If you’re thinking about hitting the road for some much-needed travel this year, or want to take a virtual trip from home, our free Bloomberg Connects app makes it possible for users to access exciting, informative content from 150 iconic cultural institutions in the U.S. and beyond. The app includes audio guides, exhibit information, interactive virtual tours, and more to help you get the most out of your in-person or virtual visit.
Here we take a tour of some of the cultural institutions with guides available on the Bloomberg Connects app from coast to coast across the U.S. You can download the Bloomberg Connects app for free from the App Store or Google Play to explore these and many other institutions.
NEW YORK: Explore sound and sculpture by the Hudson River at Dia Beacon, Storm King Art Center, and Magazzino
Start off your journey north of the Big Apple at Dia Beacon. With a broad collection of works, the museum features stunning exhibits that run the gamut from large-scale paintings to sound installations. Dia Beacon’s guide features audio and video content introducing you to its artists and their artworks – including, for example, Richard Serra’s massive sculptures which are on display across five galleries, and Larry Bell’s works showcasing the best of the Southern California Light and Space movement.
If you’re heading up to Dia Beacon from New York City, you can also enjoy Isabel Lewis’s Hudson Line Mixtape on its guide, a playlist created to accompany the train journey on the Hudson Line from Grand Central Station to Beacon, New York. And while you’re in the Hudson Valley (literally or virtually), check out the Bloomberg Connects guides for neighboring organizations Magazzino Italian art (don’t miss the donkeys!) and Storm King Art Center, a 500-acre outdoor museum for large-scale sculpture.
MISSISSIPPI: Immerse Yourself in Southern History at the Mississippi Museum of Art
Head down south to experience unique representations of southern history by local artists at the Mississippi Museum of Art. New Symphony of Time, an exhibition that illuminates the boundaries of Missippi’s narrative by exploring ancestry, memory, migration and more, takes Bloomberg Connects users through each remarkable piece in this project through audio clips that unpack the complex history of Mississippi.
Bloomberg Connects users can also access the Makers in their Spaces feature to learn more about the individual artists featured at the museum and see how they are striving to make a difference through their art.
OKLAHOMA: Reflect on American History in Oklahoma with the Greenwood Art Project and Greenwood Rising
Next, head west to Oklahoma to explore the struggle and resiliency of the Black community in Tulsa. Launched to commemorate the centennial of the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre, the Greenwood Art Project is a community-led art initiative that reflects on the rich history, legacy, and future of the city’s historic Greenwood District, and is accompanied by a Bloomberg Connects guide that takes users through the compelling story of the neighborhood. The project came to life as a winner of the Bloomberg Philanthropies Public Art Challenge.
Separately, a guide for Greenwood Rising, the museum dedicated to the history of Black Wall Street and the legacy of the 1921 Race Massacre, allows visitors to learn more. Immersive displays and interactive media bring the story of Greenwood to life, guiding users through profiles of the extraordinary individuals who once made up the Black Wall Street community. Another app feature allows users to witness the evolution of the neighborhood from 1920 to the present.
TEXAS: Be Mesmerized in the Texas Desert by the Celebrated Legacy of Artist Donald Judd
The next stop on your journey is Marfa, Texas, where the Judd Foundation showcases the permanent installation of the living and working spaces of acclaimed artist Donald Judd, and allows in-person or virtual visitors to celebrate his lasting artistic legacy.
App users can explore Judd’s extraordinary work throughout his career. Via the new films created by Rainer Judd, hear excerpts from interviews and lectures with Donald Judd in which he reflects on his work art, architecture, design, and more broadly the philosophy behind his approach, allowing users to understand him both as an artist and person.
COLORADO: Experience Art in the Rockies at the Aspen Art Museum and 20th-century Design at the Resnick Center for Herbert Bayer Studies.
As you head further west, you’ll reach Colorado’s mountain ranges and the Aspen Art Museum. Not all art exhibits are indoors, as you’ll see with the Bloomberg Connects guide to Precious okoyomon, a garden that dramatically combines invasive plants with indigenous plants. The guide allows users to listen to audio tracks reflecting on the works and their relationship to the natural beauty that surrounds the museum.
The guide also features an in-depth audio and visual tour through its remarkable past exhibit Andy Warhol: Lifetimes, where users are taken into the world of the celebrated artist by the original curator.
If you want to linger longer in the mountains, explore the work of a local hero with national impact through the guide to the Resnick Center for Herbert Bayer Studies. Also located in Aspen, the museum centers on the work of mid-20th-century designer, artist, and architect Herbert Bayer.
CALIFORNIA: Dive into an Eclectic Collection under the California Sun at the Hammer Museum, and Explore Books and Nature at The Huntington Library, Art Museum, and Botanical Gardens
The final stop on your road trip takes you to the west coast and Los Angeles’ Hammer Museum. Through Bloomberg Connects, users can access interactive content on its diverse collection, which includes cutting-edge contemporary pieces. The guide allows users to hear directly from artists and curators while touring the museum’s eclectic mix of visual art, sculpture, performances, and film, all of which challenge visitors to look at the world in new ways.
In addition to modern art, the guide includes photos and commentary on the Armand Hammer collection, which features historical works from the 16th– through 20th-centuries, including an impressive collection of that covers the most celebrated eras of European art.
And don’t miss The Huntington Library, Art Museum, and Botanical Gardens guide. Located in nearby San Marino, The Huntington’s spectacular offerings include visual art, rare books and manuscripts, and some of the finest gardens in the U.S.
Stay tuned for more updates about Bloomberg Connects over the coming months as the app grows to include more exciting cultural institutions around the world.