Google Arts & Culture is an online platform developed by Google to showcase the rich heritage of diverse cultures, art, art movements, and civilizations from around the world. Art and culture are essential aspects of human expression and development, and for centuries, individuals and communities have employed these tools to reflect and preserve their values, beliefs, and experiences.
Through its virtual reality interface, Google Arts & Culture allows users to explore and discover these rich masterpieces using only their Google accounts and mobile phones, PCs, or top-of-the-line Chromebooks.
About the platform
Since its launch in 2011, the Google Arts & Culture platform has been a popular resource for art lovers, students, and anyone interested in exploring the world of art and culture. It is available on the website (artsandculture.google.com) and respective Android and iOS apps. The platform allows users, including students and teachers, to explore real-world collections, online exhibitions, and cultural artifacts in over 2,000 museums and galleries.
Using the Google Arts & Culture app to tour virtual museums is only one of the service’s many functions. With the help of augmented reality and the incorporation of Google Earth, users can go beyond and access real-world locations that may be difficult to access geographically.
Features of Google Arts & Culture
The platform offers a range of features and tools to engage users in various ways. Some of its key features include:
Artwork and artifact collections
Google Arts & Culture partners with museums, galleries, and cultural institutions worldwide to digitize and display their collections online. Users can browse through thousands of high-resolution images of paintings, sculptures, historical artifacts, and more.
Virtual tours
The platform provides virtual tours of famous museums, heritage sites, and landmarks. Users can explore these locations from the comfort of their homes, using technologies like Google Street View and 360-degree panoramic photography.
Art project
Google Arts & Culture art project allows users to virtually visit renowned art museums and view artwork in high resolution. It offers zoom-in capabilities that enable users to examine details of famous artworks up close. For example, users can easily view the finest details of paintings, such as The Starry Night by Vincent van Gogh.
Experiments and interactive features
Google Arts & Culture also presents various interactive features and experiments. For example, users can match their selfies with famous artworks to find their artistic doppelgangers or explore themed exhibitions curated by experts.
Cultural stories
The platform showcases curated content, articles, videos, and stories related to art, history, and cultural heritage. These resources provide insights into artistic movements, historical events, and significant figures.
Ways you can explore Google Arts & Culture
The Arts & Culture website and Google apps offer several experiences for users to try out. Here are some of them:
1. Go on a tour of famous galleries
Discover some of the best works of art from galleries and museums from the comfort of your home or school. You can browse a virtual gallery using augmented reality.
2. Paint famous artworks
The Art Coloring Book is one of the entertaining Google Arts & Culture features. When you select a famous image to color, you may either color the image digitally using the color palette, download and print it to color, or paint it offline.
3. Take an art selfie
With the app, you can compare your picture with numerous artworks. Take a selfie and search to see which work of art matches your features.
4. Go on a virtual field trip
With Google Arts & Culture, you can embark on virtual tours and field trips. Teachers can guide students as they explore historical sites on specific subjects or concepts.
5. Enjoy machine learning experiments
The Google Arts & Culture project also features exciting machine learning experiments such as blob Opera and crossword puzzles. You can earn points and share your work on other social media platforms.
Benefits of Google Arts & Culture
The platform is a gem for art lovers worldwide. Here are some of the benefits you could enjoy:
Provides easy access to art
Because anyone, anywhere and at any time, can visit Google Arts & Culture, art has become more accessible. As long as they have an internet connection, users who might not otherwise visit these museums to view their works can now see yours from the comfort of their homes or classroom.
Improves visitor experience
Users can avoid time, financial, and physical restrictions by using Google Arts & Culture. They do not have to restrict their visit to a collection to a single time or arrive only to discover that the art is not on display.
Complements real visits to a gallery
Many have stated that virtual tours complement in-person visits to choice sites rather than replace them. Simply put, visitors are more likely to appreciate their actual visit to the museum after a virtual tour.
Decentralizes art and culture
By excluding barriers such as location and cost, Google Arts & Culture has ushered in a more decentralized overview of art and culture. Due to deteriorating working conditions, a shortage of available wall space at a museum, or other comparable circumstances, some cultural or artistic exhibits have only been accessible to a select audience (such as Ph.D. students or academic scholars). However, digital replicas can be accessed by anyone, anywhere. This online resource has begun to revolutionize research and academia by opening access to previously unattainable works of art and promoting multi-institutional learning.
Effective learning tool for students
Encouraging students to take a virtual tour of a gallery or a real-world location before having them explain their experience to the class is an excellent way to spur learning.
Drawbacks of Google Arts & Culture
Despite the numerous benefits of the Google Arts & Culture platform, critics have pointed out some drawbacks that are worth looking into.
Selection of content
Some critics worry that Google Arts & Culture may give a distorted image of art and art history. This is because Google and the partner museums choose the information and artworks to be displayed.
Possible security risks
Critics also assert that the high-resolution street views and gallery layouts may be used to orchestrate a break-in.
Do you want to showcase your art?
Google Arts & Culture allow artists to share their art or culture on the platform through various publishing methods. If you’re a curator affiliated with or own a museum, institution, or collection, you can become a partner by requesting an invitation to the Google Cultural Institute at services.google.com/fb/forms/cisignup/. If eligible, you will receive an email invite.
If you like Google Arts and Culture and want to explore the world in a similar way, explore Google Earth. Here’s everything you need to know about it.
