The Museum of Arts & Sciences (MOAS) is the primary art, history and science museum in Central Florida. Located on a 90-acre Florida nature preserve, the 100,000 square foot facility is host to over 30,000 objects including the finest collection of American Art in the southeast, the largest collection of Cuban art outside of Cuba, a significant Chinese art collection, and Floridas prehistoric Giant Ground Sloth. Also on display, is Coca-Cola entrepreneur Chapman Root’s lifetime collection of Americana, including two private rail cars. The museum’s theater, planetarium, and children’s science center make for a truly interactive experience.
The Charles and Linda Williams Childrens Museum opened November 21, 2008 and is the only hands-on science center in Volusia County. The 9,000 square foot addition to the Museum of Arts & Sciences houses cutting-edge, interactive science exhibits for children ages 4 to 14.
MOAS is a 501c3 not-for-profit educational institution founded in 1955 and chartered by the State of Florida in 1962. The Museum is accredited by the American Association of Museums and is an affiliate of the Smithsonian Institution. MOAS renews over 5,000 memberships annually representing over 17,000 individuals. The Museum publishes Art & Sciences magazine quarterly along with catalogs and books specific to its permanent collections. Last year, the Museum served 129,484 visitors. It serves over 45,000 people annually through the Halifax Art Festival, the second-oldest fine arts festival in the State of Florida.
To further our mission, the Museum is working to provide the interactive experiences that guests have come to expect in our increasingly technological society. Toward this goal, a free iPhone application has been developed which will provide gallery tours of the Museum, with emphasis at first on one of its most significant collections – the Cuban Foundation Museum.
Through the application, visitors viewing paintings will have zoom capabilities, digital labels with extended information, artist biographies, and challenge questions designed specifically for students. The application also provides basic information including events and exhibition schedules, ticketing, and directions to the Museum. As the application is not GPS dependent, users will be able to access the virtual galleries at any time from any location; for example, teachers and parents will be able to use the application to reinforce a recent visit through compatible technology such as the iPod Touch. The new application will create global accessibility to the most important artifacts in the museums galleries, starting with the Cuban Foundation Museum gallery.