The MSU Museum has been selected to join the Bloomberg Philanthropies Digital Accelerator Program. This initiative helps cultural organizations across the U.S. and U.K. to strengthen technology and management practices to improve operations, drive revenue, increase fundraising, engage broader audiences, and deliver dynamic programming.

 

As part of this cohort of 200 nonprofit cultural organizations, the MSU Museum will develop a Digital Surrogates Pipeline, which is a project that brings objects from the Museum’s collections to life through digital innovation. This effort will include creating immersive experiences with technologies like virtual reality, or VR, and augmented reality, or AR, placing cultural and scientific objects in new contexts to inspire deeper audience learning and engagement.

“Our selection for the Bloomberg Digital Accelerator Program is an exciting opportunity to reimagine how we share and interpret our collections,” said Devon Akmon, MSU Museum director. “By integrating cutting-edge technologies, we will develop innovative ways to connect with audiences, creating dynamic experiences at the intersection of the arts, sciences, cultures and technologies.”

The Digital Surrogates Pipeline will include a dedicated lab for digitizing objects and experimenting with new technologies, guided by an interdisciplinary team of Museum staff and MSU experts in AR, VR and digital storytelling. This initiative will set a foundation for future digital learning guides, activities, and interactive experiences, ensuring the Museum remains a leader in educational innovation.

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. The 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. 

This story was originally published on the MSU Museum website.