There has been a lot of discussion in social media and by news outlets recently of Google's newly launched Art Project. The Project uses street view technology to allow users to explore the collections of museum and art galleries. It includes the ability to create an 'individual art collection' of pieces you like. Art Project features 385 rooms in 17 well known cultural institutions, and over 1,000 works by 486 artists. Each participating organization has also selected a work to be classified as "gigapixel artwork." These selected pieces have a dramatically increased zoom feature which allows users to look at minute details. Additionally, Google maps is linked to the Art Project, allowing users to 'jump' to exploring institutions using Google maps.
Despite the some of the benefits and potential of this initiative there has been a number of complaints regarding how information was gathered and how it is being displayed. A number of images are blurred out in galleries due to copyright issues. Similarly, only a handful of images are currently available in high resolution. The low resolution images leave out a vast amount of detail in intricate works. Only a select number of institutions are currently part of the Project and there has yet to be an indication of if or when the project will expand.
The Art Project is an interesting idea. However, in its current form it merely exposes some of the world's most well known art work. It does little for smaller institutions, lesser known artists, and the preservation of a wide range of artistic material.
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