This proposal outlines an app called "Arts Instant" that combines social media and arts criticism. It would allow users to: 1) Check-in to arts events on a map and see where friends are, while uploading photos and comments. 2) Follow others and see their posts to stay updated on arts happenings around their city and neighborhood. 3) Browse and like others' posts, as well as create their own short reviews and link to longer essays. The proposal argues this app could provide a new platform for arts coverage and criticism by empowering anyone to be an arts reporter within their community. It would help arts journalists stay connected locally and virtually.

1. Arts Instant Check-in With Your Community And Arts

2. Inspirations… This proposal is a project called “ Art Instant ” that I am currently developing. After receiving Sasha’s email of applying for this year’s fellowship, I started to contemplate on how to combine arts critic and social networking medias. Does arts critic have to be an long essay? How short can it be? How can social networking media help on arts criticism? Working in the art world requires me to be updated on happenings in many different cities. It often takes me a long time to finish reading many art websites to get all the information I need. And yet still, I need to form a geographical map in my mind just to better organize what I have read. Wouldn’t it be nice if I can visualize this map?

3. So, here is the alternative – Arts Instant Arts Instant is a combination of Google Map, Check-in function, Twitter, and Facebook. It provides a new platform for a subject oriented (Arts) of social network. Arts Instant also provides a new possibility for arts criticism in today’s world. It allows everyone to be an art reporter and critic, and allows arts journalists to be opinion leaders. Once you register as a member of Arts Instant , you will be able to log into a map, where you can see where all your friends are and what they are doing with arts. You can check-in places, take a photo of what you see there, and make comments on it. And if you write a longer essay on the event, you can also post a link to it for people to read further. You can follow people and being followed by people. You can click on the “Like” button on what your friends have posted and being liked too by your friends. You can make your own selection on Top 5 shows of the day and the week. You can make new friends through your friends’ network. But you can also make friends through the map – if you found someone at your corner who share the same ideas of a show as you, wouldn’t it be nice to connect with that person and be friends in the real world?

4. New way of thinking Everyone is an arts reporter and critic Every journalist is an editor of his own community (physical and virtual) What matters is after you check-in. Visualization of social network (mapping) helps great on staying connected. Art criticism can be done with 1 photo/short video and 140 words. Every long essay starts short – just one posted link.

5. What is the difference between Arts Instant and… Google Map: AI provides much more than just a map. It tells where your friends are and what they are doing with arts. More importantly, you can see what is going on at your own corner. AI allows its users to stay connected both with their physical community and virtual community on line. FB Check-in function: AI allows its users go further from telling people only where they are but also what they are doing with arts. And most importantly, what they think about what they see. AI is also more subject oriented (Arts specific) than merely posting on personal stuff. Time Out magazine app: Time Out magazine is only available in limited cities. And AI is specific on arts, well, ok, maybe also on food.

6. How does Arts Instant help on arts criticism? Arts here includes: performance arts, fine arts, cinematic arts, music, architecture, literature. Arts Instant allows its users to post on the most updated news both based on personal location and the physical location of the happening. Arts Instant allows its users to check-in places, upload photos and comment on what they see there. Arts Instant allows people to post links to longer arts criticism essays later for further discussion. Arts Instant allows people to hold discussion rooms both virtually and physically

7. What does Arts Instant mean to LA and this fellowship? Los Angeles has a lot to offer on arts as a city. It can be a great starting point for this new model of art listing/ criticism. If this new model eventually survived, it will add more to LA’s pioneer reputation. The USC/ Getty fellowship is a great opportunity for all the professional journalists/ critics to try the new model of arts criticism. Their first hand experiences and feedback on it are very valuable. This fellowship can be a great opportunity to test out if it is possible for art criticism to survive over instant posting of photos and short comments.

8. What can we do during the fellowship? Starting from the collaboration with LA Weekly, we will have the access to all the arts listing. Each fellow can select what they think interesting to go and use their cellphone to review based on their specialized professions. Each day there will be an editorial meeting on what fellows have seen and what they have encountered with the app. Preparation in advance: a prototype of the website, several engineers at site, smart phone, app of Arts Instant, spirit of adventurer

9. Potential goodies that have not been mentioned above… Connection with local community: Locals know the best. We might fly over to another city just to see a show but we often ignore what is going on at our own block. Arts Instant allows its users to stay updated with local happenings and subject sensitive events. It provides possibility to connect with both our physical and virtual communities.

10. There is more to add on as it develops…