Tech Plus Art Equals Accessibility

When Technology meets Art, multiple doors are created. Art becomes accessible so all can enjoy and benefit, regardless of physical or economic status. Especially intriguing are the virtual tour options.

Can't make a trip to the Smithsonian in DC?

No problem.

You can take a walk through the Smithsonian Natural History Museum! Click here.

The Smithsonian is a leader in offering accessibility to their many collections. The temporary exhibit called Wonder, one that was housed at the Renwick Gallery in the Smithsonian American Art Museum, has ended; but, because of technology, you still can stand under Janet Echelman's installation, "Renwick 1.8". Get a glimpse of it in the pictures above; the left by Ron Blunt and the right by Stenie Mina di Sospiro. Echelman’s woven sculpture is representative of a map of the power unleashed in the Pacific Ocean during the Tohoku earthquake and tsunami. The event actually moved the earth on its axis the day it happened, March 11, 2011, and decreased the time by 1.8 millionths of a second, hence the title.

The Wonder exhibit was featured at the Renwick Gallery's reopening following a two-year major renovation of the 150 year-old institution. This gallery is the first building in the United States designed expressly as an art museum. When they reopened the doors to this national institution, they opened them in reality and virtual reality.

You can browse through the installations by artist online here on your computer.

The nine contemporary artists were chosen for this exhibition for their ability to fashion a sense of wonder by using everyday materials. There are nine leading contemporary artists who used a wide range of materials - from index cards to tire rubber - to create unusual and engaging grand art installations.

If you want an immersive experience, a team created a 3-D app that allows you experience what it looks and feels like to stand under or above the artwork.

View the exhibits in 3-D on your smart phone or in 3-D virtual reality on your computer.

Click here to find out how.

If you know someone who loves art, but is unable to travel, please share the Wonder!