Art Lab: MoMA’s Second Mobile App Encourages Learning Through Creation

After the introduction of its first iPhone app back in 2010, New York’s Museum of Modern Art has unveiled a new kind of interactive art app for the iPad called Art Lab. The newly-launched app allows users to explore the museum’s collection by delving into the creative methods of many famous artists. The app was inspired by the museum’s art labs, which run daily and are aimed at visitors of all ages, though particularly crafted for families. Art labs held at the museum allow visitors to “go beyond looking and talking about works of art to engage with art in new ways.” “Through diverse learning activities and prompts for creative ideas, the Art Lab app encourages kids ages seven and up to think about artistic processes and experiment with shapes, lines, and colors–inspiring digital play,” reads this week’s press release. According to MoMA the app’s intended audience reaches beyond families to both artists and designers of all ages.

Several artists from the MoMA collection have inspired activities within the app, including sound compositions like those of Elizabeth Murray, the scissor-cut collages of Henri Matisse, Jim Lambie’s line designs, the random collages of Jean Arp, and even a feature where groups can collaborate on an art piece together. The iPad app will also offer creative prompts to help artists who are stuck and in need of inspiration. Once you’ve finished your newest creation, MoMA Art Lab allows you to export your work to the iPad’s camera roll, or share directly through email and Twitter. The app was created by RenderMonkey, a design studio responsible for many web exhibits for the museum in the past, along with interactive websites for Showtime shows The L Word and Weeds. MoMA’s Art Lab app is available now on the iTunes App Store for $5. The price tag may seem a little steep, especially since the museum’s previous app was free, but who can put a price on inspiration?