Founded in May 2012 by Stephen Strain, Amit Sureen, Vicky Thai, Paul Tiu, and Linh Tran, The Museum of New Aesthetics (MoNA) is a virtual museum that aims to promote the creation, preservation, curation, and distribution of new media art.
Under the administration of John Crooks, a professor at the University of California, Irvine, along with the supervision from Bondy Owens and Jimena Sarno, The Museum of New Aesthetics is not only dedicated towards promoting the relationship between art and technology, but MoNA is also devoted towards strengthening the connection between artists and their audience. The computer is the artistic medium of our time. MoNA seeks to create an art institution to legitimize new media art--make it appreciative, understandable, ubiquitous like high-art.
In order to promote new media art, The Museum of New Aesthetics believes:
That featuring works of all varieties--from visual to audio to interactive to tactile--are important so as to have viewers fully engaged.
That it must educate the public about the craftsmanship and inspiration that go into the creation of digital works of art. Owing to the fact that the questioning of the work's digital process is high, MoNA provides the original sources and links to the creators' websites and works in hopes that it will inspire passion in those who visit and to contact the artists.
That it is necessary to stay up to date as to avoid future issues and to provide artists with advanced conveniences.
Since there is an inevitable call for critique with any work that viewers have the option of manifesting their thoughts and feelings.
That in order for new media art to be widely available and open, a digital archive is made that currently contains exhibition images, descriptions, publications, and historical records accompanied by a searchable database.
That it is crucial for works of new media art exhibited by MoNA be focused under the broad umbrella of interactive/collaborative art that involves a sense of interactive community.
Overall, The Museum of New Aesthetics is a museum open to new ideas that reflects the technology in culture, lifestyle, and society. MoNA encourages all forms of new media art and welcomes anyone that is interested so they can receive the recognition they deserve.
