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This paper examines the transformative influence of digital technologies on contemporary curatorial practices by exploring their integration across key domains of museum operations. Chapter I traces the historical evolution of museums alongside technological advancements, offering a foundation for understanding the shift from traditional preservation methods to dynamic, audience-centered approaches. Chapter II focuses on Augmented Reality (AR), investigating its capacity to overlay digital content onto physical exhibitions, thereby enhancing storytelling and fostering interactive learning. Chapter III delves into Virtual Reality (VR), highlighting its ability to create immersive and boundaryless exhibitions, Chapter IV explores Artificial Intelligence (AI) as a tool for curatorial analysis, thematic development, and visitor engagement, while addressing ethical and practical challenges, such as diminished curatorial visibility in AI-driven projects. Through case studies and critical analysis, this thesis evaluates how AR, VR, and AI not only enrich exhibition design and accessibility but also reshape the roles of museums and curators. By addressing these dynamics, this study underscores the balance required between technological innovation and curatorial expertise to ensure museums remain inclusive, culturally significant spaces in a digital age.

It Was Never About the Car…Racing has always been at the core of car culture, shaping not only technological innovation but also society's evolving taste in automobiles. From the Paris-Rouen Trial of 1874, where early motorized vehicles competed to prove their reliability, to today's Formula 1 spectacles, racing has driven both mechanical advancements and emotional connections. These events set the stage for cars to become cultural icons, reflecting desires that extend far beyond their functional purpose. Over the decades, societal tastes have been shaped by a blend of media, advertising, and the thrill of racing. Classic films like Bullitt (1968) and The Fast and the Furious franchise ignited fascination with high-performance vehicles, while shows like Knight Rider and Pimp My Ride celebrated customization and personality. Advertisements from brands like Jaguar and Chevrolet, emphasizing speed, freedom, and luxury, turned cars into symbols of aspiration and identity. Cars came to represent much more than transportation—they became mirrors of status and self-expression as well as evolving cultural norms.

The evolution and continuation of graffiti as an art form in New York City reveals a remarkable transformation from an act of rebellion to a recognized and lucrative art form. As graffiti progressed the motives and goals of the artists changed. What was once an act of defiance which produced a sort of high for these artists turned into lifelong and profitable careers. Through the exploration of the key moments in graffiti's history, such as the formation of the United Graffiti Artists collective (UGA) , the first gallery exhibitions and the rise of graffiti in auctions, illustrates the dynamic nature of the graffiti community and its capacity to adapt to changing cultural landscapes. Furthermore, the legal recognition of graffiti as a protected art form, exemplified by the 5Pointz case, has further solidified its legitimacy. Early taggers have evolved into established artists, collectors, and influential figures in the art world, driving up the market value of graffiti art. Museum exhibitions, auctions, and media attention highlight the shift of graffiti as an accepted form of art. The longevity of graffiti can be attributed to the artists' ability to pivot and mature while maintaining the core principles of "art by the people, for the people". Overall, the journey of graffiti from an ephemeral street practice to a lasting and valued form of artistic expression is due in part to the dedication of the graffiti community and its supporters.

This thesis concerns the relationship between deficient art market performance despite institutional support of artists of the Feminist Art Movement of the 1970s, using the careers of Judy Chicago, Miriam Schapiro, and Faith Ringgold as case studies. Despite the relatively different approaches of all three artists, themes of non-collectability due to medium, scarce inventory, and overall sexism in the industry have emerged. Research consists of firstly exploring the historical context of the Feminist Art Movement of the 1970s, followed by a case study for each artist which individually examines institutional support and analyzes market trajectories. A fourth case study, which reviews the peculiarity of Yayoi Kusama's immense success, provides a supplemental comparison to Chicago, Schapiro, and Ringgold. While many artists are associated with the Feminist Art Movement of the 1970s, the scope of this research is limited to Chicago, Schapiro, and Ringgold in order to effectively evaluate the incongruence between support from the art market and institutions. Though all three artists slightly differ in findings for these inconsistencies, the overarching motivation for this cause is that collectors disfavor Feminist art due to its politicization, controversial baggage, and overall aesthetics.

The present thesis is broken up into two parts; a business plan (part I) and a case study (part II) that together examine the integration of sustainability in the art sector. The business plan outlines how RK & Co. Consultancy will provide art institutions with tailored services for greater environmentally-conscious operations. With services such as carbon emissions audits, strategy development, and eco-conscious exhibition design, the consultancy addresses the sector's unique challenges, particularly emissions from travel and shipping and the absence of standardized frameworks. Positioned at the intersection of art and environmental responsibility, RK & Co. Consultancy serves as a trusted partner for organizations seeking to lead by example in the race against climate change, redefining the art sector as a model for sustainability and innovation.

The following thesis examines the relationship between museums and pop culture, and how the evolution of the role of the museum has influenced this. Three case studies of museums within pop culture and media will be used, Night at the Museum (2006), Ocean's 8 (2018), and the "APESHIT" music video by The Carters (2018), respectively. Each chapter will detail a specific way in which the role of the museum has changed through specified subjects, namely education, fashion, and music. The first chapter will focus on Night at the Museum, a children's film which takes place at the American Museum of Natural History. The history of the Museum will first be contextualized, alongside its mission to educate the public. Dissecting the public's response to the film, the impact the film had on the Museum will be analyzed. Using the film Ocean's 8 as a case study, Chapter Two will outline the Metropolitan Museum of Art's (the Met) role in the making of the film as well as analyzing how the Museum is portrayed. In looking further into the relationship between Ocean's 8, Vogue, the Met Gala, and the Met, this chapter will illustrate the shift the Museum has gone through in regard to its place within pop culture. Analysis of the public's reception of the film as well as the overall impact the film made on the Met will be highlighted. The final case study chapter will focus on the "APESHIT" music video by The Carters which was filmed in the Louvre Museum. This third chapter will illustrate the history of the Louvre and its previous attempts to broaden its audience, the pop culture phenomena that are Beyoncé and Jay-Z, and outline the music video itself. Themes within the video will be analyzed, as well as the public's perception, and the impact this had on the Louvre. Together, each chapter will provide a comprehensive overview of how museums' have increasingly leveraged pop culture to directly increase visibility to their institution.

This thesis provides an overview of the 1970s British Punk movement's inception to determine whether the subculture fell victim to capitalization and consumerism. By examining Jamie Reid (1947-2023), Vivienne Westwood (1941-2022), and Malcolm McLaren (1946-2010), the story of the famed band the Sex Pistols is told through its visual arts and marketing tactics. Each figure's legacy provides this thesis with the intricacies of Punk history and its transition into a subculture plagued by consumerism.

Cross-industry collaborations as a marketing strategy are not new. Luxury brands have long mastered the art of leveraging artistic associations in their process of decommercialization, aiming to reshape their brand image to emphasize their cultural depth. However, in recent years, marketing practices that involve collaborating with artists and leveraging the power of art have spread across a wider range of industries. Especially with the rapid growth of technology, more tech companies are now using art in their marketing efforts to make their products stand out in a sea of similar offerings, creating emotional connections and a sense of uniqueness.

In the Castro District of San Francisco, where rainbow flags wave among the streets, a distinct institution serves as both a mirror and a beacon for the LGBTQ+ community. The Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, and Transgender Historical Society, Museum and Archives, often referred to as "San Francisco's queer Smithsonian," is a vibrant testament to the community's resilience and pride. It stands out as a vital educational institution for the community it serves, and as an exemplar among LGBTQ+ arts, historical, and archival institutions in the U.S. Their strategies are a model for thriving in the face of major sociopolitical obstacles for small culturally specific museums, especially in the LGBTQ+ sector. The GLBT's Executive Director Roberto Ordeñana, key staff members Isaac Fellman and Leigh Pfeffer, and supporters including Cleve Jones, a pivotal figure in the fight against HIV/AIDS and a co-creator of the AIDS Memorial Quilt, contemplate the organization's next chapter. Despite its rich history and vital mission, the museum faces mounting financial and operational challenges. As public interest waxes and wanes and resources dwindle, the museum team and its allies face hugely consequential decisions about who and what it is and how far it must go to ensure that its heritage remains intact for future generations.

This research paper explores approaches institutions take to promote art to millennial collectors. Understanding the tastes and consumer behavior of millennial collectors is imperative for galleries and auction houses to increase sales. Methods used to investigate these strategies were reviews of art publications, historical trends, literature, analytical data, and interviews with industry professionals. Research shows that millennial art collectors are receptive to forms of art marketing through social media engagement, interactive exhibitions, and social causes. These findings establish an understanding of how art dealers attract and retain millennial art collectors.

Art, widely recognized as an effective medium for education and advocacy, has witnessed a proliferation of sustainability-themed exhibitions to raise societal attention to environmental sustainability. However, as one of the contributors to carbon emissions and a proponent of avant-garde ideals, the environmental sustainability of the art world/art market has rarely developed. Nonetheless, to eventually fulfill sustainable living for the whole of humanity, every industry has to participate in this sustainability campaign, which includes the art world/art market. Biennials, art fairs, museums, galleries, and auction houses have gradually joined the sustainability movement. The effectiveness of their environmental sustainability within the market is worth attention and evaluation. This paper focuses on evaluating the environmental sustainability effort during the execution of art fairs and biennials inside the art world/art market. It concludes the current phenomenon of the carbon reduction practices in the art market, also offers suggestions for potential effective strategies from within the art world/art market perspective and from a whole society perspective, as well as further research suggestions for the future in terms of sustainability outcomes within the art market.

Museums play a pivotal role in enhancing and fostering visitors' knowledge, abilities, and thinking. In the past, people used to believe that the best way to acquire historical and ancient knowledge was by visiting museums. However, contemporary museums that solely focus on on-site attendance may seem outdated. Recent research indicates a decline in museum attendance compared to 2019, and even in the post-pandemic era, the visiting rates still remain below their pre-COVID figures. To comprehend the strategies museums employ in adapting to contemporary trends, I have chosen "Augmented Reality (AR)" as the research focus of my thesis paper. For this reason, I am conducting research to explore how museums apply AR to attract audiences. The purpose of this study is to analyze The Metropolitan Museum of Art and The Dalí Museum, examining their motivations for adopting AR. Through examining their timeline of implementation, approaches to integrating AR, and the resulting impact on both the museum and visitors, the ultimate goal is to provide museums with a comprehensive evaluation framework to determine the viability and effectiveness of adopting AR technology. In addition, these findings may interest museum researchers and app designers, encouraging them to develop a broader range of AR applications to provoke a more engaging digital learning experience.

The term celebrity has gained widespread usage in the last century, and its meaning continues to evolve depending on the individual's profession. A variety of celebrities are recognized and admired in their respective fields, such as professional athletes, musicians, writers, business owners, collectors, and artists. Some celebrities achieve global fame far beyond their area of expertise. However, certain professions like surgeons, writers, or artists are usually only recognized and respected by their own specific group. Vincent Van Gogh and Michelangelo are known by people both within and outside of the art world, but their fame has nothing to do with today's celebrity culture. The definition and standards of celebrity have changed alongside the evolution of the media.Many contemporary artists are not widely recognized by most people. While certain male artists like Andy Warhol, Jeff Koons, and Salvador Dali have gained popularity and recognition, this thesis focuses on female artists who have become celebrities in their own right. These artists work in various mediums and have gained high reputation and critical acclaim through their unique themes, styles, and techniques in creating art. This research will closely examine three highly influential women artists: Yayoi Kusama, Marina Abramović, and Cindy Sherman. Over the last two decades, these artists have gained widespread recognition and have been celebrated in art circles and popular culture. The objective of this thesis is to investigate and scrutinize the biographies of these artists and identify the moment when they achieved fame. The research will also identify any changes in the markets of these artists and the growth or lack of growth in their careers and reputations during these crucial years.

This thesis examines the phenomenon of bubbles in the contemporary art market, exploring their formations and how Hyman P. Minsky's five stages of a bubble can be applied to analyze their existence in the market. The study focuses on the contemporary period marked by intense global economic upheavals and new market entrants to the art world. The research provides context by tracing the financialization of the global contemporary art market, showing how it has become prone to bubbles following major financial events. The questions are framed around understanding bubble formation and their links to financial and economic forces. The examined case studies between 1980 to 1990, spotlight the rise of the "Art Stars" of the New York-based Neo-Expressionism market influenced by the financial boom on Wall Street and the Impressionist auction market fueled by the Japanese asset price bubble. The 2012 to 2022 period is also examined, characterized by the post-2008 financial crisis and the emergence of the Zombie Formalism bubble, and later what the unraveling NFT bubble is revealing about the future of the art market. The thesis contributes to the understanding of how financial and economic forces drive bubbles in the contemporary art market. By investigating key periods and case studies, the research sheds light on the complex interplay between market dynamics, global events, and speculative behavior.

This thesis comprises a case study (Part 1) and a business plan (Part 2). The case study will focus on the incidents and controversy surrounding the exhibition “After Freedom of Expression” from Aichi Triennale 2019. This exhibition is an important case of showing a major example of censorship caused by the government of Japan. Since Aichi is also a metropolitan area in Japan, Aichi Triennale is a great example of the business plan.

The business plan outlines a strategy and the overview of a proposed art festival, the Osaka Triennale, which will be held in Osaka, Japan. Osaka Triennale is an art festival held every three years in Osaka, having the mission of making Osaka a place to enjoy arts and culture. The case study illustrates the modern issue of when having an art festival in Japan, which Osaka Triennale will have to keep in mind in order to be produced.

In the post-pandemic age, technology has grown significantly to create an impact on the art world. Whether it is planning an immersive art experience, hosting exhibitions and selling art in decentralized spaces, art organizations such as museums and galleries have begun to incorporate the use of technology as part of their program as an additional strategy to increase audience engagement and traffic even when they are not physically present. This thesis compares a case study (Part 1) and a business plan (Part 2), with the purpose of investigating the actual performance of the technology in art. I will apply the case study of the collaboration between The Mill and Tate Britain to my business of creative marketing studio with a focus on marketing and design through cutting-edge technology.

In the post-pandemic age, technology has grown significantly to create an impact on the art world. Whether it is planning an immersive art experience, hosting exhibitions and selling art in decentralized spaces, art organizations such as museums and galleries have begun to incorporate the use of technology as part of their program as an additional strategy to increase audience engagement and traffic even when they are not physically present. This thesis compares a case study (Part 1) and a business plan (Part 2), with the purpose of investigating the actual performance of the technology in art. I will apply the case study of the collaboration between The Mill and Tate Britain to my business of creative marketing studio with a focus on marketing and design through cutting-edge technology.

Advances in technology and internet culture have pushed artists’ production and their markets towards a more decentralized, accessible, and democratic environment where independent artists can thrive. Since the early days of Web 1.0, artists have integrated internet technology into their practice as a means of production, social interaction, marketing, and distribution. In the ensuing years, the art market and opportunities for artistic success have developed in tandem with technological innovations and continue to evolve as our culture shifts into a future of virtual worlds and digital assets. The initial developments of the computer and Web 1.0 began in the 1960s through the 1990s. These later developed into Web 2.0 and the revolutionary influence of social media in the 2000s through 2020. Today Web 3.0 is emerging through virtual reality and blockchain technology. A discussion of each digital epoch will address the evolution of technology, the progression of artistic practice utilizing the internet, and the internet’s impact on the art market. This foundational research has been applied to a series of case studies of artists currently working in digital art, virtual reality, and non-fungible tokens. By applying the information and data collected from multiple sources of academic and internet research, formal and casual interviews with artists and industry professionals, and personal expertise on the topics, this thesis will examine how artists have historically interacted with evolving internet technologies to illustrate the copious paths to artistic success using Web 3.0 innovations. Web 3.0 is currently being created with a user-centric ethos and protocol that has the capacity to change the long-established system of standards in the art world. This research aims to provide artists with the tools to successfully navigate Web 3.0 and create a decentralized, accessible, and democratic art world.

To stay relevant in their communities, museums must reflect and take time to build trust, maintain a positive reputation, and develop innovative ways of shaping culture. Navigating through a fluid time in the age of digital media, museums have taken advantage of their online presence to stay relevant. However, with museums experiencing a push from the public for change, how can museums shape culture through communication via social media platforms, such as Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, while still being authentic to themselves? This thesis will examine data from three large, renowned American museums; The National Gallery of Art, Washington, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, and The Art Institute of Chicago. By using the social media reports from the museums marketing platforms and their own operational reports, it will show how each museum builds and shapes a community online, collecting research through accredited journals and publications on marketing, arts marketing, and the digital development of arts institutions. The data will be analyzed, identifying major developments over time in the digital marketing world, comparing the data between the three institutions, and examining how these changes have been applied across the board.

This thesis comprises a case study (Part 1) and a business plan (Part 2). The case study investigates the relationship between two artists, Jeff Koons and Daniel Arsham, and brand collaborations drawing on theories of artification. Theoretically, strategic synergies can be realized when artist branding and consumer brands or luxury companies work together. The business plan outlines a strategy for Sean Go Art to develop sculptures as a product extension to paintings and prints. The case study essentially outlines strategies that worked well for both Koons and Arsham, which sets up reasons why a product extension through sculptures would be effective for Sean Go's art practice to grow in critical acclaim and financial success.

Despite more than a century of living unequally to the rest of the country, most Chinese immigrants have chosen America as their diasporic home. While Chinese Americans have been a part of the making of America as a country for more than two centuries, America has not been telling the full story about Chinese Americans and their experiences in the land of dreams. In my essay, I am using my personal experiences as a Chinese American as the launchpad of the research. I draw on a combination of historical and theoretical research to analyze Chinese identities in American society and the evolution of Chinese and Chinese American art and how it is situated in the American art scene. I aim to discuss the contemporary Chinese American experience through an autoethnographic lens using three Chinese American artists at different stages of their careers: experienced, mid-career, and emerging. I used interviews and field studies to learn about these artists. Through this paper, I study how they settle and fit in the contemporary art world to understand their perspectives on topics like success and tradition related to being Chinese American and how this identity migrates into their artworks. Whereas Chinese Americans have been largely portrayed as victims of the American historical narrative, though it is not untrue, I attempt to tell the stories of little ordinary triumphs achieved by Chinese Americans, including myself to reshape the perception of us and celebrate us as "dreamers", "doers", and "achievers".

Eva Hesse was always in on the joke. She was fascinated by the absurd. After fleeing Nazi persecution as a young child, she lived a life of extremes. In an effort to deal with her trauma, Hesse combined her artistic talent and survivor humor to create a unique style of sculpture that influenced generations. Scholarship on Eva Hesse paints her as a tragic and wounded feminist figure or a traumatized genius lost too soon. Instead, this paper presents Eva Hesse as a survivor, and her work as a humorous tool. As Hesse managed her trauma through her art and therapy, her art became funny and crude, a stark contrast from the dark abstract paintings and drawings of the beginning of her career. Through an exploration of "Holocaust humor," this paper analyzes the work of Eva Hesse as it acts like a Holocaust joke.

Throughout history, the glass medium had typically been considered a medium of craft rather than a fine art. This was due to the medium being used for functional purposes, such as vases, drinking cups, pitchers, and other vessels. Craft can be defined as handmade objects of clay, fiber, glass, metal, or wood; thus, the assumption that all glass work is craft is valid. However, in more recent years, glass has been crossing over into the contemporary art market due to the high content-driven works and diverse uses of the glass medium. Challenging the way glass is being considered an artistic medium is being done by many glass artists and artists working with glass, including Dale Chihuly, Toots Zynsky, Beth Lipman, and Josiah McElheny. This paper discusses the various ways in which these artists are making the transition from craft to contemporary art. Chapter 1 discusses the studio glass movement, the Pilchuck Glass School, the first-generation glass artists, and the second-generation artists working with glass. The glass pieces made by these artists are essential to recognize because the diversity of their work shows the various ways the glass medium has been interpreted. Chapter 2 explains the artworld presence of the artists and their glass artworks, including gallery representation, exhibitions, and studio practice. Understanding how the art experts classify the artists and represent them, along with how these artists are exhibited, demonstrates how glass artists have started to cross over into contemporary art. Chapter 3 analyzes the contemporary glass market, comparing glass sculptures and installations to ceramic works of art, viewing how databases are classifying the glass artworks, and receiving direct information from the gallery representatives on the artists' markets.

In the late 19th and 20th centuries Indian paintings were considered provincial and were seen to mimic Western innovations. Western art institutions largely consolidated them into one category with other kinds of Southeast Asian art. But after 1989, with the opening of the global market, major players in the Western art world saw an opportunity. In 1995 Sotheby's held its first Indian art auction for the Herwitz collection. Saffronart was founded in 2000 with exclusive focus on modern Indian art. In 2003 Sotheby's and Christie's started to hold modern Indian art auctions. The distinction of "Modern Indian Art" as a category was created by external groups. The Western art industry created a validating language for 20th century Indian art on the global market. It led to an increased demand for Indian modernists in the West. Although the number of local Indian collectors has been increasing due to the rising number of high-net-worth Indians, their number is still not significant in comparison to the new wealth of the country. In contrast to other new markets like China, growth in India's art market has not been nearly as significant.How can a country like India cultivate its own aesthetic scholarship and collector base within its own borders in the long run and become part of the global art market scene? The objective of this paper is to find some answers to this question by researching the public art education from K-12 grades and the higher art education of the country and compare them with other countries from the BRIC economies (Brazil, Russia, India, China), and especially with China which has proved to be particularly successful in cultivating its own art market infrastructure.The thesis first introduces the major art market developments of India in the last hundred years. Then it dives into the country's art education, beginning with the colonial art education and continuing through the contemporary art education scene.The final chapter introduces notable privately funded art initiatives whose work fills the gap that the government has left on India's art education. These initiatives go against and challenge the post-colonial state of art education with their decades-long rote learning practices, and aim try to provoke more critical, interdisciplinary art practices while expanding their networks locally and internationally.This thesis proposes that the marginalized role of art education in India is a major underlying cause of the country's failure to cultivate larger interest in visual arts and art collecting. My research attempts to collect data on India's art education policies and compare those with the more rigorous and enforced art education policies of China. My expectations of the outcome are more associative than clear-cut data science, as each country has many particular variables and India has very little policy in regard to art education. The discussion concludes with ideas on how to create awareness on the importance of art on the policy level, and how homegrown aesthetic value construction can be possible with the collaboration of museums, schools and initiatives, along with the help of technology, which can ultimately give a sense of importance to the local public.

Some artists achieve substantial fame only after their death. Such fame is brought about through the efforts of a network of curators, critics, and estate managers who collectively shape a story from the life and work of the artist into a cohesive mythology and, in so doing, create or expand the market and value for the artist's work. Photographers are a unique subset of the posthumously famous artist. Unlike painting or sculpture, most photography is produced not for artistic purposes but to document people, events, places, or objects. When everyone is a photographer, what separates an artist from an amateur becomes a matter of marketing. This thesis explores the posthumous discovery of three of photography's key figures: Eugène Atget, Francesca Woodman, and Vivian Maier. It examines the stories of their discoveries and investigates significant aspects of creating an artist myth from a deceased artist's identity: control over the artist's estate, institutional support, and critical writing. Taking a broad look at the problems the photographic medium has historically faced in its acceptance as a fine art, this research demonstrates the necessity of establishing a photographer's mythology in order to further the market for their works.