When I started as an editor in the publications department in late 2020, much of the groundwork for creating digital catalogues at the museum had already been done: researching tools and technology, talking to colleagues from different institutions about their workflows and experiences, and thinking about accessibility and sustainability. Since becoming editor-in-chief in early 2022, I have had the privilege of overseeing our first forays into digital publishing, and more digital catalogues are already in the pipeline.
One of the Museum’s core values is our belief that art has the power to forge connections, bridge differences, and change lives. All of our publications, whether exhibition catalogs or companion guides, strive to do just that, but our digital catalogs have the unique potential to amplify those goals. Hopefully they will reach a much wider audience than our visitors and other art lovers and offer alternative ways of presenting information. They allow us to be a little more flexible and experimental, incorporating interactive features such as videos, zoomable images, 3D models, and virtual tours. We can also update content as relevant information becomes available. We are reducing our carbon footprint by eliminating physical copies and shipping emissions, and using Quire, an open-source platform developed by the Getty Museum, will ensure a digital product that will endure long into the future.
Our first digital catalogue accompanied the exhibition Her Brush: Japanese Female Artists from the Fong Johnstone Collection. In addition to the important essay by scholar Patricia Fister and an introduction and overview of the Fong-Johnstone Study Collection by Einor Cervone, the catalogue includes short summaries of the talks given by symposium participants, and finally we were able to include the videos of the talks themselves. It also includes a video tour of the exhibition for those who were unable to visit the exhibition and for those who would like to refresh their memories of their visit.
Perfectly imperfect: Korean Buncheong ceramics presents the partnership between the Denver Art Museum and the National Museum of Korea and details the history and heritage of bundle Ware in contemporary culture. Particularly exciting are the 3D images that accompany several of the essays, allowing readers to rotate and explore the objects in a virtual space.
Biophilia Nature: Reinterpreted explores the different strategies that designers, architects and artists use to explore and reinterpret our deep and varied relationship with nature. The catalogue includes videos and audio recordings, zoomable images and installation photography that would not have been possible in a printed catalogue.
Our latest digital catalogue accompanies The life and art of Tokio Ueyama and provides the first overview of Ueyama’s life and his time at the Granada Relocation Center, now known as the Amache National Historic Site. The detailed timeline of Ueyama’s life will be an invaluable resource for future scholars and anyone interested in Ueyama.
Working with our colleagues in IT, Curatorship, Photography, and Marketing and Communications, our small but mighty publications team has produced what we hope will be the first attempts at digital publications at the Denver Art Museum. And you can find them all on our new publications page.
