Intel, In Collaboration With The Whitney Museum, Brings The American Century To The Internet

SANTA CLARA, Calif., April 21, 1999 -- On April 23, the most comprehensive exhibition of 20th century American art ever assembled opens in New York at the Whitney Museum of American Art. The same day, the exhibition Web site will go live to the world at www.artmuseum.net, a new Internet-based museum gallery presented by Intel Corporation.

The American Century: Art & Culture 1900 - 2000, organized by the Whitney Museum of American Art and presented by Intel, will open in two parts, exploring 100 years of art and culture in 20th century America. Part I spans 1900 - 1950; Part II spans 1950 - 2000 and opens in Sept.

Intel has provided the largest corporate contribution ever made to an art museum exhibition to support the organization and presentation of The American Century at the Whitney. Intel is also drawing on its educational, engineering and technological resources to develop programs that enhance the museum experience while bringing it to the world via the Internet.

"The Whitney museum is very excited to be working with Intel, an undisputed leader in technology. Intel's contribution enabled us to assemble the most ambitious exhibition of 20th century American art and culture ever presented. Their unprecedented collaboration has enabled us to make the exhibition's issues, ideas and images available worldwide on the Internet at ArtMuseum.net," said Maxell L. Anderson, director of the Whitney Museum of American Art.

Working with museum curators and educators to take advantage of the Web, Intel is exploring how the Internet and PCs will change the role of the museum in the 21st century. Through the power of computers, the Web can be a new medium with which to explore rich content and extend the museum community worldwide. The Internet has no space limitations, so an array of background information and materials can be assembled for each exhibition and delivered in an interactive environment.

"As we move towards a world of one billion connected computers, the Internet presents an unprecedented opportunity for people around the world to learn about each other's cultures," said Andrew S. Grove, chairman of Intel Corporation. "But the Internet is also a new kind of learning environment, where ideas and information are integrated by the user in a self-directed search for knowledge. I look forward to experiencing the creative results of the Whitney curators working side-by-side with our technologists and engineers."

The Internet-based extension of The American Century exhibition, exclusively available at ArtMuseum.net over the next three years, incorporates over 200 art objects selected from the in-museum exhibition and hundreds of archival documents and images (one half of the exhibition premieres in Part I, the other half in Part II). The online visitor is guided through a unique set of curatorial perspectives that, when combined with the technologies and conventions of the Internet, enable the online experience to be more than just a recreation of the in-museum experience. The online exhibition will allow visitors to learn about art as it relates to major historical events and key themes addressed by artists over the last 100 years. Themes include Industry and Technology; Immigration and Diversity; Politics and Social Change; Inspired by Nature; and the Story of American Art.

Additional ways to navigate and personalize the exhibition include:

• My Personal Tour -- Allows visitors to collect selected paintings and historical material, add text, and create a customized tour which others can access upon visiting the Web site. A great opportunity for teachers, these tours can be emailed to students and distributed as lesson plans.
• Learning Activities Centers -- Include background materials via the Internet, as well as online educational activities. A Family Activity Center is a special area of the online exhibition designed to introduce children and adults to works of art through an array of educating and entertaining activities. For example, the easy-to-use online drawing tool allows children the freedom to create their own art while learning how selected artists composed their work. In the coming months, a Teacher Resource Center will provide access to a variety of teaching materials and lesson plans that relate art to a range of curriculum areas.

Intel explores benefits of in-museum technology
Intel is providing museum visitors the opportunity to explore the Web site by creating an Online Exhibition Center. Working with the Whitney education department, Intel is installing state-of-the-art Pentium® III processor-based PCs equipped with the fastest Internet connections possible. With the Whitney, Intel is developing Internet-based national education programs tied to the Web site that will reach teachers throughout the country this fall. Intel is also exploring new ways to extend content from the Web site to future museum visitors while they are actually touring a museum exhibition. Limited in-museum research will be conducted by Intel on how hand-held, interactive devices, "pad" PCs, could provide multi-media information about art to future museum visitors.

ArtMuseum.net - Intel's internet-based museum gallery
Intel's new ArtMuseum.net Web site is dedicated to making world-class art exhibitions such as The American Century available to the world. Intel, working in close collaboration with the museum community, will utilize the strengths of Internet technology to create an in-depth, interactive environment in order to encourage visitors to learn about art. The exhibitions available on ArtMuseum.net will enable people to have access to world-class shows, even if they are unable to visit the actual museum or get tickets because the show is sold out. ArtMuseum.net currently features Van Gogh's Van Goghs: Masterpieces from the Van Gogh Museum, Amsterdam, a compilation of 72 works and sketches by the legendary Dutch artist, along with extensive archival materials.

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