Getty awards $2.7 million to 11 museums organizations to expand access to art worldwide

LOS ANGELES — Getty has awarded $2.7 million to 11 museum and arts projects worldwide through a new initiative aimed at making art more accessible.

The program, called New Interpretations, will help museums rethink how visitors experience, understand and connect with artwork.

Getty announced the grants Oct. 28, with projects focusing on language barriers, accessibility, cultural representation and community engagement.

The initiative will also explore how museums can use technology while preserving meaningful human connections.

Getty Grants Aim to Make Museums More Inclusive

Museums traditionally rely on wall descriptions, printed guides and exhibitions to explain artwork. However, Getty wants institutions to explore approaches that better serve diverse audiences.

The grants will support interactive displays, multisensory experiences and collaborations with artists and local communities.

According to Getty, the initiative emphasizes experimentation, visitor research and evaluating which approaches improve museum experiences.

Heather E. MacDonald, senior program officer at the Getty Foundation, said museums help people understand history and contemporary society.

“These dynamic projects reaffirm the importance of museums as trusted public institutions,” MacDonald said.

The projects will also help institutions understand how visitors interpret artwork through different cultural and personal perspectives.

Baltimore Museum of Art Among Grant Recipients

The Baltimore Museum of Art is among the 11 institutions and organizations receiving funding.

Other recipients include the Queens Museum, Denver Art Museum, Walker Art Center and Fowler Museum at UCLA.

Additionally, Getty selected the First Americans Museum in Oklahoma City and the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum in Boston.

International recipients include Manchester Museum in England and South Korea’s Leeum Museum of Art, working with Hong Kong’s M+.

The Australian Centre for the Moving Image and the Association for Art Museum Interpretation also received grants.

Getty did not specify individual award amounts in its announcement.

Museums Address Language and Accessibility Barriers

Several participating museums will develop programs that address barriers preventing visitors from fully experiencing art.

For example, Minneapolis’ Walker Art Center will explore museum interpretation in Spanish, Hmong and Somali.

The project will examine how language influences visitors’ sense of belonging and participation in cultural institutions.

Meanwhile, the Australian Centre for the Moving Image will improve captioning technology for video-based artwork.

The technology aims to make exhibitions more accessible to multilingual visitors and people with hearing impairments.

The organization also plans to share its software with museums and galleries of different sizes.

Indigenous History and Community Voices Take Center Stage

The First Americans Museum in Oklahoma City will focus on Indigenous perspectives and community participation.

The museum plans to conduct visitor surveys, particularly among Native audiences, to better understand their experiences.

Researchers will use those findings to help develop an exhibition connected to the bicentennial of the Indian Removal Act.

The exhibition will examine historical and contemporary perspectives surrounding the legislation and its consequences.

Meanwhile, the Denver Art Museum will explore how museums can maintain human connections as artificial intelligence becomes more widespread.

The museum will gather visitor feedback through surveys and discussion panels. It will then share findings with other cultural institutions.

Getty Initiative Will Support Museums Worldwide

Beyond individual exhibitions, Getty hopes the initiative will strengthen museum interpretation practices internationally.

Leeum Museum of Art and M+ will organize professional gatherings in Seoul and Hong Kong.

The meetings will encourage collaboration among museum professionals working to improve audience engagement across Asia.

Additionally, the Association for Art Museum Interpretation will examine museum practices across North America, Western Europe and East Asia.

The research will identify emerging trends, professional needs and gaps in institutional support.

Getty has supported museum interpretation and audience research projects since 1986.

The foundation said it will award New Interpretations grants annually. Museums and nonprofit visual arts organizations worldwide may apply.

The initiative reflects a broader effort to make museums more welcoming and ensure visitors from different backgrounds can engage with art.