Release Date:
November 22, 2006 Contact: Alexia Davis
561.832.5196 ext. 1183
davisa@norton.org


Norton Museum of Art Welcomes Cell Phones
as First in Florida to Use New Cell Phone Audio Tour Technology

West Palm Beach, FL – The Norton Museum of Art announced it is the first Museum in Florida to utilize the new technology provided by the San Francisco based company, Guide by Cell. The Cell Phone Audio Tour is an innovative way to offer visitors interesting and pertinent information about art in an engaging, easy-to-use format. The only cost to users is the costs they incur or minutes they use for making a cell phone call, and it is as simple as calling 408.794.0877 and following the prompts.

The William Wegman Cell Phone Audio Tour features fifteen stops narrated by the artist. On each stop, ranging from fifteen seconds to about one and a half minutes, Wegman offers his perspective on particular works of art or subjects he has addressed. Listeners will learn about his photographs, early works, paintings and his unique approach to art, including some of the ways that he has photographed his pet Weimaraners. Two additional stops on the tour are narrated by Charles Stainback, the William and Sarah Ross Soter Curator of Photography at the Norton Museum of Art.

David Asheim created Guide by Cell two and a half years ago and launched it one year ago with the San Jose Museum’s exhibition Visual Politics: The Art of Engagement. It has since been used by museums, national parks, libraries, and universities, including: The Brooklyn Museum, Brooklyn, NY; The Little Compton House, Little Compton, Rhode Island; Valley Forge National Historical Park, Valley Forge, Pennsylvania; The Library of Congress, Washington D.C.; and Simmons College, Boston, Massachusetts.

According to statistics from Guide by Cell, an impressive 15% of calls come in after hours, which demonstrates how this technology extends the visitor experience and allows the educational reach of the museum to continue well after the visit is over. Asheim explained that his product is quite revolutionary for the museum world as "… museums are usually known for being techno-phobic and cell phones are typically shunned in such settings, making this is a new phase for museums of accepting the role of cell phones as learning tools rather than distractions".

William Wegman: Funney/Strange: The exhibition includes more than 200 works, among them the signature 20 x 24 Polaroids, as well as early black-and-white altered photographs, paintings, drawings, collages, artist books, videos, and film. Throughout his career William Wegman has moved seamlessly among these various forms of media; from conceptual works to commissioned magazine shots, from video work to television segments, from artist’s books to children’s books, from photographic "landscapes" employing his dogs to his most recent series of paintings that incorporate scenic postcards with drawing, collage, and paint. Yet, underlying all of Wegman’s work is the light humor of "funny" mediating the darker human comedy of "strange."

Exhibition Lecture: Monday, January 22, 2007 - 7:00 p.m., William Wegman on his Art,
presented by William Wegman, artist. All exhibition lectures are free with Museum admission. Theater doors open 1/2 hour prior to the program start time; please arrive early as seating is limited. Call 561.832.5196 ext. 1132 for more program information or visit www.norton.org.

The Exhibition Lecture Series is generously underwritten by Harriett M. Eckstein. Support for these programs is also generously provided by the Photography Committee of the Norton Museum of Art.

Exhibition Catalog: William Wegman: Funney/Strange, an extensive publication, written by scholar and critic Joan Simon and published by Yale University Press in association with the Addison Gallery of American Art will accompany the exhibition. Available in the Museum Store.

Exhibition Cost/Hours:
Adults $12
Visitors age 13-21 $5
Children 12 and under Admission is free
Members Free tickets based on Membership Level
Adult Group Tours $10
School Group Tours Free

Monday–Saturday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Sunday, 1 to 5 p.m. (Closed Mondays May through October and on major holidays.)

Visitor Information:
For general information, please call (561) 832-5196

Exhibition support:
William Wegman: Funney/Strange was organized by the Addison Gallery of American Art, Phillips Academy, Andover, Massachusetts and guest curated by independent curator Trevor Fairbrother. Generous support for the exhibition and publication was provided by The Henry Luce Foundation.

This exhibition at the Norton Museum of Art is made possible in part through the generosity of Melvin and Claire Levine, The Contemporary and Modern Art Council of the Norton Museum of Art, Starbucks Coffee Company, The Milton and Sheila Fine Endowment for Contemporary Art, the Dr. Henry and Lois Foster Endowment, and the Mr. and Mrs. Hamish Maxwell Exhibition Endowment.

Media Support provided by The Palm Beach Post and the Palm Beach Daily News.


The Norton Museum of Art is open Monday–Saturday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Sunday, 1 to 5 p.m. (Closed Mondays from May through October and on major holidays.) General admission is $8 for adults, $3 for visitors ages 13-21, and free for Members and children under 13. West Palm Beach residents receive free admission to the permanent collection every Saturday, with proof of residency. Palm Beach County residents receive free admission to the permanent collection the first Saturday of each month, with proof of residency. An additional charge may apply for special exhibitions. For general information, please call (561) 832-5196.