THE PHILLIPS COLLECTION INTRODUCES A UCURATE APP FOR CURATING ON-THE-GO

The Android and Apple compatible app allows users to design and share self-curated displays from their mobile devices.

Washington, D.C.—As its landmark Made in the U.S.A. exhibition continues through August 31, The Phillips Collection unveils another layer of interactive programming through an educational app. The “uCurate: The Phillips Collection” app, compatible with Android and Apple devices, is an extension of the museum’s existing in-gallery and online program, an engagement technology that allows users to curate their own virtual exhibitions.

Using the free uCurate app, participants may choose from 52 artworks featured in Made in the U.S.A.—ranging from Winslow Homer’s To the Rescue (1886) to Alexander Calder’s Red Polygons (c. 1950)—and arrange them in a “virtual gallery.” The artwork is organized according to the exhibition’s themes, and users can add their comments to the information panels provided with each piece. Participants can further customize their displays by choosing wall colors and selecting the locations where the art will hang. Once their masterpiece is finished, virtual curators are encouraged to upload their exhibition to the Phillips’s website and share it through social media using #MyAmericanArt.

“uCurate allows visitors to design their version of Made in the U.S.A. and, like Duncan Phillips, create deeply personal displays of works that spark visual conversations,” says Susan Behrends Frank, exhibition curator. “By making this technology available through a mobile app, the Phillips aims to increase our audience engagement, making interaction with the museum’s American masterworks more accessible.” 

Made in the U.S.A. is on view at the Phillips through August 31, 2014. “uCurate: The Phillips Collection” app is available for Apple and Android devices.