Exploring the potential of online collections for sustainable creative communities and practices

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Throughout the Covid-19 pandemic the activities and operations of cultural institutions have necessarily been oriented around digital - and in some instances blended - practices and experiences. This 'pivot' presented opportunities for more expansive and playful digital practices but has raised questions about digital inequalities and the longer-term sustainability of that work in economic, environmental and community terms. As we debate the digital futures of our creative and cultural lives, we need to understand and respond more comprehensively to these opportunities and challenges. The student will take a case study approach to Amgueddfa Cymru's new website for contemporary art in Wales. The website will include artworks from Amgueddfa Cymru's collection, plus the work of creatives across Wales, giving them a voice and an internationally significant platform. The student will work with different user (and potentially non-user) groups alongside the development and soft launch of this new resource to investigate its real-world capacity to inspire creative practice and community engagement, as well as any persistent barriers to its use, once 'in the wild'. The student may also interview members of staff at Amgueddfa Cymru and other organisations to explore institutional perspectives on evolving digital practices, priorities, and experiences post-pandemic. The research will make an original contribution to debates about opening up collections and extending access beyond institutions, how to do so in ways that foreground responsible and user-centred innovation, and how to meaningfully harness the potentials of participatory culture and user creativity within museum contexts.