Google Arts & Culture
Fun selfie feature and treasure trove of information.
Google Arts & Culture
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A Lot or a Little?
The parents' guide to what's in this app.
What Parents Need to Know
Parents need to know that Google Arts & Culture is the mobile app version of the website of the same name. Because of the selfie feature that compares images of you to great works of art, the app became popular, but it's much more than a trivial social networking add-on. Users can share art selfies via social media, text, and email. The app's Nearby feature gives the app access to your location, for the purposes of compiling lists of nearby cultural venues and events and providing directions to these things. There have been concerns around the collection and storage of users' images: A disclaimer states that photos are not saved by the app and are only used temporarily, for artwork comparison. Read the app's privacy policy to find out about the kinds of information collected and shared.
Community Reviews
Educational and then not at all
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Google Arts & Culture App
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What’s It About?
GOOGLE ARTS & CULTURE puts the worlds of art, science, history, and travel at your fingertips. In addition to letting you take a selfie and compare your face to images from great works of art, it also lets you find information about artists, museums, historic figures, places, and historic events. The app's easy navigation lets you search by keyword or category, browse featured content, view art collections, and read culture-related editorials. Users can save their favorite items or share them via social media, and the Nearby feature gives users up-to-date information on cultural venues and cultural events in their area.
Is It Any Good?
Though it may have gone viral thanks to the addition of its art-selfie feature, it's so much more than that. After spending a few minutes laughing at the results of your selfie experiments, you can explore the rest of Google Arts & Culture. If you do, you'll find it's truly awesome. There's so much here: museum information, theater, music, travel, and profiles of people from different backgrounds and cultures, and it's presented in a way that takes full advantage of current technology.
In addition to being able to search artists by timeline and color palette, you can view famous artworks in zoomable high-definition. Visit world heritage sites through 360-degree video recordings, or use your favorite VR device to spend the afternoon in a museum halfway around the world. Google has even partnered with cultural organizations in countries like India, France, the Czech Republic, and the United Kingdom to tap into their unique cultural offerings. These tech platforms bring all this information to colorful, vibrant life in a way that makes it exciting for kids and parents alike.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about when it's OK to let an app access your location information. When could revealing your location be dangerous? Is that feature necessary to use Google Arts & Culture?
Think about how mobile apps can be used to make education more fun. Are kids more likely to absorb information when they can explore?
Discuss the use of nudity and/or violence in the context of art. How does context matter when it comes to more mature content?
App Details
- Devices: iPhone, iPod Touch, iPad, Android
- Subjects: Social Studies: cultural understanding, events, exploration, geography, global awareness, government, historical figures, history, timelines, Arts: drawing, painting, photography, sculpture
- Skills: Creativity: combining knowledge, imagination, Self-Direction: academic development
- Pricing structure: Free
- Release date: July 20, 2016
- Category: Entertainment
- Topics: Arts and Dance, History, Science and Nature
- Version: 6.0.5
- Minimum software requirements: iOS 10.0 or later; Android 4.4 and up
- Last updated: August 9, 2021
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