Cleveland Museum of Art Announces $1 million Leadership Gift to Capital Campaign from The Swagelok Foundation and The Fred A. Lennon Charitable Trust

CLEVELAND, OH (April 10, 2015) – The Cleveland Museum of Art announces a $1-million capital campaign gift from The Swagelok Foundation and The Fred A. Lennon Charitable Trust. Swagelok will be acknowledged for the contribution on the title page of ArtLens, the museum’s free mobile app.

“The Cleveland Museum of Art has been focused on enhancing the visitor experience through the development of cutting-edge technologies and on-site interpretive materials,” said William M. Griswold, museum director. “This very generous gift from The Swagelok Foundation and The Fred A. Lennon Charitable Trust helps our museum remain a global leader in delivering interpretive content that personalizes the visitor experience.”

The free ArtLens app enables visitors to use their IOS and Android mobile devices for an engaged museum experience. Introduced in early 2013, ArtLens is a unique, personal guide loaded with video, audio, text and still-image content. Recently, ArtLens was enhanced through a network of 225 BLE (Bluetooth enabled) beacons discreetly installed and configured throughout the museum’s galleries. The museum’s facilities are now fully “location aware,” which allows visitors to zero in on artworks around them and puts expanded interpretive content at their fingertips. In addition, ArtLens offers a daily snapshot of exhibitions and events; restaurant location, restrooms and exits; museum-created and visitor-created tours; and the ability to save favorite works of art and share them on Facebook, Twitter, text, email and more.

“Supporting and giving back in the communities where we live and work comes naturally to Swagelok associates,” says Arthur F. Anton, president and chief executive officer of Swagelok Company, a $2-billion manufacturer of high-performance fluid system solutions employing over 4,300 people around the world. “Our company invests heavily in innovation that serves customers,” adds Anton. “We see a great parallel between our customer focus core value and what the museum wants to accomplish with the ArtLens app.”

Through creative partnerships with Local Projects and Navizon, the recent ArtLens enhancement establishes the foundation to enable many future products and services focused on the user experience. The museum will also be able to collect valuable feedback and analyze information to better understand visitor preferences in addition to enriched interactive experiences.

ArtLens is compatible with Apple mobile devices running iOS 7 and above and Android devices running 4.3 and above. Visitors are encouraged to download the latest version in the iTunes app store or Google Play store before visiting the museum so they can begin using it immediately when they arrive. iPads and iPod Touches are also available for rent at the desk located inside Gallery One, near the Collection Wall.

The Swagelok Foundation and The Fred A. Lennon Charitable Trust’s gift has been counted toward the more than $11 million raised for trustee Scott Mueller’s $19 million match gift, announced earlier this month (The Plain Dealer, March 5, 2015.)