Arts & Culture

'Take It Artside' App Launches on Android

LEXINGTON, Ky. (March 31, 2011) − Kentucky's first public art smartphone application, "Take It Artside!," launches on Android smartphones today. The brainchild of students and faculty at the University of Kentucky Department of Art and the Gaines Center for the Humanities, the application first launched on iTunes in November 2010.

"Take It Artside! is a smart phone application that will allow you to locate and learn about art in Central Kentucky," said Christine Huskisson, co-founder of Central Kentucky Museum Without Walls. "Even more exciting the Android version of this application may well be the first in the nation."

Created by the Central Kentucky Museum Without Walls Project, the free application includes images of local public art along with a brief description of each piece, artist information, and its GPS location within Bourbon, Clark, Fayette, Jessamine, Madison, Scott and Woodford counties.

Information for each art piece featured on "Take It Artside!" was collected by museum studies art students at UK and art students at Georgetown College.

Central Kentucky Museum Without Walls will expand the gaming opportunities on this second version of the public art application by adding a game that incorporates fitness into the viewing experience in a game named "ArtFit!™" The new game, coming in May, allows users to count calories burned touring artwork. This is the second game on the smartphone app, which already tests users' passion for public art. 

Later this year, the application will also begin to allow users the opportunity to be stewards of Central Kentucky's public art resources. Individual users will be able to report damage or vandalism at a public art site, as well as submit a photo. Some initial condition reporting was already collected by students in the UK Honors Program. Central Kentucky Museum Without Walls hopes to use this information to help local communities care for the artwork.

"With the future crowd-sourcing function, anyone in the community can upload a photograph of a piece of public art and submit information about its condition," said Lisa Broome-Price, co-founder of Central Kentucky Museum Without Walls. "We are hopeful that the community will embrace and take ownership in the project and help us preserve it."

Outside of the new Android version of "Take It Artside!," the application's website, www.kentuckymuseumwithoutwalls.com, offers users many of the same features as the app as well as featured tours for users and interdisciplinary lesson plans targeted to middle and high school students for teachers to use in their classroom. The lessons not only give students the opportunity to interpret a piece of public art, but allow them to compete on the application and website.

To see a demonstration of how the application works, click play on the video below.

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Click here to view a transcript of the video. 

Eventually, the organization hopes "Take It Artside!" will feature work from all 120 counties across the Commonwealth.

MEDIA CONTACT: Whitney Hale, (859) 257-1754 ext. 229; Whitney.Hale@uky.edu

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