Museum Goes National

As of Feb. 10, residents no longer have to physically be at the San Bernardino County Museum in Redlands to view some of the artifacts that call the museum home. Officials at the museum announced last week that high resolution images added to the Google Cultural Institute now allow people nationwide to explore the museum's collections online, from the comfort of their own computers or hand-held devices. Among the online-viewable artifacts are Native American baskets and pottery from the museum's ethnology collection, according to a release issued by the museum last week. And online viewers can see these artifacts in a way many have never seen them before. "The resolution of these images, combined with a custom built zoom viewer, allows everyone from art-lovers anthropologists to discover details of objects they may never have seen up close before," the release states. Leonard Hernandez, the museum's interim director, said, "We are delighted to join the Google Cultural Institute to make some of our collections accessible to a wider public. The artifacts that will be available for study and enjoyment through this project will expand many viewers’ perceptions of art. These Native American baskets will be joined by examples of other aspects of the museum collections, including some beautiful mineral specimens that could be seen as Nature’s works of art.” Works included on the Google Cultural Institute can be browsed by the artist's name, the artwork, type of art, the museum, the country, collections and the time period. The site also integrates Google+ and video hangouts to allow viewers to explore the artifacts up close and discuss them through video chats or follow a virtual guided tour from a museum expert. Not only can visitors see the art pieces virtually, but they can also save them through the "My Gallery" feature, which allows users to save specific views of artworks and artifacts to build personalized, shareable galleries where comments may also be added. "It’s an ideal tool for students or groups to work on collaborative projects or collections," the release states. The "Compare" feature also allows users to examine two pieces side-by-side to see the evolution of styles through time, trends through cultures or deeply analyze several parts of the same work. To view the San Bernardino County Museum's Google Cultural Institute collection, visit https://www.google.com/culturalinstitute/collection/san-bernardino-county-museum.