Project Overview
Artbank is the largest buyer of contemporary Australian art in the country. The dedicated team celebrate and promote Australian culture by making the collection available for rent and reinvesting revenues into the collection. Focusing primarily on emerging artists, Artbank provides an opportunity for the general public to access the most exciting and up to date developments in Australia’s contemporary visual arts.
Artbank approached us to conduct an Innovation Workshop with the team, hoping to spark new insights prior to an organisation-wide strategic process. We knew there would be significant opportunities presented by interactive and connected technologies to support, inform, excite and engage Artbank’s stakeholders and went to work preparing for a fun day full of exciting opportunities.
Identifying and exploring these opportunities would assist Artbank in achieving their overall goal of supporting Australian artists, and raising awareness of their work within the Australian community.
Challenges
With 15 people to engage in the room, we had to ensure each participant could make the most of the day. The group members also had various levels of technical understanding which we adapted to develop a shared language around new media tools.
Design Strategies
The design strategies resulting from the ideas generated during the Innovation Workshop accompanied by the insights gained throughout the scoping process opened up opportunities for initiatives which could, for example:
- Extend the engagement of clients by providing opportunities for interaction and discussion
- Give artists the ability to become more involved with their peers by interacting with various communities
- Foster excitement among the general public through the ability to track artworks and share information with friends
- Allow schools and universities to interact with artists and their work, providing an alternative learning platform for Australian cultural studies
- Many more which we are unable to share due to client confidentiality!
Outcomes
Various interactive touch points would enable Artbank to amplify and share collective messages, experiences and feedback, and simplify communications in order to reach a broad range of people. The half day workshop enabled staff to begin to identify how Artbank could extend its support to Australian artists by engaging with a broader audience. We looked at the ways in which other organisations were using social/new media tools as part of their digital strategies and developed a shared language around these popular technologies.
Kate Dezarnaulds, Business Development & Client Services Manager had this to say:
“In December 2008 Digital Eskimo conducted a training day/innovation workshop to kick start Artbank’s exploration of the possibilities of the new media landscape. The day was remarkably well received by our staff who loved the energy, enthusiasm and professionalism of the Digital Eskimo team.
The level of research and preparation which went into the day ensured that all of the examples used were absolutely relevant to Artbank’s business and our place in the wider cultural landscape. This is a hall mark of the Digital Eskimo offering and is worth the investment. By taking the time to get to know our business and our industry, we have emerged from the day with enthusiasm and a greater sense of purpose to guide our developments in 2009.”
