Digital Platform for Scholarly Art Content

The LINK digital platform is an accessible, expandable system with multiple interaction models for scholarly content in the fine arts.

The new LINK digital platform, designed by C&G Partners for the High Museum of Art in Atlanta, is an innovative online experience for scholarly content in the fine arts. LINK is an accessible, expandable system with multiple interaction models, meeting the needs of users that range from scholars and art enthusiasts to teachers and students. The first LINK project on the platform is for the exhibition “Really Free: The Radical Art of Nellie Mae Rowe.” Users learn about the self-taught, folk artist’s life and artwork through an interactive timeline, videos, scholarly texts, high-resolution images, and a digital guestbook. The LINK’s evergreen, minimalistic interface is paired with modular, flexible templates that support solo and group exhibitions across mediums. The platform aims to accommodate diverse curatorial subject matter for years to come. To differentiate LINK from the overall Museum branding—while maintaining a consistent visual identity—C&G employed bold, condensed sans serif letterforms and embraced the Museum’s striking red and white color palette. The digital platform’s gridded structure was inspired in part by the architecture of the Museum itself. The pattern references the common use of grids in print publications for structure and organization, as well as the use of the grid structure that lies at the heart of visual contemporary art. Website integration is achieved by ensuring that the WordPress template seamlessly connects with the Museum’s website (high.org); the online collection managed by The Museum System (TMS) software; and the digital asset management software (DAMS) Piction. The user experience is further personalized by using the meaningful filtering options available within the LINK platform, while special emphasis is given to accessibility and a rich responsive experience across devices.