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HueArts New York State

The first visual and textual record of New York State's BIPOC-owned arts and cultural landscape

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Challenge

Museum Hue works to paint a larger portrait of the arts and culture field by providing greater support and recognition for Black, Indigenous, and people of color (BIPOC) throughout museums and other cultural entities. The challenge was to understand the different challenges that BIPOC arts entities face within New York State (excluding New York City) to see how they can best support these entities that are BIPOC-led and owned. 

Role

I was involved in Quantitative User Research, User Research for the Map, Design and Development of the Map & Directory.

Team

Interactive Map Designer & Developer - Yury Higuchi

Project Manager - Lillian Choi

User Researcher - Ryan Westphal

Report Designer - Kami Beckford

Web Designer & Developer - House of Cakes

Timeline

Seven months while I worked at Hester Street, an urban planning non-profit organization.

First iteration Wireframe

Site Architecture

User Flow

Design

The goal of the design was to create a simple and engaging interactive map for HueArts NYS state arts entities to connect, share resources, and increase their visibility to secure grant funding and professional development opportunities. To achieve this, the design direction included:

  • a map view and list view to provide different ways to view and filter different arts

  • call-to-action buttons of organization profiles for users to learn more

  • additional context information to support advocacy efforts such as public transportation

After five iterations of client feedback and usability testing, the final prototype is shown on the right.

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From experience, I knew that the software tool I used to build (think WordPress for mapping!) the map and directory had certain limitations to what I could do within the contract budget and timeframe. I had to constantly communicate via Google documents comments and during meetings on what was possible to the project manager and the clients.

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Challenges & Limitations

High Fidelity Map View

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Mobile

The mobile version included rearranging and initially hiding certain features.

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Process

The user researchers identified the challenges, triumphs, and joys experienced by these entities and their leaders, as well as the critical resources necessary for long-term success. The study used a mixed methods approach that included 14 stakeholder interviews, three focus groups, a survey, and a competitive analysis. For the map & directory, a card sorting session during these interviews to brainstorm potential audience members using this tool and why. 

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Survey question example
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Male Ballet Dancer

"Arts organizations operate in a scarcity mindset. Through partnerships, we increase the offering and extend both of their budgets and broadening connections and network."

Painter

Item Title Two

"My collaboration ends up being coincidental, like when I meet them at some sort of fair, but never intentional. I'd like to change that with this resource."

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Item Title Three

"When you think of the Hamptons or even New York State, you don’t think about native people still living there. And just that simple idea of representing oneself and trying to persuade people you are, has been a challenge."

What we learned

Funding challenges impact staff capacity and well-being, with over half of HueArts NYS organizations working on budgets under $50,000. Aside from art, BIPOC-led spaces foster community, representation, and creativity, addressing gaps in traditional venues. Artists are eager to collaborate, but distance and lack of transportation make collaboration difficult. What leaders need is a digital tool to start the conversation for collaboration and visibility.

Impact & Reflection

IMPACT

The HueArts New York State launched in late February 2023. HueArts NYS is the first online visual and textual record of New York State's BIPOC-owned arts and cultural landscape. The results of the research allowed Museum Hue to start building programs to support the arts entities in New York State such as a grant proposal writing workshop. The map and directory helped to identify, visualize, and empower over 130 arts entities that are looking for opportunities.

Before launch, Forbes Article posted in June 2022 describing the next steps for HueArts New York State as they received $1 Million in funding for this project from state government and private foundations. This online record (map) showcases the representation and value of the community in which they serve.

REFLECTION

I was honored to be a part of this project, and I learned a lot about the arts communities in New York. Visibility and representation matter, and although there’s more to it than a map to form equitable funding policies for the art world, I believe the map and directory will be a catalyst to further uplift the entities there.

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