Which is one of the oldest institutions to harness the combined power of crowdsourcing and online community building? Fr. Mark Haydu looks into how the Vatican is engaging the online community around restoration art. Presented at Crowdsourcing Week Global 2016. Learn more and join the next event: www.crowdsourcingweek.com

1. PATRONS OF
The Arts
IN THE VATICAN MUSEUMS
2016-2017
CSW Global 2016

2. THE BEGINNING
…of the VM can be traced back to the
discovery of the sculptures of Laocoön in
a vineyard near Santa Maria Maggiore in
1506.
Julius II placed this piece with a group of
marble sculptures in the Octagonal
Courtyard. Bramante then built his
spiral staircase and, with that, The VM
were born.
Over many centuries, 12 museums have
sprung up around this first seed…And
today, the VM consist of over 54 galleries,
chapels and rooms, and 7 Departments.

3. …go beyond the problem of crowd mobility and vision limitations.
With an increased traffic, the concern becomes conservation and preservation
of the collections and buildings of the VM.
DIFFICULTIES
OF UNIVERSAL
ACCESSIBILITY
IN MUSEUMS
“...A culture of encounter demands that we be ready not only to give, but also to receive. Media
can help us greatly in this, especially nowadays, when the networks of human communication
have made unprecedented advances. The internet, in particular, offers immense possibilities
for encounter and solidarity. This is something truly good, a gift from God....”
POPE FRANCIS
MESSAGE OF POPE FRANCIS FOR THE 48TH WORLD COMMUNICATIONS DAY
Sunday, 1 June 2014 - Communication at the Service of an Authentic Culture of Encounter

4. A PRICELESS LEGACY
TO PRESERVE
One of the primary goals of
the VM is to preserve and
make their artworks,
galleries and exhibitions
more accessible to visitors
by ensuring an enriching
and outstanding
experience within the
museums.
This is made possible
thanks to:
•Efficient museum services
•8 world renowned
restoration laboratories
•Philanthropic and
Fundraising Organization,
such as the Patrons of the
Arts
Universal Accessibility
means accessibility to
everyone!

5. WHOARE THE PATRONS ?
Founded in 1983 after a major exhibition
from the Vatican toured The Met (NYC),
the M.H. de Young Memorial Museum
(San Francisco) and The Art Institute of
Chicago, a group of philanthropists
recognized the unique opportunity to
participate in art conservation in the VM.
What are you giving access too if your
Museum not preserved for the future?
WHATDO PATRONS DO?
• To donate a minimum of $600 a year
per person, $1,200 for a couple (or
family, if children are under 18)
• To adopt a specific restoration project
on a personal basis, as well as through
their Chapter
• To join the local or nearest patrons
chapter, meet regularly, enjoy their
activities (sponsor dinners, social
events, travels to the Vatican to see first
hand the results of their efforts

6. GALLERY OF THE
CANDELABRAS
2011- ongoing
PAULINE
CHAPEL
2000-2009
BASILICA DI
SANTA MARIA MAGGIORE
2003-2012
THE GALLERY OF
GEOGRAPHICAL MAPS
2011- ongoing

7. BRACCIO
NUOVO
2010– ongoing
HOLY STAIRS
2011- ongoing
SPHERE WITHIN SPHERE
2015-Pending

8. “...Keeping the doors of our churches open also means keeping them open in the digital
environment so that people, whatever their situation in life, can enter, and so that the
Gospel can go out to reach everyone....”
POPE FRANCIS
MESSAGE OFPOPEFRANCIS FOR THE 48THWORLD COMMUNICATIONS DAY
Sunday, 1 June 2014 - Communication at the Service of an AuthenticCultureof Encounter
HOWTO IMPROVE ACCESSIBILITY

9. HOWTO IMPROVE ACCESSIBILITY
• Ameliorating accessibility to priceless artworks for a
broader range of visitors, including those with disabilities
• Developing experimental solutions that combined power
of crowdsourcing and online community building
• Providing all visitors with the valuable and enriching
experience of viewing art, engaging the global online
community around the restoration of world famous
artworks

10. INNOVATIVE
SOLUTION
By merging advanced programming and coding, a
proactive attitude, a thoughtful design with new
technologies, such as:
•Mobile App - “PATRUM”
•Crowdrise
•Facebook, Instagram, Twitter
•Youtube, Vimeo
•TED: ideas worth spreading
And the interaction with people who are active on
the PAVM’s online community permits to get a
deeper understanding of what it's like to
experience significant works of art—a privilege
often taken for granted — and the important work
of restoration which is behind their conservation.

11. "HOW CAN WE PROVIDE A CULTURAL AND SOCIAL OPPORTUNITY
FOR VM VISITORS TO EXPERIENCE ART?”
INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY FOR BETTER
CUSTOMIZATION PROGRAMS & TOURS AND
FOR BETTER FEEDBACKS AND SUGGESTIONS
(I.E. DATA COLLECTION AND DATA SHARING)
EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMS ON RESTORATION AND
ART CONSERVATION (I.E. PODCAST AND LIVE
STREAM)
LAUNCH OF NEW WEBSITE
HIGHLIGHT FUNDRAISING METHODS &
PARTNERSHIPS WITH THE TECHNOLOGY
SECTORS
UPGRADING TECHNOLOGY FOR THE
OVERALL VM DIGITAL EXPERIENCE
(I.E. INTERACTIVE EXPERIENCE, INTERNET
OF THINGS)
PROMOTING THE VM ART TREASURES &
INSPIRING A YOUNGER AUDIENCE
(MILLENNIAL) USING MODERN
COMMUNICATION PLATFORMS (I.E.
TUTORIALS, GAMING, SOCIAL MEDIA)
‘ART & TECHNOLOGY’ PLATFORM, WIRELESS- SENSORIAL
BASED, ON THE ANCIENT USE OF ‘ART & BEAUTY’, TO
GENERATE A STRONGER EMOTIONAL CONNECTION WITH
USERS (I.E. VIRTUAL REALITY TECHNOLOGY)

12.
•DISCOVER THE VATICAN MUSEUMS BEHIND THE SCENES
•RECEIVE “IN THE KNOW” VATICAN MUSEUMS NEWS
•COMMENT ON YOUR FAVORITE WORKS OF ART
•SHARE YOUR INTERESTS WITH YOUR FRIENDS
•CHAT FELLOW ART LOVERS
•JOIN CHAT FORUMS
•DONATE TO RESTORATION PROJECTS
•INSTANTLY ACCESS PATRONS STAFF ABOUT A RESTORATION
PROJECT YOU HAVE SUPPORTED
•CONNECT WITH CURRENT PATRONS (OR BECOME ONE!)
PATRUM is the first ever
revolutionary app for the Vatican
Museums revealing secrets of the
Museums, the history of the Holy See,
and the underground art restoration
work happening in every nook and
cranny of this globally famous
institution.
What can the online community do
on Patrum?
This is the only cultural institution
app to harness the combined power of
crowdsourcing and online community
building. Patrum ushers in a totally
innovative approach to cultural
heritage protection and learning. On
Patrum, people can:

13. During the years several different Patrons Chapters,
such as the Philadelphia, Michigan, Texas, Georgia,
Carolina’s, Washington DC, Minnesota, Italian &
International opened they own Crowdrise page
raising money to restore works of art.
Every time we set up a project, we have exposure to Patrons &
many people interested in giving – the other members of
Crowdrise! In this way we can be in touch with the global online
community, collecting money for our cause.
The PAVM opened a CrowdRise
account in 2013 being conscious that
this is the world’s largest and fastest
growing fundraising platform
dedicated exclusively to charitable
giving.
PAVM
CROWDRISE

14. VATCVATICAN ART & TECHNOLOGY COUNCIL
• THE WORLD TECHNOLOGY LEADERS AND DISRUPTIVE THINKERS
(EXAMPLE, ELON MUSK- JACK DORSEY-JACK MA ETC)
• REPRESENTATIVE OF THE LEADING TECHNOLOGY AND CULTURAL
INSTITUTIONS ( MIT, SINGULARITY, STANFORD, V&A, MOMA,
TATE MODERN ETC)
• SELECTED GROUP OF VATICAN MUSEUM & PATRONS, CURATORS,
HISTORIANS, ART & RESTORATION EXPERTS
This first ever conference tried to help address the
VM's needs of upgrading technologies by bringing
together the world most inventive teck
entrepreneurs..
Through an open debate on the Vatican state of
the ’Art & Teck’ and highlights
opportunities/challenges lot of different themes
were touched and analyzed by participants such
as:

15. It has the porpoise to allow every
visitor, even the blind and visually
impaired, to experience the Pio
Christian Museum, that houses the
most important collection of Early
Christian sculpture in the world.
Curators, along with the technical staff
designed a special tactile display that
provides resin casts of five chosen
works, accompanied by an
explanation, a text in the information
panel (in Italian/English Relief and
Braille).
The individual casts, directly
proportioned to the original work and
displayed on stands positioned at a
height that allows blinds and disables
to reach the panels easily, highlight the
new potential enjoyment of the space
without interfering with the traditional
museum display.
TOUCHING ARTINTERACTIVE EDUCATIONAL DISPLAYS
Sponsored by the Italian & International Chapter

16. MULTISENSORY ITINERARY
IN THE VATICAN GARDENS FOR CHILDREN AND ADULTS WITH VISION
AND/OR HEARING IMPAIRMENT
• To permit visitors to appreciate buildings,
monuments and fountains through direct tactile
exploration and specially equipped teaching aids
• To analyze/identify the botanical, historical,
religious meaning & symbolism of the most
interesting and characteristic species of
vegetation in the Gardens,
• To stimulate the blind to develop their
imaginative skills
Which tools can be used?
• A tactile map of the Vatican Gardens
• Teaching cards in Braille and/or large print in
black to solicit the mental representation of
trees, buildings and statues.
• Languagesliterary​ : reading passages relating to
the hagiographies of the saints and the stories of
miracles;
• Musical languages: listening to Gregorian
chants (with the use of I-Pod) composed by
Hildegard of Bingen in the vicinity of the flower
dedicated to her.
Sponsored by the Italian &
International Chapter

17. MICHELANGELO’S
MADONNA DI BRUGES
FOR THE VISUALLY IMPAIRED
The tour for the visually impaired in the
Vatican Museums is poignant and unique
experience, that allows all Museum
visitors to touch masterpieces such as the
Michelangelo’s Madonna of Bruges in the
Pinacoteca created and formed from the
original casts of Casa Caravaggio, and
recognize the face of the Virgin Mary and
her child Jesus.
This type of tour is unique in its kind in
Italy and allows everyone to access and
benefit from unrivalled spiritual and
artistic experience.
Sponsored by the Italian & International Chapter

18. POPEFRANCIS– PRIVATEAUDIENCEADRESSED TO THE PATRONS OF THE ARTS
October 19, 2013
“Dear friends, may your patronage of the arts in the Vatican Museums always be a sign of your interior participation in
the spiritual life and mission of the Church.
May it also be an expression of our hope in the coming of that Kingdom whose beauty, harmony, and peace are the
expectation of every human heart and the inspiration of mankind’s highest artistic aspirations as a pledge of enduring
joy and peace in the Lord”.
For Your Attention
THANKS