We're very pleased to announce that we are launching a new partnership between The Henry Ford and the Google Cultural Institute, available to anyone with Internet access here. The Google Cultural Institute platform features over 1,000 cultural heritage institutions worldwide, and more than 6 million total artifacts, “putting the world’s cultural treasures at the fingertips of Internet users and … building tools that allow the cultural sector to share more of its diverse heritage online” (in Google’s own words).
The Henry Ford’s new presence on Google Cultural Institute includes:
- Information and zoomable high-resolution images for 660 artifacts, cross-searchable with all of the other artifacts from other institutions that live within Google Cultural Institute. Our contribution includes some of our most significant artifacts both on and off display, as well as about 200 artifacts (notably the Rosa Parks Bus and the Lincoln Chair) featured within Google Cultural Institute’s Black History and Culture channel.
- Two online exhibits, also featured in the Black History and Culture channel. The first is an overview of the African American struggle for freedom from the founding of the US through the Civil Rights era, based on the With Liberty and Justice for All exhibit within Henry Ford Museum. The second tells the story of Susana Allen Hunter and the resourcefulness she employed to create her improvisational quilts.
- A virtual visit to the Ford Rouge Factory Tour, using Google Street View. Move around more than 100 distinct points at the Rouge and zoom in to see details of the assembly plant, the artifacts of the legacy gallery, and the amazing views from the observation deck.
- Street View imagery of the outdoor paths and roads of Greenfield Village. Take your own virtual Model T tour past the many historic structures in the Village.
Over time, we plan to enhance our presence on Google Cultural Institute with the addition of new artifacts and exhibits. We are also very excited that coming soon to Google Cultural Institute are additional virtual tours with Street View, covering more buildings on our campus—including Henry Ford Museum.
The staff of The Henry Ford are always looking for new ways to share our collections with as many people as possible, and we are deeply thankful to our partners at Google for providing us with this opportunity to reach new audiences and share our artifacts in a whole new way. Please visit our presence on Google Cultural Institute and let us know what you think.
Ellice Engdahl is Digital Collections & Content Manager at The Henry Ford.
technology, 21st century, 2010s, Greenfield Village, Google Arts & Culture, Ford Rouge Factory Complex, by Ellice Engdahl, African American history
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