Dr. Synatra Smith

Dr. Synatra Smith is an Afrofuturist cultural preservationist focused on demonstrating the creation, perpetuation, and transformation of Black cultural landscapes with special attention to the ways in which virtual and physical spaces are used as environments to transform access to archives and special collections, both conceptually and in practice.

She is interested in developing immersive digital humanities projects that showcase current local Black art and scholarship in Philadelphia through an Afrofuturist lens that utilizes mapping, virtual and augmented realities, and data curation.

MuseumNext Digital Summit
Tuesday, 7th June 2022

Diversifying the Narrative through Digital Connections

The Philadelphia Museum of Art is exploring new ways of connecting art information across the museum and other cultural institutions to create a deeper, more diverse art historical narrative. We will discuss initiatives that make art information accessible and more meaningful using linked data, lessons learned, and what’s next. These projects include the Art Information Commons, establishing a virtual research platform that integrates and contextualises collection data from siloed platforms and departments; the Duchamp Research Portal, linking archival collections from the museum and French institutions; and a cross-institutional photogrammetry, and augmented and virtual reality project for cultural preservation and exhibition.

Full Schedule Here