This Museum Lets Patrons Ask a Curator in Real Time

At one New York City museum, an art expert is just a quick text away. The ASK Brooklyn Museum app lets you contact museum staff to ask questions about specific works or get a tip on what to see next. After debuting for iOS, the app has just launched for Android (and done a little debugging in the process).

When you’re inside the museum, the app gives you the chance to text questions and start conversations with museum experts. A team of art historians is on call to give you recommendations or answer that burning question about interpreting Judy Chicago’s feminist work The Dinner Party or the significance of Andres Serrano’s portrait of Snoop Dogg. Bluetooth signals allow the staff to pinpoint your location in the museum to give you directions, or you can just send them a photo of the painting you’re looking at via the museum WiFi.

During the average conversation in the iOS app over the last year, users sent 13 messages. One-fifth of users continued asking questions from more than five different galleries throughout the museum. According to the museum, iOS users contributed valuable insights as the Brooklyn Museum moved to reopen three of its galleries this month. Feedback from 4000 conversations on the app over the past year helped drive the new exhibitions’ designs and curatorial choices. Now that even more phone users can access the app, they’re sure to get even more feedback.

Find it: iOS, Android

All images courtesy the Brooklyn Museum via Google Play