On February 24, +ArtApp sent the following letter to Philip Schiller, SVP of worldwide marketing at Apple, focused on our request to add an Art category on the App Store and improve discovery of arts-centered apps.
Dear Phil,
We’re writing to open a dialog about ways to improve the organization and discoverability of Art in the App Store. Apple has always found success working at the intersection of technology and the arts, and it is unfortunate this intersection remains so hard to find in the App Store.
There are currently 25 categories for apps. Art is not one of them, and a search for “Art” returns more creative gimmicks than arts-centered apps.
Major art institutions like MoMA and The Louvre are in the Education category, a key part of their mission but not the core. And app artworks like Scott Snibbe’s “Tripolar”, commissioned or acquired by major museums, are quite difficult to discover.
Recently, we read about your increased focus on the App Store and would greatly appreciate the opportunity to provide input on how the discoverability of Art apps can be improved.
To help communicate some ideas around this, we created a website allowing visitors to endorse a request for Apple to create an Art category. The site also features statements of support and a curated selection of over 100 apps centered in the arts.
Since launching the website, endorsements have arrived from artists and arts organizations around the world, including Eyebeam and Storefront for Art & Architecture in NYC, ZKM in Germany and the Museum of Contemporary Art Australia.
We hope you can take a moment to view the site:
We are based in NYC and available to speak further via email, on the phone, or in person. Thank you for your time and consideration of this letter. We are looking forward to your response.
+ArtApp
