Wake Forest’s art collections are now available to view virtually in the Bloomberg Connects app. 

Bloomberg Connects is a free digital guide for art collections across the globe. Founded in 2019 by its parent company Bloomberg Philanthropies, the app frequently partners with universities to develop in-depth guides for campus art collections. 

“This guide allows us to increase the visibility of art on our campus, and it is a resource for faculty, students, staff and visitors,” said Jennifer Finkel, the university’s art curator. “We can also share how art is being used across the curriculum from engineering to dance.” 

The university’s Mark H. Reece Collection will be accessible on the app. The Reece Collection is a contemporary art collection acquired by students on the New York art buying trip every three years. That collection includes works by Pablo Picasso, Jasper Johns, Alex Katz, Salman Toor and Martine Gutierrez. 

The app includes an interactive map, some audio elements and descriptions of all collections and pieces. 

In addition to the university’s permanent collection of contemporary art, the app showcases the university’s recent donations and new acquisitions. Users can go on a self-guided tour of the public art collection. Current student-curated exhibitions are also available. A section on integrating art into curriculum is also included on the site.

 The free Bloomberg Connects app is available to download on Google Play and the App Store. Guides within can be used off-site or on-site as a hands-free audio or visual guide.