To: Members of the Public Art Commission
From: Maia Aman, Town Liaison
Title
Otocast for Douglas County Art Encounters
Body
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Executive Summary
On March 11 at the countywide Art Encounters selection meeting, various representatives discussed the use of Otocast to showcase this year’s Art Encounters program.
Otocast provides a platform for mobile audio guides through a free mobile app, compatible with IOS and Android, which engages people with their surroundings and encourages exploration. The app is currently used around the country to let people access over 3,500 points of interest in over 200 guides featuring public art, historic sites, murals, landmarks, monuments, etc.
After assessing user data in May, the Commission felt that Otocast should not be used for Castle Rock’s Art Encounters program to reserve the funds for art. Eric Feinstein of Otocast, however, then generously offered the program to Castle Rock for free. The Commission will pursue Otocast this year but staff recommends that the commission establish an evaluation process to assess and gauge its effectiveness for future years.