Google Arts and Culture: How Museums Present Their Content Digitally Worldwide

The digital possibilities for museums and exhibitions are growing constantly, offering exhibition teams many opportunities to present content, collections and stories not only in the physical space but also online to a global audience - with enormous creative freedom!

One central platform for this form of digital outreach is Google Arts and Culture.

In this practical guide, I’ll show you how to make your content digitally accessible through Google Arts and Culture. You’ll get a well-grounded introduction to the platform and learn - through real examples - how to implement storytelling in digital exhibitions.

What is Google Arts and Culture?

Google Arts and Culture is a free platform launched by the Google Cultural Institute in 2011 to make cultural heritage digitally accessible. Since then, over 2,000 partner institutions worldwide have joined - including museums (such as the Guggenheim in Bilbao or the MoMA in New York), archives, galleries, foundations and universities.

For exhibition teams, Google Arts and Culture offers the opportunity to create exhibitions in the digital space, independent of physical boundaries, opening hours or geographic location. The platform provides tools to publish high-quality content including images, videos, 3D objects, texts and audio formats.

Publication works through an intuitive content management system that allows teams to manage content independently - from themed series and biographies to complex storylines. For many museums, the platform represents an extension of traditional exhibition formats to reach a broader audience.

Why Google Arts and Culture Is an Opportunity for Museums

A digital presence has become a central part of museum work. Google Arts and Culture makes it possible to reach a broad audience online in a targeted, narrative and visually appealing way. Especially for smaller and medium-sized museums, the platform offers the potential to become visible digitally.

Benefits of the platform:

• Free to use: No licensing or hosting fees for partner institutions
• Intuitive tools: Easy preparation of texts, images, audio and video formats - even 360° virtual tours are possible
• Editorial control: Content design remains with the museum team
• Digital archiving: Content remains accessible and searchable long-term

Accessibility for New Audiences

A key advantage of Google Arts and Culture is the ability to remove barriers. For people who cannot visit museums for geographic, physical or financial reasons, the platform offers low-threshold access to art, culture and history - for students worldwide, culture enthusiasts in rural areas, and people with limited mobility.

Global Reach and Visibility

By publishing on Google Arts and Culture, a museum becomes part of a worldwide network of cultural institutions and reaches an audience far beyond its regional catchment area.

From Application to Exhibition: The Onboarding Process

Access to the platform is granted through a partnership with Google via an application process. Once accepted as a partner institution, museums gain access to the CMS. The process and the partnership are free of charge.

Available formats include images, texts, videos and 3D objects. Content can include biographies, hero’s journeys, historical facts and contexts. Currently a digital exhibition can contain up to 30 slides, with 20 recommended. Each slide allows a maximum of 280 characters (including spaces) plus a title.

Two Practical Examples from My Work

The Frank Family - Telling a Family History

The exhibition “The Story of the Frank Family” (Jewish Museum Frankfurt & Anne Frank Fonds Basel) traces the history of Anne Frank’s family from the 17th century onwards. Key elements include postcards, photographs, mementos, personal letters and audio recordings - letters from Alice Frank were made audibly accessible. The exhibition concludes with an interview with Buddy Elias (1925-2015), Anne Frank’s cousin.

Arno Lustiger - A Biography Using the Hero’s Journey Storytelling Method

Arno Lustiger (1924-2012) was a Holocaust survivor, historian and Jewish activist. The Jewish Museum Frankfurt’s exhibition presents five thematic stations: Living On, Building, Shaping, Enlightening, Remembering. The exhibition has been accessible on Google Arts & Culture since May 2024.

Frequently Asked Questions

How can museums join Google Arts and Culture? By applying directly to Google.

Are there any costs? No, participation is free for museums.

Can museums publish interactive content? Yes, virtual tours, 3D models, videos and interactive elements are all possible.

Can museums change their exhibition after publication? Yes.