https://artscouncilcollection.org.uk/

Written by Arts Council Collection

A new app showcasing work from the Arts Council Collection is now available for download. Art Crush is the first digital-led project developed through the National Partners Programme and has been developed by Newcastle-based digital design agency Bloom as part of Sunderland Culture’s partnership with the Arts Council Collection (ACC). Sunderland Culture  is one of three organisations nationwide that were chosen to participate in the second round of the partnership; a three-year programme of exhibitions, creative learning opportunities and digital projects based around the Arts Council Collection’s extensive collection of British art. 

The Art Crush app is a free, fun and accessible way for families and young people to explore art, in an experience that everyone can enjoy via their mobile device or tablet. Art Crush aims to present an exciting and playful platform for audiences to discover works from the Arts Council Collection for the first time.

The Art Crush app features roughly 1,000 artworks from the Arts Council Collection by artists such as Grayson Perry, David Hockney, Sonia Boyce, Yinka Shonibare MBE, Mona Hatoum, Anish Kapoor and many more. 

Art Crush allows people to interact with the Collection by selecting artworks they like by swiping left or right, almost like ‘Tinder’ for art. The works that are ‘liked’ form a personal digital art collection which determine the user’s ‘Art Personality’, the Boundary Breaker, Truth Seeker, Dreamer, or Explorer for example, and describes the user’s characteristics as an art lover. The user can then share their ‘Art Personality’ through social media and challenge others to find theirs. This interactive ‘art personality’ test can reveal different results based on people’s changing taste, mood or interests from day to day and allow users to find new favourites in the Collection for them to return to.

The fun Art Personalities have been developed by the Sunderland team in collaboration with their community of ‘Art Champions’. Newcastle-based illustrator, Josie Brooks, has produced horoscope inspired illustrations to depict each of the personalities.