Aurora

FileMaker Pro · PHP · javascript · Bootstrap

Aurora is an outdoor contemporary art exhibition centered in the 68-acre Dallas Arts District. The expansive and immersive exhibition presents interactive light, video, performance, and sound artworks in exciting and unexpected public spaces. Tens of thousands of attendees are given the unparalleled opportunity to see their familiar urban environment converted into an interactive site for some of the world’s most innovative contemporary art.

I connected with Aurora’s co-founders through my work with Art Conspiracy, where I’d already built a database for managing events, artists, and volunteers. After producing several Art Con events with FileMaker, Aurora reached out to see if I could build something to run their international artist call.

Organizers needed a system to support multiple submissions for each artist, and the ability to include supporting PDFs and images. I solved this using FileMaker’s web viewer object. Uploaded attachments were renamed, serialized, and uploaded to a cloud server, with corresponding URLs sent back to FileMaker for display. Separating files from the database this way greatly reduced the overhead necessary to run the system.

Specialized layouts were also created providing Aurora curators with an easy way to gather selected artists into event zones. Afterward, artist information was exported from FileMaker to generate marketing and other event materials, like signage and banners.