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Earlier this week, the New York Times reported the launch of ArtBabble, a community website organized by the Indianapolis Museum of Art to showcase art videos. LACMA was one of a handful of institutions to contribute content and I'm excited to hear that more than twenty others are clamoring to participate.
ArtBabble is similar to YouTube or iTunes U in that you can rate and comment on content. But what really sets the site apart is its innovative "notes" feature allowing users to jump to related links. In a video I watched about Japanese calligraphy, artist Hirokazu Kosaka discussed a special brush made by his grandfather, while at the same time I was prompted to check out a Flickr photo illustrating the softness of elephant ear hair.
Here are a couple of my other favorite videos which I'd recommend you check out:
I Love the ADs from the Indianapolis Museum of Art. This hilarious video takes a page from VH1's I Love the 80s series, giving viewers a glimpse of the raddest trends, fads, and fashions of Ancient Roman culture. For instance, the Roman version of the jheri curl, urine baths for clothes washing, and Juvenal, the author of the period's best sitcoms (not the rapper).
MoMA's 30 Seconds series. In this a series by artist/filmmaker Thilo Hoffmann, MoMA members and staff discuss their on-the-job experiences. In one of the best shorts, MOMA security guard Esmay Smith gushes about her meeting Clint Eastwood.
Design by the Book from the New York Public Library. The library serves as muse for a group of New York artists as they explore its collection to create unique artworks inspired by what they've found.
And last but not least, LACMA's own Made in LA: The Prints of Cirrus Edition. This fun LACMA video traces the development of the Cirrus print workshop from its inception in 1970 to the 1990s. Cirrus owner Jean Milant and artist Ed Ruscha discuss the 1970 print Pepto-Caviar Hollywood and how little sturgeon eggs were squeegeed across Copperplate Deluxe paper to create a landscape with "Hollywood" sign.
Kendrea Chandler, Collections Information Intern