Coding was, and in some ways currently still is, a bit of a mystery to me. I understood that it existed and its general purpose, but the basic mechanisms and language behind it was completely foreign. And while I vaguely understood that it was behind computer programs, IPhone apps, and pretty much all of the trappings of modern day life, I failed to see how exactly it was relevant to me.
As part of an archival project at the art gallery for which I work, I began looking into programs that could help us to catalogue our permanent collection of work and the accompanying paperwork and documents. After looking thoigh several programs, I was frustrated that there didn’t seem to be one that matched all of my needs. I was attracted to one that was a free, open-source software, that seemed highly customizable and was in use by several comparable institutions. While our website manager was able to get the basic program up and running, it was clear that in order to get the most out of the program, I would need to be a little more well versed in coding. This was the first time that I could begin to see how coding could be an applicable tool in my life and career.
I also was attracted to coding because I wanted to round out my skill set with something that would be practical and in demand. In any industry, having these skills is in demand and will open new doors in my career. Our world is becoming increasingly tech based and the ways that we experience our lives is changing. Even things as seemingly simple as the Google Arts and Culture Face Match, which finds you your art history doppelganger, shows how technology can help us to interact with history and art.