This post is the fifth
in the series of posts (see the series here) examining the feedback and concerns
expressed in the OVAC artist survey. We received over 250 responses from
artists around the state.
Suggestion #6: My
Virtual Gallery updates aren’t there yet or I want to update my Virtual Gallery
images myself.
The Virtual
Gallery provides an online portal for people looking for Oklahoma artists.
Featuring almost 500 Oklahoma Visual Arts Coalition members’ artwork, the
Virtual Gallery is searchable and constantly being updated.
An average of 5,000 unique pageviews occur on the site monthly. We
hear from gallery owners, curators, public art administrators and others who
rely on the site to see artists who live and work in our state.
Meanwhile, the website is based on antiquated software. The
Virtual Gallery launched in 2003 with OVAC staff entering text into our
database, scanning slides (yes, we still received mostly slide submissions!),
and posting manually online. Since its launch, digital cameras have proliferated
and online image sharing sites have been born.
Now most Virtual Gallery uploads are digital, of course, but
still an OVAC staff member must process each image before it’s loaded. Our
system does not have a way for users to post artwork themselves.
We are in early planning for a new website. We anticipate
debuting the site in late fall and hope that major upgrades to the Virtual
Gallery will be part of that revamp. Meanwhile, if you have questions about the
site, ask Kerry
Azzarello who manages it.
On this question, we definitely wish we’d asked for our
survey respondent’s contact info because one person offered to volunteer time
to help us get caught up on Virtual Gallery submissions. If you’re reading this
and want to help, please let us know!
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