Life on Earth: Creating a Planet in Balance

Elephants wade through water that floods the Okavango Delta annually after flowing down from the Angolan Highlands. Shot on assignment for a National Geographic magazine story about the National Geographic Okavango Wilderness Project

Building upon 12 years of collaboration, Google and the National Geographic Society have announced the launch of a major new partnership that will address the myriad threats impacting the Earth at this critical juncture in ways only the two organizations can. 

Over the next two years and beyond, Google and the National Geographic Society will work together to leverage the power of Google's technology and National Geographic's world-class science and storytelling, as well as National Geographic Labs' innovations, to build a first-of-its-kind, dynamic, four-dimensional digital representation of the vital signs of Earth's natural ecosystems. 

This living rendition of the globe will allow users to monitor the world's species and ecosystems over time, understand threats to the natural world and realize solutions to help achieve a planet in balance.

The two organizations will source and generate new data on ecosystems, biodiversity, urban growth, migrations and extreme environments to inform insights and inspire action by educating consumers and decision-makers about the critical importance of protecting at least 30 percent of the planet by 2030. 

National Geographic Society's Executive Vice President and Chief Scientist Dr. Jonathan Baillie and Vice President of the Chinese Academy of Sciences Dr. Ya-Ping Zhang highlighted the need to achieve this critical biodiversity target in a recent editorial in the journal Science.

"There is finite space and energy on the planet, and we must decide how much of it we're willing to share," Baillie and Zhang wrote. 

Wildlife populations have decreased over 50 percent since the 1970s, while humans' impact on the landscape is becoming more and more visible in satellite imagery. 

For decades, decisions about protecting critical ecosystems have been made using very limited data. In 2020, the world's governments will meet in Beijing, China, to set targets that aim to protect current levels of biodiversity and the ecosystems that support food and water security as well as the health of billions of people. 

The Google-National Geographic Society partnership will create tools to help this decision-making.

Two initial components of the partnership are launching at the annual Geo for Good Summit in Sunnyvale, Calif. As part of the National Geographic Society's efforts to protect our planet's last wild places, the Society and Google are releasing a new dataset called The Human Impact Map on Google Earth that shows the planet's remaining, relatively untouched landscapes.

Additionally, to showcase one of these iconic landscapes and its importance at a local and regional scale, the announcement also includes the launch of a new Voyager story in Google Earth, "Protecting the Okavango River Basin," focused on southern Africa's Okavango River Basin. 

This Voyager story uses the newly visualized Human Impact data and provides on-the-ground data and storytelling from National Geographic's Okavango Wilderness Project expeditions to show how we can better protect the natural resources and wildlife of regions like the Okavango watershed.

"National Geographic is committed to an ambitious conservation vision and is excited to be partnering with Google to articulate why that vision is essential and to help measure our progress in achieving it," said Baillie. "By combining the power of Google's innovative technology with National Geographic's groundbreaking research, storytelling and the National Geographic Labs team, we're dramatically increasing society's understanding of Earth's natural systems and species and providing new insights on how to protect them."

"This is a time of great threat to our natural ecosystems, but there is still time for us to correct our course," said Rebecca Moore, Director, Google Earth. "Data gives nature a voice, and by harnessing the power of technologies such as cloud computing, artificial intelligence (AI) and global-scale geospatial analytics, we can gain new insights and perspectives on how life is adapting to our changing planet. We can use those insights to inform people and make better decisions for ourselves and the planet. There are hopeful outcomes when people have access to this information and can use it to protect life on earth."

Looking ahead to 2019 and 2020, Google and National Geographic will collaborate on key Google Earth data layers and stories focused on biodiversity, animal migrations and the impacts of climate change. 

They plan to develop engaging user and decision-maker experiences to better demonstrate the need to protect the world's ecosystems. 

Leveraging the National Geographic Society's expertise in conservation science with Google's excellence in big data, cloud computing and artificial intelligence, the organizations will identify and aim to solve the grand challenges that decision-makers are trying to address and help them make better informed decisions to protect the planet.

About the National Geographic Society:

The National Geographic Society is a leading nonprofit that invests in bold people and transformative ideas in the fields of exploration, scientific research, storytelling and education. 

The Society aspires to create a community of change, advancing key insights about the planet and probing some of the most pressing scientific questions of our time, all while ensuring that the next generation is armed with geographic knowledge and global understanding. Its goal is measurable impact: furthering exploration and educating people around the world to inspire solutions for the greater good. 

About Google:

Google's mission is to "Organize the world's information and make it universally accessible and useful." 

Google Earth, Earth Outreach and Earth Engine are part of a broader team dedicated to leveraging and developing Google's infrastructure to address global environmental, health and humanitarian issues. 

Projects are often in partnership with area experts, focus on data driven approaches and visualizations at scale to bring greater transparency and awareness, create new tools to understand system dynamics and better inform decision making.

 SOURCE: National Geographic Society

'Queen of Horror' Weds U.S. Navy War Hero in Star-Studded Celebrity Wedding

#1 bestselling author Mylo Carbia's latest hit novel, 'Violets are Red'

By now you may have heard about the inspiration behind #1 bestselling author Mylo Carbia's latest hit novel, Violets are Red, which tells the story of a Manhattan housewife who captures her husband's young mistress, and quietly keeps her prisoner in the basement of their Upper East Side townhouse.

The modern-day fairy tale –– inspired by Carbia's own surprise divorce –– has taken the literary world by storm, and is a clear choice for avid readers looking for a suspense-filled, dark thriller to celebrate the Halloween season.

In a surprise twist Carbia is known for, the 47-year-old writer shocked fans by abandoning her usual "rock-and-roll-gothic" garb, and instead showcasing a princess-inspired dress and a three-tier rhinestone castle cake in an over-the-top fairy tale wedding to U.S. Navy Retired war hero, Kurt Lund, on September 16, 2018.

The nuptials took place just north of Cancun, Mexico, at the Dreams Playa Mujeres Golf & Spa Resort, under tight security given the eccentric guest list comprised of musicians, artists, and actors –– including cast members of The Walking Dead.

Former Collective Soul band members, Ross Childress and Shane Evans, along with lead singer Stephen Wines (now known as 2 Broke Kings), played live at the wedding reception, and sang with the bride during the ceremony.

"It was truly an epic, fairy tale dream wedding come true," said one guest, a friend of Carbia since middle school. "We all love Mylo so much, and hated watching her go through hell in past relationships, so to see her finally meet a kind, honorable, down-to-earth man makes us all now believe that things really dohappen for a reason."

Kurt Lund, 45, spent twenty years in the United States Navy, and earned thirty-five ribbons and medals, including four U.S. Navy and Marine Achievement Medals, for his efforts in Afghanistan and at sea across the globe.

Celebrity Writer, Mylo Carbia, Weds U.S. Navy War Hero, Kurt Lund, in Playa Mujeres, Mexico on September 16, 2018 (Photo Credit: Dawn V. Gilmore)

Ranked 7th in 'The Top 10 Horror Authors Alive Today,' and among 'The 250 Most Influential Authors' by Richtopia.com, Carbia's debut novel The Raping Of Ava DeSantis hit #1 Bestseller in Horror, won the 2016 Silver Falchion Award for Outstanding Achievement in Fiction, and is currently in development to become a major motion picture.

Violets are Red (released by Vanderbilt Publishing) also hit the #1 spot in New Releases and is being touted as "The best horror-thriller novel of the year" by Top10Novels.com.

The newlyweds plan to settle in Palm Beach, Florida, along with the bride's 13-year-old son. Carbia will continue writing novels and screenplays full-time, with plans to release her third novel and first science fiction thriller, Z.O.O., late Summer 2019.

In addition, the couple will be enjoying their honeymoon this weekend, October 4-7, at the Women in Horror Film Festival in Peachtree City, GA where Carbia is one of the celebrity headliners. 

"I have a whole new perspective on life after experiencing the wedding of my dreams," she explained. "The only thing we are guaranteed is change, so from now on, I will cherish every moment with those that matter and be grateful for every blessing that comes my way."

'Violets are Red' by Mylo Carbia

More About 'Violets are Red':

Set in New York City's wealthy Upper East Side, Violets are Red, tells the story of an aging Manhattan housewife who captures her husband's young mistress and quietly keeps her prisoner in the basement of their multi-million-dollar townhouse.

"Think 'Real Housewives' meets 'Misery' but with a fantastic twist ending you won't see coming," says Mark Miller from Top10Novels.com. "We think it's one of the very best novels of the year so far, but we can understand why women's rights groups may have an issue with two ladies battling one another to win over the affection of a man."

The book's female author, Mylo Carbia, makes no apologies for writing a novel advertised as The Ultimate Catfight. In fact, she has met this controversy before.

As a Hollywood screenwriter turned novelist, Carbia's debut novel The Raping Of Ava DeSantis hit #1 bestseller and won the Silver Falchion Award for Outstanding Achievement in Fiction, despite having the main character seduce one of her perpetrators 15 years after a brutal sexual assault. At the time, feminists were outraged with the storyline and launched an online campaign to boycott the novel, but with recent news of Harvey Weinstein's systematic abuse and the resulting #MeToo Movement, Carbia's first novel is currently in development into a movie and targeted for release in theaters late next year.

"Violets are Red, is a cautionary tale of how being the mistress or wife of a cheating man can literally destroy you," said Carbia recently. "I hope Violets are Red, does for infidelity what War Of The Roses did for divorce––show the most extreme consequences so that people may disengage in a civil fashion if need be."

Carbia has been open about her past struggle with a surprise divorce, and resulting thoughts of self-destruction. "It was the worst time of my life," she told reporter Tony Sokol two years ago, amid rumors of her then husband leaving her for a six-month pregnant, younger woman. "Not only was it an emotional crisis, it was a financial crisis, a legal crisis, and an 'immediate need to relocate' crisis all within several days. Writing was the only way I could cope with the pain, and this novel is my gift to women dealing with betrayal trauma everywhere."

⏩ For more information about the novel, please visit: Violets-Are-Red.com

SOURCE: Vanderbilt Publishing

McClelland & Stewart to Publish the Explosive Thriller "The Kingfisher Secret" in October

The Kingfisher Secret (CNW Group/McClelland and Stewart)

McClelland & Stewart has announced that it will publish the political thriller The Kingfisher Secret by Anonymous. 

Ripped from the headlines and inspired by tales, speculation and whispers from within the intelligence community, the highly charged novel of intrigue and deception will be published simultaneously by McClelland & Stewart in Canada and the United States, Heyne in Germany and Century in the United Kingdom on October 16, 2018. 

In addition, rights have been sold to Longanesi in Italy and Planeta in Spain who will publish The Kingfisher Secret in 2019.

On the eve of the 2016 American election, journalist Grace Elliott has been working tirelessly on a story involving the controversial and wealthy tycoon who is running for President of the United States and a former porn star who is ready to go public with details of their affair. Yet, for political reasons, the publication that Grace works for decides to bury the story.

She is then sent to Europe to resume her work as a ghostwriter for the candidate's ex-wife, a no-nonsense Czech businesswoman who "writes" a column for the publication. Grace soon stumbles on a shocking story about how the man who is about to be president has made it as far as he has, and the threat his election victory poses to the western world.

"It is a pleasure to publish this provocative book, which manages to be a great deal of fun while also asking important questions about how power and politics are shaping our global future," says Jared Bland, Publisher of McClelland & Stewart. "We hope readers around the world find the story as exhilarating as we do."

The author is a bestselling novelist and respected journalist. 

Late last year, the author was introduced to a successful international businessman who became a source for insights into the world of espionage. The author learned that the businessman had worked as an operative for intelligence organizations to infiltrate spy networks. Through his activities within the intelligence community, the businessman heard stories about Donald Trump and his ex-wife, Ivana. 

Some had speculated that Ivana might have been part of the "swallow" program; a documented Cold War tactic used to entrap and compromise men of influence and power, not only to gather information but to encourage behaviour that would fit the long-term goals of the Russian government. 

With that background, the businessman suggested the following premise for a novel to the author: There's a spy in the White House. 

Intrigued by the idea, the author travelled to Prague to visit the Institute for the Study of Totalitarian Regimes and other archives to research Ivana Trump and her family, only to learn that many of the files had been stolen or destroyed. 

At that point, the author's imagination took over and The Kingfisher Secret came to life.

⏩ In publishing The Kingfisher Secret, the author has decided to remain anonymous in order to protect the source's identity.

SOURCE: McClelland and Stewart

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Undercover Investigation: Shocking New Evidence Finds Wild Jaguars Cruelly Poached To Fuel Traditional Asian Medicine Trade

A four year old female Jaguar named Curubanda at Las Pumas wildlife sanctuary in the region of Guanacaste, Costa Rica. (Image via World Animal Protection)

The majestic big cats known for their elaborate markings, are being poached and processed to be exported to China. The process involves boiling down their bodies for up to a week until it turns into a glue-like paste, it is then sold on the black market in tubs and until now, has been undocumented.

The product is used in the belief that it can treat arthritis pain, improve sexual performance and enhance health even though there are proven alternatives readily available.

This shocking cruel practice involves jaguars being stalked and shot numerous times, suffering multiple injuries, until eventually they are killed, usually with a final bullet to the head once they are too injured to move. In one instance, it was reported that the jaguar had to be shot seven times until it died, causing prolonged suffering.

Investigators from the international charity also captured interviews with rangers, discussions with poachers and the traders who are putting orders for a jaguar on social media, by phone, or through their personal networks.

The sale of the jaguar paste is a lucrative business with a zealous market – a driving factor given that almost half of the population lives in poverty and a jaguar is considered to some miners to be worth around 20 grams of gold.

In addition, there is evidence of jaguar cubs being taken from the wild and sold – often to wealthy business men keeping them as status symbols and not knowing how to take care of them.

Sources say they live their lives in cages, until they are too big to look after and at times they are killed to eat, as their meat is also consumed among Suriname's Chinese population.

A poached jaguar. (Image credit: World Animal Protection confidential source.)

Nicholas Bruschi, Investigations Advisor at World Animal Protection, said: "This investigation has uncovered a shocking underground trade exploiting an iconic animal of the South American rainforests for unproven traditional Asian medicine.

Jaguars already face the challenges of habitat destruction and human animal conflicts. They are now cruelly and needlessly killed, left to die agonizing deaths. It is extremely sad news for these incredible big cats whose numbers are already in decline. And, while jaguar cubs might seem very cute, they are still wild animals and belong in the wild, not in the illegal pet trade."

It's estimated that there are approximately 173,000 jaguars left in the wild, and they are classed as 'near threatened' according to IUCN list. It is also thought that jaguars, like other big cats, are being used as a supplement product for traditional Asian medicine to their relative, the tiger, sparking a worrying trend that could see their numbers plummet.

With more mining and logging resulting in loss of habitat and increased human wildlife conflicts, jaguars are becoming more visible, and are being targeted for taking livestock. Habitat loss also makes it easier for opportunist poachers and organised mafia gangs to source jaguars in the wild.

World Animal Protection works tirelessly to prevent cruelty to animals around the world. Jaguar poaching for traditional Asian medicine is something that has, to date, been relatively under the radar.

To tackle the issue, World Animal Protection will be cooperating with Suriname's rangers and specialist NGOs on tangible solutions and sharing intelligence to prevent poaching.

They are raising awareness of the issue, in the hope that the Suriname government will put greater enforcement within their borders to stop poaching, but also prevent the smuggling of the product out of the country.

The undercover video of the jaguar trade:

SOURCE: World Animal Protection

Additional information:

• Suriname is home to one of the earth's largest tract of pristine tropical rainforest
• Suriname was a former Dutch colony, founded mainly as a plantation economy based on crops of coffee, cocoa, sugar cane and cotton plantations
• The jaguar is classified by all countries of the Guianas as being endangered and thus in need of protection. This means that it is illegal to target and hunt the species, whether for export, recreation, the domestic pet trade, or for bushmeat. There are only a few exceptions where special provisions are made for capture and shipment for education, exhibition and research to zoological parks, museums and wildlife reserves

Ronald S. Lauder Joins Zero Discrimination Movement Led by First Lady Lorena Castillo de Varela of Panama

Ronald S. Lauder Joins Zero Discrimination Movement Led by First Lady Lorena Castillo de Varela of Panama ((Photo Credit: Noa Grayevsky)

The American philanthropist, businessman and owner of JCS International Ronald S. Lauder joined the Zero Discrimination movement, led on a global level by First Lady of the Republic of Panama and UNAIDS Special Ambassador for Latin America Lorena Castillo de Varela.

The Zero Discrimination movement seeks to raise awareness about the harmful effects of discrimination and promote the rights everyone has to a full, dignified and productive life.

"The First Lady Valera is a powerful advocate for the rights of children and it's a privilege to join her Zero Discrimination movement," said Ambassador Ronald S. Lauder. "I look forward to many years of collaboration, particularly on the JCS International Young Creatives Award, which I am proud to sponsor."

Lauder has served as President of the World Jewish Congress for over a decade. He is also a UN Women for Peace Association "Ambassador of Peace"; First Lady Valera was honored at UNWFPA's 2018 International Women's Day luncheon with the group's prestigious Leadership Award. Lauder joined the Zero Discrimination movement after learning about the First Lady's global work to guarantee human rights.

The Zero Discrimination movement goes hand-in-hand with Panama's historic calling to promote dialogue, consensus, peace and human rights.

During a private dinner in New York, Lauder learned about the efforts of the Laureados y Líderes Por Los Niños organization to fully protect children's human rights. 

The event was also attended by the leadership of the International Academy of Television Arts & Sciences, including Board Member and JCS International President Michal Grayevsky, who launched the JCS International Young Creatives Award with the International Academy. The award's 2018 theme is "Stand Up for Peace."

Lauder expressed interest in the statement delivered to United Nations General Secretary António Guterres, which called on the international community and the UN to double down on their efforts to preserve the rights of children -- particularly those who are workers and children -- and safeguard their access to education, nutrition, protection and physical and mental health. 

Ronald S. Lauder Joins Zero Discrimination Movement Led by First Lady Lorena Castillo de Varela of Panama ((Photo Credit: Noa Grayevsky)

SOURCE: JCS International

Women's Rights Organisations Speak Out in Defence of Sexual Assault Survivors

#WhyIDidntReport

The following is a press release from Equality Now:

"International women's rights organization Equality Now has joined forces with 80 leading women and human's right groups* to place a full page advert in The Washington Post expressing collective concern about attacks on Dr. Christine Blasey Ford since her story of sexual assault was shared.

It takes great courage for survivors of sexual assault to come forward, especially in public circumstances, and we must recognize the high cost that women pay for speaking out about their experiences.

As an organization working for women's and girls' rights in the US and globally, Equality Now understands how difficult it is for victims, given that they are often shamed and blamedby society and sometimes by the legal system itself.

Such difficulties have been highlighted by the many thousands who have given their own deeply personal accounts using the hashtag #WhyIDidntReport.

There are numerous reasons why someone doesn't report a sexual assault, including fear of not being believed, of retaliation, or mistrust of authority. Victims frequently face blame and interrogation for what they were wearing, what they were drinking, or how they did or didn't behave.

All too often, when a victim does find the strength to confide in someone they are told not to pursue things any further.

And then there is the knowledge that justice is rarely served as the vast majority of perpetrators do not go to prison.
In the wake of #MeToo, this is a landmark moment for how accusations of sexual assault are handled.

There can never be equality in a culture that normalizes or trivializes sexual assault and sexual harassment.

Dr. Blasey Ford is sharing the experience of a 15-year-old adolescent girl that was subjected to a sexual assault. We must think about what message we are sending to girls and boys across the country about whether or not they too would be heard or believed.

This is not a partisan issue. We all have a responsibility not to silence survivors, to guarantee that laws and legal systems are based on equality, and that victims have access to justice.

In addition, we need to ensure that schools, communities and organizations do not promote or tolerate a culture where such behaviour is normalized or trivialized.

By giving survivors the space to be heard we can change the status quo. We remain committed to achieving equality in laws, policies and legal processes and to supporting survivors of sexual assault and harassment.

Shelby Quast, Equality Now's Americas Director, says: "We all have to work together to ensure those who have experience sexual assault and harassment are supported, protected and given access to fair legal process. Never should they be subjected to further attack, irrespective of whether or not the perpetrator is a public figure or in a position of power."

Now more than ever we must all work together to build a more equal world in which women and girls can be safe, fearless and free."

*Click here for details of signatories

Sexual violence takes many forms (Via Equality Now)

Imagine Exhibitions Unleashes Dinosaurs Around The World

The exhibition features 13 advanced animatronic dinosaurs, educational activities, a touchable fossil, authentic casts and more...

From Dresden, Germany to West Palm Beach, Florida, dinosaurs will once again be roaming the planet this fall, thanks to Imagine Exhibitions...

Having already broken attendance records at several venues in the U.S., Dinosaurs Around the World will soon be entertaining and educating visitors to museums, science centers and non-traditional venues in Europe.  

Dinosaurs Around the World: XTREME (showing as DINO WORLD) opens this weekend at ZEITENSTRÖMUNG in Dresden, Germany, and features 13 animatronic dinosaurs, educational activities, a touchable fossil, authentic casts and more.

Dinosaurs Around the World: The Great Outdoors (showing as Dinosaur Invasion) opens at the South Florida Science Center and Aquarium on Saturday, Oct. 13th. It will be the largest exhibition ever hosted by the venue, encompassing both indoor and outdoor space. 

With a scale unmatched in animatronic dinosaur exhibitions, this show features some of the world's most unique and recently discovered dinosaurs. 

Guests will visit every continent in order to discover what dinosaurs lived there and for how long.  

Visitors will also be able to see how they measure up against the life-sized animatronic Triceratops, Velociraptor, Tyrannosaurus Rex, and even the giant Spinosaurus.

Dynamic, Real-life Exhibitions Take Visitors on A Trip Through Time (Image via Imagine Exhibitions)

"Faces light up as soon as visitors come through the doors of our dinosaur exhibitions," said Tom Zaller, CEO of Imagine Exhibitions. "I've yet to see a child or an adult who isn't mesmerized as soon as they see the life-like creatures in motion. It's a really special experience," said Zaller. 

"This will be our second dinosaur collaboration with Imagine Exhibitions," said Kate Arrizza, Chief Executive Officer of South Florida Science Center and Aquarium. "The first show set an all-time attendance record and we think it's going to be a very busy season here in South Florida thanks to Dinosaur Invasion."

⏩ Imagine Exhibitions will be showcasing its dinosaur exhibitions at the ASTC Annual Conference starting September 29th in Hartford, CT and already has confirmed bookings for its dinosaur shows into 2021.

SOURCE: Imagine Exhibitions, Inc.

PORTER Magazine's Fourth Annual Incredible Women List Celebrates The Women Who Have Empowered And Inspired Us This Year

Meryl Streep (photographed by Nicolas Guerin)

The starting point for the 2018 Incredible Women list was the #MeToo movement that erupted last October, when sexual-misconduct revelations in the film, fashion and other industries broke. This was an extraordinary catalyst for change. 

"We are looking at a fast-changing world, where women are not only less afraid to speak out and challenge the status quo, but are also effecting real change both in the workplace and society as a whole," says PORTER Magazine editor-in-chief Lucy Yeomans.

Protestors at the Women’s March in Washington, D.C. (Via PORTER Magazine)

This sense of bravery, strength and purpose inspired this list's theme "One Year Stronger", which champions the women who have taken action and spoken out – whether about sexual abuse, gender equality, gun control or equal pay – in an unprecedented show of force and intent.  

The list opens with a special nod to the 300 women behind Time's Up, including Reese Witherspoon, Jessica Chastain and Ashley Judd. Other leading global heroines featured include: Michelle Obama, Meghan Markle, Frances McDormand, Oprah Winfrey and journalists Megan Twohey and Jodi Kantor, who broke the Harvey Weinstein story in The New York Times.

PORTER Magazine also commissioned four Incredible Women to write open letters, including Meryl Streep, who pens why we need journalists now more than ever: 

"We need to protect, defend and thank the current crop of journalists around the world, because they, their scruples and their principles are the front-line defense of free and informed people.

Speaking up, with your name and face on your words, is a daunting prospect. A famous study found that, for a quarter of the American population, fear of public speaking beat their fear of drowning, needles, snakes, heights or clowns. Scarier than clowns!? The study was conducted before the advent of the internet; now, anonymity allows the timid to hurl falsehood and invective as if they were swinging nunchucks, hitting and hurting without fear of attribution (or retribution)… Death threats are the new normal. Armed escorts for the press could be the next new thing..."

⏩ Click here to read the full letter ⏪

SOURCE: PORTER Magazine

Are Millennials Interested in Art? Yes, New Park West Gallery Study Finds

Millennials almost twice as likely to say they know something about or appreciate art as Baby Boomer generation

Millennials are much more interested in art than previous generations, and social media may be driving their attraction to it, according to a new study conducted by Park West Gallery, one of the world's largest private art galleries.

Millennials are almost twice as likely as Baby Boomers to say they both know something about art (63% to 34%), and almost universally agree that they appreciate art, the research found. In fact, four out of five Millennials said that art was important to them, the highest percentage of any age group.

"Some people believe that Millennials are tied to their smartphones, and therefore might be less interested in the fine arts. In fact, just the opposite appears to be true: there's a generational shift in which younger people are more attracted to art than older generations," said Albert Scaglione, founder and CEO of Park West Gallery. "During the auctions we hold around the world, we see more young people every day, and we witness the personal connection that people of all ages have to art. Art was always created to inspire, and people today are craving that inspiration as much as ever."

The study also found that social media is driving additional interest in art among all demographics, especially Millennials, allowing people to find and interact with art in new ways. 

⏩ Some of the other key findings include:

• 53% of people say they have interacted with art on social media
• 55% say that social media plays an important role in discovering new art
• 54% say social media enhances the way they experience art
• 79% of Millennials say social media allows them to interact with art in new and interesting ways, versus 61% and 37% of Gen X and Baby Boomers, respectively
• 65% of Millennials say they buy artwork with the intention of sharing it with others on social media, versus 45% and 25% of Gen X and Baby Boomers, respectively.

The Internet and social media have become powerful tools to learn about and discover art, but when it comes to buying, most Americans (87%) still want to see it in person before purchase. 

While the internet is the most popular method to learn about art, retails stores (33%), street fairs (29%) and art auctions (12%) are still the most popular ways to buy it.

"New tools are giving people exciting new ways to learn about and experience art – collections are no longer just on our walls but in our pockets," said Jason Betteridge, an auctioneer at Park West Gallery. "But while social media is a part of our future, we can't lose the in-person connection."

While the vast majority of Americans (91%) like art, most still view it as a luxury, and economic concerns still prevent some from purchasing. Although most Americans have purchased at least one piece of art, the majority (57%) of Americans would not consider buying artwork that costs more than $500.

79% of Millennials say social media allows them to interact with art in new and interesting ways, versus 61% and 37% of Gen X and Baby Boomers, respectively (PRNewsfoto/Park West Gallery)

Park West Gallery commissioned the survey to understand the state of art among average Americans in our digital age, speaking with 1,000 people from a diverse array of socio-economic backgrounds.

SOURCE: Park West Gallery