The Arts Map is a new site, still in BETA, that uses a version of Google Maps to list artists, arts organizations, galleries, and other arts related people, places and things in a geographical context.
Other than those who operate their own gallery or offer instruction in their studios, I’m not sure how useful it would be for artists to list themselves (I didn’t see any reason to list myself at this point); but if this catches on and fills out significantly with galleries, art schools, art supply stores, museums and related subjects, it could become a very useful resource for artists to consult.
The site is still young, and the listings sparse particularly compared to what I know exists in areas I’m familiar with, like Center City Philadelphia. This becomes obvious to almost anyone when viewing the map of lower Manhattan. Though art museums and art schools, for example, exist on the map as location highlights, as they would in any Google Map of an area, they are not yet pins, or clickable entries, on the Arts Map.
It’s apparently up to each institution to enter their information, just as an individual artist might, and participation is at an early stage.
According to the founders, “The Arts Map is about inclusion, not exclusion. Our goal is to provide a resource which will benefit the entire arts community.”
Listings are free, and you can be non-specific about address if you want to (street address is optional), providing other locations or ways to see and access your art, including galleries, websites or blogs. So in that respect, it may be worth listing for artists who don’t have a reason for someone to come to their location, just know where they are in a general sense.
[Via Jeanette Jobson’s Illustrated Life]
