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| Screenshot from Google Open Gallery webpage |
To start with.....
- The technology is based on the work Google has been doing with the major museums to put their art collections online via the Google Cultural Institute and Google Art Project
- This is what you can do
Google Open Gallery helps you to create a beautiful experience for people to view your collection, at the click of a button. We’ll host your content and give you access to our technology at no cost to you or your organisation. It’s pretty simple—just upload images, add video, Street View imagery and text, interweaving your story among the images to create an exhibition that will truly engage your visitors.
- Plus it's FREE
- at the bottom of the Google Open Gallery Home Page you can see examples of how the technology has been used by smaller galleries and museums - for example
- the Fosse Gallery in the UK - provides an indication of what a typical small gallery might do for its artists. Images get the benefit of the giant zoom effect.
- the Atelier Cezanne in Provence, France uses it to show us the scenes which Cezanne painted
- Check out the Chalk Art of Julian Beever in a new online home
- PLUS this is James Gurney's site on Google Open Gallery . He has a couple of sections related to Studies in Casein and Studies in Watercolour
- You can request an invite to get started. You get an email when your account is ready. Don't do what I did and hit the send button inadvertently before I notified which websites I intended to link to the account!
Information about Google Open Gallery
I only found out about it today so I'm not providing any advice - only links to more information and some commentary
Information from Google
Here's some links to get you started:Anyone, including individual artists and collectors, galleries and museums, and any organisation with an archive they want to share, can use Google Open Gallery
- Google Europe Blog: Online exhibitions made easy with Google Open Gallery
Comments by journals and blogs
A limited number of journals have commented on this. I think maybe a lot of people missed it as it emerged in the run-up to Christmas.There's still an element of curation, of course, as any individual, gallery, museum et al wanting to populate their own multimedia exhibition needs to hit up Google for an invite.
It’s probably something any professional photographer or artist should at the very least take a look at, as it requires no programming knowledge and can create some beautiful, immersive virtual tours.
Despite looking like the love child of Flickr and Behance, Open Gallery does have a clean, put-together feel.
- Gurney Journey: Gurney Casein Exhibit references his use of Google Open gallery
I put together an exhibition of 20 of my plein-air casein studies, accompanied by 14 videos and 4 audio captures. To get the full experience, please follow this link to the James Gurney Casein Exhibit on Google Open Gallery.
What does it all mean?
One comment - and some questions - rather than answersThe comment
We're all going to have to get much better at photography if we're happy to use the facility and engage with the zoom!The questions
- Who will engage with this webware - will it be the smaller niche focused galleries? How will artists respond?
- Does this mean there's now no excuse for artists not to have a website?
- Will artists switch from paid sites to this option?
- Can we now expect many more art societies, art competitions and art exhibitions to have virtual online exhibitions?
- Do artists need to clarity exactly what people will do with their art when submitted to a gallery or juried/open competition or exhibition?
- How will we ever know what's on there?
Do you have a question?
Thanks for this information - it is very interesting and I would not have heard about it without your post!
ReplyDeletePaulina
Google sent me an invitation a few weeks ago to try it out, and I created an exhibit of my "Fifty Paintings" project from this summer. I found the interface remarkably easy to use and work through; the presentation of images is superb; and although the navigation system seems to act quirky at times, it is well-designed. Also, I had the capability of uploading images as large as 50mb. I didn't do that, partly because I don't want to make such large images available for downloading and copying. The good news is, there doesn't seem to be a way to download images. Here's a link to my gallery: https://pleinairpainting.culturalspot.org/home
ReplyDeleteNot heard of this, either - will have a nosy later. Was also wondering if you are planning any Who's Made A Mark posts cause I have a show on at the mo and have been blogging about it. No worries if not - I am looking forward to the book!
ReplyDeleteHuh. Sorry if this is a duplicate - anyway, was saying found the google thing interesting , always glad to be able to look at galleries and what other folks doing. Was also wondering if you will do any who's made a mark soon, as I have a show on at the mo and have been blogging about it - no videos though!
ReplyDeleteThanks for posting on this. It will be interesting to see who else jumps in and how artists/arts communities will use it. I will certainly have a closer look. And Michael's point that images can't seem to be downloaded is a plus too.
ReplyDelete