I like this a lot. Inspiration Bank
showcases rarely seen artworks and decorative objects from Midlands-based gallery, museum and library archives. With a current strength in early fine printing and 20th century art Inspiration Bank aims to inspire creatives of today with the creativity of yesteryear
The homepage is particularly nicely done in that it:
- concentrates on the art, making a big, bold image the most important thing on the page
- has an option for ditching any nonsense and jumping straight to the picture galleries
- features the word ‘nifty’
- isn’t cluttered with the logos of any ‘partners’
There are a couple of things missing from this and it’s only because I think they’re important that I’m going to mention them:
- No news/blog/anything I can subscribe to. I’ll have to keep checking back on the off-chance anything has been added and, unfortunately, that’s just not a realistic demand.
- You can’t search by gallery or collection. Pictures are tagged with keywords but it hasn’t been done quite as well as it could have.
Still, don’t let those two things detract from what is a fantastic project. I’ve enjoyed browsing around the site and, dare I say it, I reckon I’m more likely to want to go to the galleries themselves as a result.
For the record, The New Art Gallery Walsall, Wolverhampton Museum & Art Gallery, The Potteries Museum & Art Gallery and Birmingham Central Library are on board so far. Hopefully a few more of the region’s museums and galleries will be able to get involved with this.
(Hat-tip to Dave Harte)