(Spotzer Founder Brendan Ciecko)
No museum experience is one size fits all. Or at least it shouldn't be, if you ask Boston entrepreneur Brendan Ciecko.
Patrons gravitate toward different styles of work, their personal preferences intrinsically guiding them to Claude Monet's Water Lilies or Andy Warhol's Campbell's Soup Cans the minute they step through a museum's doors.
"It's like Pinterest for the physical world."
Most museums have yet to catch up to that reality, however, repeatedly turning a blind eye to technology, rather than recognizing it could be used to deliver an experience unique to every visitor.
Yet one New York City museum decided to think outside the box — much like artists are encouraged to do — and approached Ciecko with a desire to go digital. The gusto came around the same time Apple announced its Bluetooth-powered iBeacon technology, and the opportunities seemed limitless.
"My eyes lit up with this thought of what technology could do to transform how people interact with art," Ciecko said. "Or how you flow throughout a museum."
The curiosity inspired Ciecko to start talking to fellow curators and gallery owners. He wanted to know what their pain points were and, in turn, discover how technology could be used to solve them.
By January 2014, he was launching Spotzer, a startup powering "interactive, socially engaging and context-aware mobile apps" for the likes of New York City's Neue Galerie, located across from The Met; Boston Athenaeum, one of the oldest independent libraries and cultural institutions in the United States; and the Public Art Collection at the MIT List Visual Arts Center; among other museums unable to be disclosed at this time.
"The experience for the user is very personalized and engaging," Ciecko said, referring to the power of Spotzer, currently based out of PayPal's Boston Start Tank incubator. Museums with Spotzer are equipped with beacon support, meaning patrons no longer need to scan some QR code to learn more about the work of art in front of them, because the app already knows their location.
(A closer look at Spotzer)
As visitors linger in front of individual pieces, Spotzer begins picking up on preferences. If a guest is spending extra time staring at Andy Warhol's Campbell's Soup Cans, they might be notified when passing by a Laurie Lipton piece. So rather than absentmindedly strolling by the artist's fantastical black and white drawings, they are drawn to them instead. And, if enjoyed, can be favorited by the museum goer and broadcasted to the world.
"It's like Pinterest for the physical world," Ciecko said, emphasizing that "the art experience needs to be social." To date, museums' approach has been unidirectional. Curators interpret each work of art — allowing for all but one perspective on a piece. Ciecko wants to open the dialogue up, however, and "bring all the messages we have online to the physical world."
And he wants to do that in a way that's seamless for museums and galleries to install. If a museum wants access to beacon support, curated tours, indoor way-finding and social sharing, Spotzer can go in and get them up and running. "We want to create a frictionless environment," Ciecko added. "We've put a lot of thought and energy into the user experience and design."
Given his background, that's not surprising. Ciecko became "entranced with the world of computer and digital" at age 11 — so entranced, he taught himself how to design and develop. "It was the first time I experienced Flash," he said. "I was enchanted by the mix of multimedia, audio, video and automation."
By age 19, Ciecko was working on projects for Mick Jagger and Katy Perry.
In the two years to follow, he'd take to honing his skills after school, soon feeling confident enough to enter a competition held by his favorite punk rock band, Slick Shoes; they were looking for someone to create an interactive Flash page announcing their latest album. When Ciecko won, he negotiated beyond the backstage tickets, CD and T-shirt they planned on gifting him. Rather, he convinced Slick Shoes' manager to let him design the band's entire website.
When the band started gaining momentum, so did Ciecko. His website caught the eye of Vagrant, one of the largest independent record labels. The next thing he knew, he was doing work for Dashboard Confessional, Saves the Day and The Get Up Kids. By age 19, he was working on projects for Mick Jagger and Katy Perry, as founder of design and development company Ten Minute Media.
Now he's hitting a new career high, coming in "at that cutting edge" of beacon technology, where the real world is beginning to merge with the digital world that lives on the screens of individuals' smartphones and tablets.
"It's a really exciting technology," Ciecko said, "and a really exciting time in the art world, as well."
Investors have already taken notice. Kayak Co-founder Paul English of consumer tech incubator Blade, Deborah Ellinger, CEO of The Princeton Review, and Michael Herf, co-founder of Picasa, have poured money into Spotzer, which currently employs three engineers. Michael Sippey, former vice president of product at Twitter, has also signed on as an advisor.
Although there are West Coast names on that list, Ciecko said he's fortunate to be in Boston. "The ecosystem has been so supportive," he acknowledged.
But will museums react the same way?
Ciecko is hopeful. "I'm excited about what this will bring to the arts and culture world."
Images Courtesy of Brendan Ciecko
