| The Internet, or, more specifically, the World Wide Web has opened an entirely new method of research for people all over the world. Instead of spending time in a library looking for hard-copy research, one is now able to sit down at any computer terminal that is linked to the Internet and find information about almost anything. The amount of literature or web pages about the art world is growing everyday. This growth can only be positive because it allows people another method of finding out about art. One such page is The Museum of Modern Art in New York (MOMA) found at http://www.moma.org. Viewers are able to get a comprehensive background the museum and its contents by viewing the page. Many may use this in anticipation of going to the museum, while others may take a look for research purposes or just for knowledge about what can be found at the Museum. The page opens on a teal green background with spinning blocks in different colors which, when they stop, spell MOMA. It gives the address of the museum and the telephone number. Clicking on this icon will lead you to the rest of the page. From here you can look at their collection, special exhibitions, digital works, and other informative links. This page is well organized and takes only a short time to load. The page is hosted by the AT&T Easy World Wide Web and was created this year. The first link listed is to Peter Halley's Exploding Cell in which he created a web project with nine digital images from the museum collection. Some links do not always work for unknown reasons. This link is one example. Had I been on a different computer, the link may have worked. This link required Shockwave in order to stream Macromedia Director animations, and it appeared that something went wrong in the downloading process. The webmaster may have wanted to use software which would not ruin the work. It should be able to be seen without the plug-in, though, even if it was slow. The next link brings you to exhibitions that are currently on display at MOMA and are accompanied by Web presentations. These include On the Edge: The Dannheisser Collection; Egon Schiele: The Leopold Collection, Vienna; Achille Castiglioni: Design!, and New Photography. Each exhibition link gives the museum or artist the possibility to add more to the overall presentation of their work. A specific arena of interactivity is opened when the artist is allowed a cyberspace within which to display their work and take the time to add their own artists statement, background, future works, or feelings about a current piece. This opportunity is invaluable to those wanting to know more about a particular piece or artist. The Collection link provides viewers with a means to discover some of the pieces in the museum collection. This is an important resource for finding out where a piece resides, or if the museum may have certain pieces which are of interest to viewers. The different areas in their collection include Painting and Sculpture, Drawings, Prints and Illustrated Books, Architecture and Design, Photography, Film and Video. The site also has a link to special web projects which are growing in number every year as computer-generated art and technology-based communication become more popular. One such project, entitled Technology in the 1990's, gives viewers the opportunity to read texts presented at a symposium at the museum, and to participate in an on-line discussion regarding the topic. It is wonderful that the museum is following the times and allowing new digital art to have a place within the traditional museum venue. Overall, the presentation of the web site is clean and easy-to-understand for the average viewer. It offers traditional information regarding the museum, and provides a space for computer-generated art. It is necessary that influential organizations such as the MOMA create spaces so as to represent all forms of contemporary art. In the coming years, it would be smart to check out the MOMA home page for interactive art pieces as the Museum is creating both a real and a virtual gallery space. |