One of the benefits of living in an increasingly connected world is the unprecedented access to resources and information we now enjoy.  In the arts, we can make use of the incredible websites and apps in our classrooms to show students a work that hangs on the wall in a gallery they may never have the opportunity to step inside.  The work may be halfway across the world, but technology allows us to see it up close…so close in fact that we can often explore the detail down to a brushstrokes.  This accessibility means our students all have an opportunity to visit the world best galleries without travelling the globe.

MASHABLE ” Digital tools can supplement the experience of learning about art in a context of different subject ares. Here are 10 of the best websites and apps for exploring art that you can easily use in your lessons:

1. Art Project, which is powered by Google, allows you to virtually walk through the halls of famous museums across the world, view artwork with high-definition quality, and share the artwork with friends or classmates for conversation.
2. ArtHD allows you to explore art by movements, periods and artists. While you flip through the famous works by various artists or eras, you can also view an extensive biography on the artist. What’s more, the app also includes quizes to test students’ knowledge of different artists and works.
3. AB EX NY is the app for The Museum of Modern Art in Manhattan (MoMA) that allows you to explore contemporary and modern art, listen to audio descriptions, watch videos from the exhibit curators, and share the works on social media outlets.
4. Gagosian, which is updated quarterly, is the app for the Gagosian Galleries around the world. The app allows you to explore it’s current galleries, artists, events and calendar with beautiful displays of artistic works and descriptions of artists.
5. Love Art: National Gallery, London is an app showcasing some of the greatest collections from Western Europe at The National Gallery in London. Interestingly, the app allows you explore the works by themes such as power, tourment, hope and inspiration.
6. Art2Go is an app for impressionist and post-impressionist artwork that includes audio and video commentary of the artists and their best works.
7. PixPop™ Art is game-based app that takes some of history’s greatest works of art and makes it into a game of matching, jigsaw puzzles, hidden objects and other visually engaging games.
8. Smithsonian: Artists in Dialogue 2 is an app that allows you to explore the collaborative exhibition of the artists Sandile Zulu of South Africa and Henrique Oliveira of Brazil at the Smithsonian Institution with a guided tour by curator Karen Milbourne. The application invites you to join in conversation on social media, play games and test knowledge on what was learned from the exhibit.
9. Art Authority for iPad is another app that brings a real-world art museum to your mobile device. What’s unique about this app is that it allows you to compare different works by artist, title, subject, or location. It also gives educational period overviews, timelines and history of more than 1000 artists.
10. Musee du Louvre is app for the world’s largest museum, the Louvre in Paris, that provide visuals of the artwork along with descriptions, details, technical information and locations.

For more, visit the original Mashable article “Please Touch the Art: 5 Great Gallery Apps for iPhone” by Amy-Mae Elliott and enjoy using these tools to take a field trip to the world’s best museums.

Some more great resources

Check out this clip from Amit Snood on TED as he discusses his contribution to the development of on-line art museums to provide accessibility for students globally.

From ‘Getting Smart Stuff’ Originally posted here.

‘7 Picturesque Apps for Viewing Art‘ from Mashable – well worth a look through this gallery.

Going to the Queensland Art Gallery of the Gallery of Modern Art?  Check out the newest online resources and apps from QAG and GOMA here.  They are fantastic resources for students on location and back in the classroom.

And…

“Whether you are an artist, dealer, curator or other arts professional, you’re most likely in the field of fine art due to your love and passion of art. Now you can carry your favourite paintings and sculptures from some of the world’s finest art museums around with you by using some of these latest phone apps.  These museum apps provide the basics such as visitor info and GPS maps, but their salient feature is the detailed imagery and text description of the individual artworks that make these apps truly remarkable.”  Check out all the great fine art gallery apps Susan Kendzulak recommends in this great post.

Liked these resources? See more art apps in lists here.