The asheville art museum will enhance visitor and community engagement by making the museum collections fully available online through an accessible and user-friendly platform

The Institute of Museum and Library Services awarded the Asheville Art Museum Association, Incorporated $659,210 on September 1, 2026, under the Museums for America program (CFDA 45.301) to enhance visitor and community engagement by digitizing museum collections and making them fully accessible online.

The recipient will digitize its collections, implement an integrated institutional database, and develop a publicly accessible collections portal on the museum's website. The project integrates artificial intelligence technology to support image recognition, metadata development, accessibility features, and audience analysis. Staff training and professional development activities will prepare the organization to attract and engage audiences through the new online system.

Place of performance is Asheville, North Carolina. The period of performance runs through August 31, 2029.

Project activities include collections digitization, implementation of an integrated institutional database, and development of a publicly accessible collections portal on the museum's website. Implementation of the new online system will also include training and professional development for staff to attract and engage with audiences and provide them with access to the museum collection. Collections tools and the new database system are products that integrate artificial intelligence (AI) technology, allowing the museum to responsibly utilize emerging technologies to support image recognition, metadata development, accessibility features, and audience analysis.