playing an increasing role in how people access information about the museum, and creating a platform that enables us to expand across a variety of devices is a key part of our overall digital strategy.

?The iPhone app is, in many respects, just the beginning.?

Mobile art
The MoMa application lets users view a dictionary of art terms and a database of artist bios, calendar information for exhibitions, film screenings, events and a variety of audio tours, including special tours for children, teens and the visually impaired.

Users who visit the museum can snap photos inside and send them as postcards.

Additionally, visitors can select tracks from their own music libraries and listen to it while touring the museum.

?Mobile is greatly increasing as the means by which our audience is finding out about exhibitions, events, and our collection,? Ms. Burnette said. ?So mobile really is a necessity rather than an option at this point.

?We did some user testing with members during the development, and what was gratifying is that we discovered that people across multiple generations were finding it accessible and useful,? she said. ?So I think it?s not about a target age range, but more about people who have an interest in the Museum and in art in general.

?During the testing, one of our members said that it was like carrying MoMA in her pocket, and that?s kind of become our tagline.?

Here is the screen grab of the application:

Smartphone exhibits
The application includes several features.

The tour feature consists of MoMA Audio programs, with five distinct tour options, such as Special Exhibitions, Modern Voices, Modern kids, MoMA Teen Audio and Visual Descriptions.

Users can browse the tour feature by floor or stop number and view information about the museum, including hours, admission and transportation.

In addition, users can check the calendar of current and upcoming exhibitions, daily events and film screenings and share it via Facebook or Twitter.

Users can also access MoMa resources on iTunes, iTunes U and YouTube via the application.

Here is another screen grab of the application:

?The app does work on the iPad, although you need to upscale it currently, and we are definitely turning to Android as another priority,? Ms. Burnette said. ?And our mobile site, which is following very closely on the heels of the app launch, will enable users of all of those platforms to get much of the same content through their browser.

?The various apps on the different devices allow us to take that base mobile content and then add custom features to take advantage of what each of the platforms offers in particular,? she said.

Final Take
Here's a demo of the MoMA application