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FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions:
ArtsConnectEd (ACE) and the
Integrated Arts Information Access Project (IAIA)
What are ACE and IAIA?
How can i get there?
Who is ACE for?
What's in ACE?
What about curriculum?
ACE and ArtsNetMN
Advantages for the Walker & MIA?
Specific searches
Where does it "live"?
What does it take?
IAIA & ACE Team
What are ArtsConnectEd and Integrated Arts Information Access?
ArtsConnectEd and the Integrated Arts Information Access Project are complementary,
interdependent collaborations between The Minneapolis Institute of Arts and the
Walker Art Center that provide online access to the rich collections and reference,
archive, media, and curriculum resources of both institutions through one shared
point of entry (Web page). There is no other project in the United States and only
a few in the world where two art museums are collaborating in such depth to create
a single point of access to their multiple resources.
The Integrated Arts Information Access Project (IAIA) was launched in September
1997, following the award of a $1 million grant from the State of Minnesota
Department of Children, Families, and Learning through an appropriation by the
Minnesota State Legislature. IAIA supports the technical, academic, and
production processes necessary to develop, convert, and retrieve information
resources from both institutions, as well as the production of new educational
content.
ArtsConnectEd (ACE) was initiated in May 1998 when MCI awarded a $150,000
grant to support access to these multiple resources through the development of
a central homepage and specialized query tools and indices. MCI also provided
funding for marketing ArtsConnectEd, teacher training, and in some instances,
dial-in Internet accounts for teachers and students in remote areas where
Internet access is severely limited.
In June of 2000 ArtsConnectEd received an additional award of
a $1 million grant from the State of Minnesota Department of
Children, Families, and Learning through an appropriation by the
Minnesota State Legislature. This appropriation will be used to
support statewide teacher training, continue the process of
digitizing the collections and to further the development of
additional educational resources. Current funding will continue
to support these efforts through June 2001.
How do I access these resources?
ArtsConnectEd and IAIA can be accessed from either institution's Web site
or directly through www.artsconnected.org.
Who are they designed for?
These projects are being developed as a primary resource for K-12 teachers and
students throughout Minnesota. While designed primarily for educational
applications, the site can be freely accessed worldwide by the general public
through www.artsconnected.org.
- Teachers are able to use the ACE site to search for and access art-related
curriculum materials and student activities according to grade level and subject
matter.
- Teachers can also access and participate in online discussions between school
and museum educators.
- Students can use ACE to conduct school project-related research as well as
participate in curriculum-related online activities and discussions.
- Students, families, and the general public at large can use ACE to explore
the expansive collections and resources of both museums through online tours
and browsing.
What kinds of information and media can be found through ArtsConnectEd?
ArtsConnectEd contains a tremendous diversity of information resources including:
text, images, audio, video, hypermedia, 3-D models and animation related to collection
information, library card catalogues, object label and didactic panel copy, exhibition
and institutional archives, educational materials, and full-text publications.
How is ArtsConnectEd related to ArtsNet Minnesota?
ArtsNet Minnesota is a collaborative educational project involving The Minneapolis
Institute of Arts, the Walker Art Center, the Frederick R. Weisman Art Museum, and
the Minnesota Museum of American Art. Funded by the Blandin Foundation, the project
includes thematic online curriculum units based on objects from all four institutions'
collections. While ArtsNet Minnesota involves different partners and types of
curriculum, the resources developed through ArtsNet Minnesota are also accessible
through ArtsConnectEd.
What are the unique benefits of the Walker Art Center and The Minneapolis
Institute of Arts collaborating in this context?
These projects offer many benefits to both the institutions as well as the
end-users including:
End User:
- Providing a single point of access to the collection and educational resources
of Minnesota's two largest art institutions.
- Integrating collections and materials together in a way that draws upon the
strengths of both collections and the unique historical perspective that their
integration provides.
- Facilitating online discussion lists for teachers, students, and the general
public about a wide variety of subjects and levels.
- Providing greater outreach through intensive, noncompetitive promotion and
training programs, which allows teachers to allocate their limited time more
effectively.
- Offering advanced online tools and technical capabilities beyond those either
institution could provide independently.
- Facilitating centralized online reservation and ordering of educational
materials.
- Providing access to other selected resources, such as the International
Telecommunication Union (ITU) curriculum.
Internal:
- Splitting the expenses of costly items such as hardware, software, Internet
service, technical support, consultants, and programmers.
- Leveraging large corporate donations and discounts of both hardware and
software from companies such as Microsoft and Live Picture.
- Attracting national and international recognition for the unique aspects
of this extraordinary collaboration.
- Splitting and sharing internal project staff expertise between institutions,
drawing upon the unique strengths of each team member and reducing the need for
duplicate roles within both institutions.
- Developing shared information standards that can be used as both a regional
and national model.
- Improving both institutions' chances of receiving larger state and national
project grants for a large-scale collaborative project.
- Improving the quality, quantity, and organization of internal information
resources through conversion, creation, and enhancement. The resulting resources
can then also be used for other business and public applications.
If both institutions' information can be searched simultaneously, can a user
choose to search just one institution's holdings?
Yes, each time a user performs a search of the IAIA database, they are given a
choice of searching just The Minneapolis Institute of Arts or just the Walker
Art Center resources or both simultaneously. With "advanced" searches, the user
also is able to select only the specific types of information they wish to search,
such as The Minneapolis Institute of Arts' library, or the Walker's video
collection. Various indices within the ArtsConnectEd homepage also allow users
to look at resources specific to the Walker Art Center or The Minneapolis
Institute of Arts.
Where does the information "live" in this type of joint/integrated project?
All project-related information and programs reside on a co-owned computer
(Web server) that is housed at Onvoy, located in Plymouth, MN. The Walker Art
Center, The Minneapolis Institute of Arts, and the ArtsNet Minnesota Web sites
are also housed on this computer. The information resources accessible through
ArtsConnectEd are stored separately by institution, and are dynamically integrated
in response to each end-user query.
What does it take to accomplish this type of conversion and cross-institutional
integration of information?
The success of this type of sophisticated information-integration project requires
full collaboration and cooperation at every level within and between the institutions,
as well as the external support of funders, corporate partners, and technical experts.
The development and adoption of technical and operational standards is key in allowing
the institutions to convert to and/or create information assets (data, text, images,
audio, and video) that can be comingled and reused for multiple internal and external
applications. These standards also make it possible to easily expand the collaboration
in the future to incorporate other partners or preexisting resources.
Who is working directly on IAIA and ACE?
The Minneapolis Institute of Arts
Jim Ockuly,
Director of Interactive Media
Tammy Sopinski,
Digital Resources Specialist
Willy Lee,
Web Master
Kate Johnson,
Chair of Education Division
Jane Satkowski,
Curatorial Researcher
Patrick Noon,
Curatorial Advisor
Mitch Vars,
Audio/Video Production and Conversion
Dan Dennehy,
Photographer
Treden Wagoner,
Coordinator of Education Technology Programs
Walker Art Center
Robin Dowden,
Director of New Media Initiatives
Sarah Schultz,
Director, Education and Community Programs
Susan Rotilie,
Associate Director, Education and Community Programs
Nathan Schroeder,
Web Master
Barbara Economon,
Photography Technician
Cameron Wittig,
Photographer
Eleanor Savage,
Audio/video production/conversion
Jill Vetter,
Archivist
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