Archive notice: This article was originally published on June 18, 2008. Links and embedded videos are preserved as part of the historical record.
Following the successful completion of its construction project and an ambitious art-acquisition program, Corbis, a leading provider of visual media for the creative industry, today announced the ceremonial opening of the new Museum of Art for the Arts (MofAA). MofAA is a virtual museum at http://www.mofaa.org, fictionally based in New York. It claims to be the world’s leading museum for art and photography.
Its largely imaginary curators and staff are committed to expressing MofAA’s dedication to the arts through the acquisition, care, and exhibition of high-quality collections. MofAA’s collections represent visual art from the past, present, and future and transcend national and cultural boundaries. They also offer an opportunity to view Corbis images in a museum setting.
The three-story virtual building high above Broadway in New York’s Flatiron District contains the principal collections and temporary exhibitions, featuring 250 famous artworks and other images from Corbis’s world-renowned contemporary and historical collections. Much of MofAA has been translated into German, English, French, and Italian for visitors from around the world.
Each floor has its own access policy. The ground floor is open to the public and contains an exhibition. The first floor is reserved for members and people registered with Corbis, with additional exhibitions and activities. The second floor is dedicated to MofAA patrons and contains further exhibitions and special offers for selected customers.
MofAA visitors are offered a multimedia experience encompassing photographs, paintings, audio tours, and music, the latter kindly provided by Trackdown Music. Community features such as exhibition blogs and a live news feed about real and imaginative events from the art world also keep visitors informed about noteworthy developments, such as the latest art thefts and the “sudden” discovery of priceless artworks. New features are set to be added in the coming months to ensure a unique experience and enable dialogue between visitors, including a function allowing users to organize and publish their own exhibitions.
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“MofAA creates a bridge between art lovers around the world, allowing them to share their passion for art and photography,” says Brooke Hendricks, President Emeritus of MofAA. “We invite people to stroll through our galleries and openly express a wide range of opinions and arguments reflecting issues of everyday life—or simply write witty comments about the pictures!”
The current exhibitions are: “Tes One,” featuring a contemporary artist who blurs the boundaries between graffiti and graphic design; “Music Legends,” with photographs of some of the world’s greatest artists; “Car Songs,” an ode to the love of cars; and “Music & Lyrics,” an inspiring collection of images inviting visitors to write their own lyrics.
The idea for MofAA came from FWIS, a New York graphic design agency. Partners Ben Pieratt, Eric Jacobsen, and Christopher Papasadero founded MofAA to establish a dialogue between the established and the avant-garde, and between past and present, in an environment that addresses contemporary culture while remaining accessible to a public ranging from academics to curious passersby.
“Corbis’s collection is astonishingly comprehensive and includes images that have had a major influence on our culture—in creative fields and beyond,” explains Christopher Papasadero, Creative Director at FWIS. “MofAA highlights these images as a modern museum should: through expertly organized exhibitions and public participation.”
Further Links:
- Museum of Art for the Arts
Trackdown Music
