What happens when you combine one of the most successful Milwaukee projects of the summer (Sculpture Milwaukee) with one of the most weirdly controversial Milwaukee projects of last summer (the Pokemon Go/Lake Park debacle)? You get Sculpture Milwaukee’s new Pokemon Go-like app! People walking around with phones in their hands and looking at stuff? Let’s hope old man Northwestern Mutual doesn’t call the cops!
Okay, so the app (developed by Milwaukee-based Graydient Creative) isn’t exactly like Pokemon Go, but there are some general similarities. Public art fans can now experience Sculpture Milwaukee’s 22 top-shelf sculptures along Wisconsin Avenue complete with an audio tour, “hearts” they can toss out for their favorite pieces, photo filters for pictures and selfies, and an interactive scavenger hunt. Lawsuits and a virtual seat at a heated and gloriously absurd neighborhood meeting may or may not be added in future updates.
“We wanted to introduce the community to these beautiful works of art in an engaging way,” says Shawn Spartz, Director of Creative & Development at Graydient Creative in a press release. “The Sculpture Milwaukee app is a fun way to see and learn about all of the sculptures and the artists behind them. We also see the potential for future interactive elements.”
Read the full press release below:
MILWAUKEE, Wis. – Sculpture Milwaukee has rolled out a virtual experience for viewing its 22 sculptures along Wisconsin Avenue. Developed by Graydient Creative, the newly debuted Sculpture Milwaukee app features an audio tour, “hearts” for users to like their favorite sculptures, custom photo filters and a scavenger hunt.
The exclusive audio tour gives users a full description of the artist and their sculpture, and is also available in Spanish. Similar to Pokémon Go, users can throw “hearts” at their favorite sculptures. Hearts are unlimited, and the user’s favorite sculptures are displayed on the homepage of the app. In addition, users can apply custom photo filters to a sculpture, or their selfies, and share with friends.
An interactive scavenger hunt is also available to gamers. The hunt begins with a blue screen telling the user they are cold, or too far from a sculpture. As the user nears the correct sculpture, the screen slowly fades to red. Once the user finds the correct sculpture, a trivia question about the sculpture is released. If the user answers correctly, an achievement is unlocked. The app keeps track of the sculptures that the user has found so the user can play intermittently.
“We wanted to introduce the community to these beautiful works of art in an engaging way,” said Shawn Spartz, Director of Creative & Development at Graydient Creative. “The Sculpture Milwaukee app is a fun way to see and learn about all of the sculptures and the artists behind them. We also see the potential for future interactive elements.”
Other features of the app include an interactive map display, the ability to share sculptures with friends, and special offers, including food, drink and shopping incentives for nearby businesses. The Sculpture Milwaukee app is available free in the Apple Store and at Google Play.
Sculpture Milwaukee is slated to be an annual exhibition, highlighting new artists and works each year. Sculptures within the installation will be available for purchase. A percentage of the commission of each sale will be reinvested into Sculpture Milwaukee, a nonprofit initiative managed by Milwaukee Downtown, BID #21, for continuation of the program into future years.