Would you like to explore art from around the world… from your kitchen table? How about exploring the most famous museums and collections of art on the planet, without traveling thousands of miles!? If you are interested in art, and haven’t heard about the Google Arts and Culture, prepare to be blown away:
The amazing Google Arts and Culture platform allows internet users to select a museum from the thousands of collections from all over the world. Next, you can either choose to explore museums (which allows you to use your mouse to “walk” through the galleries to experience the lay-out in 360 degrees), or ‘View Artwork'” (in such incredible close-up detail the paint seems to be flaking off your computer screen). I first learned of this brilliant project from a TED talk by the project developer and art-lover Amit Sood: take 5 minutes to be awed and inspired:
Imagine the possibilities with this magnificent resource… The lessons, projects, you could do with your kids. I want to be in my old classroom with the overhead projector, projecting an enormous Aztec Calendar onto the screen (from the Museo de Antropologia in Mexico City), and zooming in to see the individual grains in the stone, or walking through. Students can create their own “galleries,” or browse galleries that have been featured by other users, sometimes within certain themes such as “Pre-Columbian.”
Here are my favorites- but honestly I need more time to explore more!:)
The Uffizi– Florence, Italy
Museo del Oro– Bogota, Colombia
Museo Frida Kahlo– Mexico City
Rijksmuseum– Amsterdam
Musee D’Orsay– Paris
Museum of Islamic Art in Qatar
State Russian Museum in St. Petersburg
South African National Gallery
Which galleries have you enjoyed? (in real life or here on the google art project!)
Here is the “teaser” video of the project:
I had no idea you could do this – so cool!
I know- isn’t it so awesome!???! I can’t wait to show my kids!!! Can you imagine giving them a tour of a museum you might not be able to ever go visit??? The video of the TED talk shows it the best- if you haven’t seen it, you have to watch!
I love this idea of visiting other museums this way! How cool! Thanks for sharing.
I think it’s so great- between this and Google Earth people without the means to travel and still visit amazing places around the world! Can you imagine the applications this has for the classroom???