Creating Five Touchscreen Digital Experiences for LEAF Community Arts in Asheville, NC
LEAF Community Arts is a non-profit organization, whose goal is “Building community, connecting cultures, and enriching lives through the arts – locally and globally…” Based in beautiful Asheville, North Carolina, LEAF has over twenty-five years of success curating outdoor music festivals that draw thousands of loyal ‘LEAF-ers” two, and now, three times a year. LEAF has greatly expanded its impact since 2006 with international outreach activities that connect musicians and cultural ambassadors from around the world to local schools and children. The impact of these programs has spread global citizenship and cultural exchange from the mountains of western North Carolina to villages and towns around the world.
Until this year, LEAF has never had a permanent presence in Asheville that could help them share their story and expand their reach. But with a generous grant from the Buncombe County Tourism Development Authority, they will open the LEAF Global Arts Center in December 2019. Interactive Knowledge has been working closely with LEAF since January to create five unique digital experiences that will greet visitors as soon as they walk through the door. One group of touchscreens will feature interactive content on LEAF’s music and cultural exchange programs in three regions: Africa, The Americas, and The Caribbean. Visitors will hear music, view videos and interact with detailed maps of each location. Another touchscreen kiosk features a series of high energy interactives that tell LEAF’s history and details on all its educational and cultural activities.
The most prominent digital experience is built with an array of five 55-inch touchscreen monitors mounted vertically on the wall opposite the Center’s front door. The Go Global map wall is a dynamic series of colorful interactive displays that visitors can use to learn information about every country on earth. Music, musical instruments, spoken language samples, dance videos, and narrative descriptions are immediately accessible. Original LEAF content is featured throughout this interactive. A live world map serves as a backdrop to the content. Every country map can be accessed easily. Visitors can quickly zoom down to the street level of any spot on earth for research and discovery. The Go Global map wall, like all of the LEAF digital experiences, is built with a sophisticated content management system that allows LEAF staff to continually add new music clips, video and updated, engaging content.