The judges said:
The Blanton Museum's skillful use of the audio medium results in an audio tour that is enriching, engaging, and educational. The tour has a very high production
value, equal to segments on the radio, and the content is highly researched without being pedantic. Much of this tour's success comes because the museum decided
to open the conversation to voices beyond normal categories of "authority," therefore validating the ability of the regular museum visitor to exercise
his or her own critical judgment about works on view. The tour is enjoyable as an exhibition supplement, yet, due to its descriptive language and alternative
viewpoints, is strong enough to stand on its own as a purely audio experience.
The producers said:
The Blanton Museum of Art's Uncommon Commentary audio guide, produced in collaboration with Acoustiguide, Inc., is no ordinary tour. A local hairstylist, a
landscape designer, a former police officer, and the owner of Austin's independent bookstore are among the many Austin voices that join the museum's curators and
University of Texas faculty in illuminating 32 works of art for listeners. The tour was designed to appeal to intellectually and artistically curious Austinites,
young cosmopolitans in particular, and was launched in conjunction with the grand opening of the museum's new facility in April 2006. By leveraging the creative
capital of the city and rich resources of the university, the tour offers visitors an extraordinary experience connecting art and ideas. Uncommon Commentary
demonstrates that there are many ways to understand and enjoy works of art and encourages visitors to draw connections between their own experiences and works of
art.
The judges said:
Absolutely interesting and engaging. The structure of the tour is clear and easy to use, and its content both responds to and augments our experience of the works
on view in the exhibition. Specially created video segments, presumably available only to tour users, enhance the visitors' understanding of the artists, providing
deeper connections between artist and audience. The tour's producers also opted for a "remote" sound quality to the artists' voices, tying them emotively
to the exhibition's theme.
The producers said:
In the summer of 2006, the Saint Louis Art Museum became one of the first museums in the world to offer all visitors a multimedia tour of an exhibition using iPod
video technology. The free multimedia tour included engaging interviews with all eight artists featured in the exhibition "Remote Viewing (Invented Worlds in
Recent Painting and Drawing)," as well as animated photos of the artists at work in their studios, an introduction by Saint Louis Art Museum Director Brent R.
Benjamin, and connective commentary by exhibition curator Robin Clark. The tour placed audio/visual technology into the hands of visitors and provided them with the
experience of walking through the exhibition guided by the artists themselves.
The program was produced by Schwartz & Associates Creative, Clayton, Missouri. Saint Louis Art Museum staff who contributed to the project included Louise Cameron, Head of
Interpretation and Robin Clark, Associate Curator of Contemporary Art. The Museum also thanks Jerry L. Thompson, the photographer who captured the artists at work in
their studios, and the artists featured in the exhibition: Franz Ackermann, Steve DiBenedetto, Carroll Dunham, Ati Maier, Julie Mehretu, Matthew Ritchie, Alexander
Ross, and Terry Winters.
The judges said:
Red Studio meets a great need to provide teen audiences with a forum for expression and communication. The Museum of Modern Art's (MoMA) approach in
utilizing its teen audience to engage new visitors and offer new perspectives is fresh and inviting. Teen audiences tend to be underserved by museums, but MoMA
succeeds in harnessing this group's potential and making the museum experience accessible and fun. Featuring the audio as a podcast on both Red Studio's
website and on iTunes allows visitors greater accessibility to the content outside of the Museum.
The producers said:
The Museum of Modern Art's Youth Advisory Council (YAC), a group of thirteen 11th and 12th grade students from New York City high schools, collaborated with MoMA
Educators and Acoustiguide to develop the Red Studio audio program for teens. This project grew out of the teens' evaluation of MoMA's programs and
interpretive materials and their subsequent desire to include the "voices" of teens in The Museum. The teens' goal was to develop dynamic, exciting,
and informative podcasts by teens for teens—with a variety of approaches and sounds ranging from spoken word to interviews with Museum visitors and staff.
The resulting audio on works by artists Jasper Johns, Edward Ruscha, Gunther Uecker, Dieter Roth, Lee Bontecou, and Donald Judd, are available free of charge on the
Museum's audio devices, and as streaming and downloadable audio on moma.org. The audio and information on MoMA's YAC are featured on Red Studio, a MoMA
Site for Teens (moma.org/redstudio). This content is also available on the MoMAudio podcast on iTunes.
MoMA credits include: The 2006-2007 Youth Advisory Council, Sara Bodinson, Associate Educator, David Hart, Twelve-Month Educational Media Intern, Victoria Lichtendorf,
Associate Educator, Heather Maxson, Associate Educator, and Adrienne Whaley, Twelve-Month Education Intern. Credits for Acoustiguide, Inc. include Jennifer Berry,
Director of Client Development, Tony Cirne, Studio Manager, Kathryn Glass, Vice President, North and South America.
The judges said:
The history of blues music in Chicago lends itself particularly well to an audio tour format. They went one step beyond, however, creating a meaningful experience
comprising a map, audio commentary, and musical samples. A website offers an interactive map of important sites in the history of Chicago blues; users can see images
of people and places while listening and learning. The content is also available for off-line use, and while it would offer an evocative introduction to a visitor
on the streets of Chicago, it is strong enough to be educational and engaging no matter where the listener may be.
The producers said:
In the first half of the 20th century, hundreds of thousands of African Americans emigrated from the rural South to urban centers in the North like Chicago. They
brought with them a rich cultural tradition of song and performance. These traditions blossomed in the juke joints, cabarets and theaters of Chicago into what is
now known as electric, or Chicago, blues. Electric Blues is a true American tradition, and was itself fundamental to the development of many subsequent musical
styles, including rock, R&B, and gospel.
"Chicago Blues" follows the development of electric blues through the stories of its key performers, as well as the clubs and record companies where it was
first played. The narrator, Buddy Guy, is one of the most important living blues performers, and his experience playing with such greats as Muddy Waters, Howlin'
Wolf and Willie Dixon makes him a direct link to the birth of the Blues. The program features actual cuts from many of the great Blues artists and their followers,
including Ma Rainey, Bessie Smith, Muddy Waters and the Rolling Stones.
The primary goal of "Chicago Blues" is to educate listeners in the significance of Blues to the history of Chicago, as well as its importance in the larger
landscape of American and international culture. The program is meant to be rewarding both to those visitors who can come to take the tour in person, as well as
those who cannot make the trip. To that end, the program is offered in a variety of electronic formats. The downloadable enhanced podcast couples archival images
and maps with the audio production to allow a visitor to Chicago to experience the sights and sounds for him or herself. The interactive website provides a rich
experience for those visitors who can't visit in person. "Blues" is also offered in five languages.
