ARTOWN DETROIT was conceived and developed for the Apps for Detroit Challenge presented by Code for America, Devtroit and the City of Detroit. A two-week design and development challenge, the goal of Apps for Detroit is to generate functional applications that serve a civic purpose.
As explained to us, this could mean anything from an app using any technology on any platform - from iOS to HTML5 and from shortwave radio to smoke signals and everything in between - and it should address a challenge in Detroit.
In 13 days, our volunteer team generated a number of intriguing ideas for an app, and quickly narrowed them down and got to work. We perused the challenges presented by a number of non-profits in Detroit and honed in on art.
When we started to dig in and plan our app, we found that there was no single database of public art and art galleries in Detroit; and there was no mobile format to view this information. We tackled a challenge within a challenge: create our own database of public art and art galleries to leverage within our application.
In its debut version, (a total of two weeks of planning, design and development), ARTOWN DETROIT allows people to use a mobile smartphone to locate public art on a map. The art is categorized by murals, sculpture, statues, graffiti, etc. You can locate yourself within a map if you happen to be located in or near Detroit. Besides locating a piece of art, we provide a little more. We provide some background information - a photo, title, artist, medium, year created, and a brief description.
In planning the project, and in conversations with colleagues, friends and family, we have created a list of new features for ARTOWN DETROIT, and are eager for it to take on a life of its own. We look forward to continuing to update and improve the application, and we endeavor for it to become an ongoing conversation; allowing for contributions, feedback and input from the public.
TWITTER
@artowndetroit
If you're in Detroit and see a piece of public art that is not represented in our app, by all means - tweet us! Take a photo and tweet it over with as much information as possible. If you can, be sure your geo-location is on so we can be sure to map it correctly and we'll add it to our app and credit you for locating it!
EMAIL
info@artowndetroit.com
We want to hear from you! If you see something that should be corrected, added, or properly credited, we want to know. Or, just drop us a line if you have any feedback or questions.
There are many resources available to learn about the wide variety of public art in Detroit. In creating a vision for the application, our goal was to ensure that we represent the diverse range of public art that makes Detroit what it is today; featuring centuries-old statuary, to brand new community-driven graffiti installations.
We owe thanks to many sources for the data included in ARTOWN DETROIT, including (but not limited to):
Planning, Design and Development
ARTOWN DETROIT was designed and developed by a small volunteer group at Entrega Systems Group, Inc. At Entrega, deliver is the meaning of our name and what we do every day. From advanced, integrated applications to strategic digital solutions to efficient operations management, we help companies realize the power of information.
ARTOWN DETROIT Team:
Sam Ajluni, Randy Cummings, Vitaly Gonchar, Kevin Horning, Jan van der Lee, Brent Mitchell, Meg Morley, Monica Skrzynski, Nathan Turner, Kurt Waldowski
