Given the opening of the Whitney Museum of Art and the historic re-opening of the Cooper Hewitt Museum six months ago, ArtsTech will host a discussion on the evolution of technology in NYC's art museums. While not intending to frame this as an opposition discussion, we're seeking the inputs of Sarah Hromack at the Whitney Museum of American Art and Sebastian Chan at Cooper Hewitt. We want to answer the following questions: what were the key drivers in decisions made regarding the use of tech in each institution's opening? To what extent did tech ultimately shape the new identity of each museum?
JiaJia Fei of the Guggenheim Museum will moderate the panel to pilot this conversation as someone intrinsically involved with not only the digital face of the art world but as an influencer at one of the key institutions in the city.
Schedule:
7:00pm Doors
7:30-8:30pm Panel Discussion
8:30-9:30pm Conversation continues over drinks & snacks
Drinks and snacks will be provided.
Speakers:
Sebastian Chan is currently Director of Digital & Emerging Media, at theCooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum in NewYork. He has been responsible for the museums recent digitalrenewal and its transformation into an interactive, playful newmuseum reopened after a 3 year rebuilding and reimagining. Histeam's recent work has won awards from the AmericanAssociation of Museums and Museums and the Web, OneClub, D&AD, and hasbeen featured in The Atlantic, Slate, The Verge, Fast Companyand elsewhere. Prior to relocating to New York, he was Head ofDigital, Social & Emerging Technologies at the PowerhouseMuseum in Sydney where he led teams responsible for thePowerhouse's pioneering work throughout the '00s in openaccess, mass collaboration, web metrics and digitalengagement, as well as large scale Australian cross-sectorprojects, mobile apps, geolocation services, and other digitalexperiences. He has also worked as cultural sector consultantwith organisations across the world and was the co-author ofCulture24's Lets Get Real action research project in 2011 & 2013which helped evolve data-informed digital decision making in theUK performing arts and heritage sectors. He serves on severalnon-profit boards, was a member of the Australian Government'sGov 2.0 Taskforce, and is a regular speaker at digital and culturalsector conferences and events. He also led a parallel life inelectronic art and music organising and curating festivals,international touring, and was founding editor-in-chief for longrunning music magazine Cyclic Defrost. He likes high gradechocolate, sickly sweet dessert wines, and bone-shakingbassbins.
Sarah Hromack writes about the intersection of contemporary art, design, institutions, and technology; she is the Director of Digital Media at the Whitney Museum of American Art and a faculty member in the Department of Art and Art Professions at New York University's Steinhardt School.
JiaJia Fei is the Associate Director, Digital Marketing at the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, where she has catalyzed the museums embrace of digital media through integrated social media, e-mail, web, mobile, and new media marketing initiatives since 2010 to bring art to a broader public online. JiaJia received her BA in History of Art from Bryn Mawr College, and has lectured widely on social media and digital marketing at museum conferences and universities worldwide, including Museums & the Web, CultureGeek, College Art Association, Sothebys Art Institute, New York University, University of Oregon, Fundacin Proa, and MIT Media Lab.
