Michigan State University School of Journalism Professor Stacey Fox is collaborating with the  in the creation of a Digital Surrogates Pipeline, funded by Bloomberg Philanthropies Digital Accelerator Grant. A key component to the Digital Surrogate Pipeline will be the creation of a museum lab for the research and production of digital surrogates from the MSU Museum’s collections.

 

“The MSU Museum is thrilled to be joining the Bloomberg Philanthropies Digital Accelerator Program. As an innovative and experimental collaboratory serving the MSU community, this opportunity will allow us to explore new ways to bring the museum collection objects to life,” said MSU Museum’s Director of Education, Dr. Denice Blair, who is the primary investigator (PI) on the grant. “We are looking forward to collaborating with Professor Stacey Fox, with all the expertise, experience, and enthusiasm she will bring to the project. I foresee our team doing a lot of creative work that will benefit educators, students, and public audiences by engaging them in deeper collections use through engaging and educational digital interpretation.”

Fox, Co-PI on the grant, brought the idea of Digital Surrogate Pipeline production for transmedia storytelling to the museum several years ago and created the prototypes and video used in the grant submission application. She has designed interactive immersive experiences for numerous nonprofits including the Smithsonian Institution, Kauffman Foundation, and the Cincinnati Symphony as well as for the Abrams Planetarium at MSU.

“I love collaborating with museums,” said Fox. “Cultural preservation and translating science through the arts is one of my favorite things to do — especially if it results in young audiences gaining a deeper knowledge and appreciation of our universe. The collaboratory philosophy of the MSU Museum, a Smithsonian affiliate, is the perfect atmosphere for sharing the production concepts and skills I use for interactive immersive storytelling. And I am excited to be part of establishing a Digital Surrogates Pipeline and lab at the MSU Museum that will lay the foundation for future research collaborations and global outreach projects.”

On its website, the MSU Museum shared: “Over the past three years, the Digital Accelerator Program has been a catalyst for strengthening nearly 150 cultural organizations across the U.S. and U.K. To date, the 40 institutions that were part of the first cohort cumulatively grew an additional $20 million in new revenue including through fundraising, reached over 1 million new audience members, and engaged more than 4,000 new artists and partners. MSU Museum is one of 200 nonprofit cultural organizations accepted into Bloomberg Philanthropies’ new Digital Accelerator Program cohort, spanning artistic disciplines and organization size in 52 U.S. cities and 28 U.K. cities.”

About Bloomberg Philanthropies

Bloomberg Philanthropies invests in 700 cities and 150 countries around the world to ensure better, longer lives for the greatest number of people. The organization focuses on creating lasting change in five key areas: the Arts, Education, Environment, Government Innovation, and Public Health. Bloomberg Philanthropies encompasses all of Michael R. Bloomberg’s giving, including his foundation, corporate, and personal philanthropy as well as Bloomberg Associates, a philanthropic consultancy that advises cities around the world. In 2023, Bloomberg Philanthropies distributed $3 billion. For more information, please visit bloomberg.org.

This story originally appeared on Communication Arts and Sciences.