New technologies have been paving the way for engagement at Grand Valley State University, especially in the GVSU art department. About a year ago, a new app, “Art at GVSU,” for Apple and Android devices created a mobile window into the entire GVSU art collection and on March 11 a new element was launched within the Art at GVSU app called artPlay.

Nathan Kemler, collections manager is charged with taking care of and providing accessibility to the university’s art collection, which now consists of over 11,000 works of art.

The Art at GVSU app allows users to view a complete list of artworks at GVSU, take tours of artworks available and share the collections through any social media platform.

“The initial goal of Art at GVSU was to provide a mobile window into the GVSU art collection and that has been very successful,” Kemler said. “The bigger picture, however, is to foster participatory engagement between the art collection and the GVSU community. That is what we are working towards today.”

He and professor Jonathan Engelsma, in the School of Computing and Information Systems, along with graduate student Andrews Solano, current GVSU students Juan Mejia and Serpoosh and a database management company helped developed the artPlay game feature.

“We want to create a space in the mobile realm where students, faculty and staff could easily and casually interact with art,” Kemler said. “The artPlay game feature is one step on this greater path towards building engagement with the art collection at GVSU.”

This is how artPlay works: Through Art at GVSU app artPlay will post nine artworks daily for students, faculty and staff to vote on. Each time a participant votes, they will receive points to their account. Players can vote every five minutes and prizes will be awarded to those who accumulate the most points each week in the form of different $15 gift certificates. The gift cards can be picked up at the University Bookstore and at Campus Dining.

The last vote of the day for the artwork voted everyone’s favorite on that day will be awarded extra points to go into a drawing to win a Xbox Kinect at the end of the contest which ends April 21.

Participants can use their phones to cast their votes, check their points and to look for more information about the artworks themselves.

“We want to assist the GVSU community in understanding and appreciating the role that art has in our lives,” Kemler said. “We physically make art accessible everywhere at GVSU and the Art at GVSU app is just one resources available for exploring the art collection, discovering new artwork and sharing your enjoyment with your friends.”

Kemler said future development is underway to continue creating new ways for people to interact with the GVSU art collection.

“We recently applied for a federal grant to assist us in this project and if awarded, we will begin building new features and games later this year,” Kemler said.
The app is available on iTunes an in Google Play.
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