As a representational tool and exercise in data literacy, this map shows the galleries and museums in New York City, using data provided by NYC Open Data. While public data is a beneficial resource for communities, agencies, and citizens, the map raises questions about data sources and the cultural fabric of our city: How does the Office of Technology and Innovation collect and classify galleries and museums? What organizations have been excluded? What areas of the boroughs are lacking arts organizations?
As an interactive website, the map also challenges conventional attributes of maps, looking at how user intervention and randomized algorithms affect the visual characteristics. Using the “Random Colors” button or manually adjusting the sizes of the markers and colors of the map layers may yield unexpected results. Does water necessarily have to be blue? If the water and landscape are the same color, is it still recognizable as a map? What are the elements needed for a map to be seen as such? When does this map of art organizations no longer appear as a map and instead look like art itself?
Project by: Patricia Belen