IAIA supports the technical, academic, and production processes necessary to develop, convert, and retrieve information resources from both institutions, as well as the production of new educational content. MCI also provides funding for marketing ArtsConnectEd, teacher training, and in some instances, dial-in Internet accounts for teachers and students in remote areas where Internet access is severely limited. Current funding will continue to support these efforts through June 2001. These projects are being developed as a primary resource for K-12 teachers, students, parents, and researchers throughout Minnesota. Teachers are able to use the ACE site to search for and access art-related curriculum materials and student activities according to grade level, subject matter, and the Minnesota Graduation Standards.
Teachers can also access and participate in online discussions between school and museum educators.
Students, families, and the general public at large can use ACE to explore the expansive collections and resources of both museums through online tours and browsing. As an additional component of this collaboration, each institution is developing online curriculum materials and educational modules that both technically and intellectually draw upon the information within the database. These materials fill existing instructional needs as well as demonstrate the tremendous future potential for teachers and students to create their own content through the integration of online resources into their classroom activities. Minnesota is a collaborative educational project involving The Minneapolis Institute of Arts, the Walker Art Center, the Frederick R. Weisman Art Museum, and the Minnesota Museum of American Art. Funded by the Blandin Foundation, the project includes thematic online curriculum units based on objects from all four institutions' collections.