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I have to say, I’m pretty impressed by a new app called Patrum that combines Kickstarter-like fundraising with educational behind-the-scenes conservation and artifact stories. I read about it on the Art Newspaper but so far haven’t seen much more buzz about it. And this app is made by…none other than the Vatican. Maybe that’s part of why it’s so intriguing to me; it’s coming from an unexpected source, and it’s doing a lot of things well with this new digital foray. I think it’s great to see the Vatican experiment with a sort of hybrid product that could be really interesting to many other, more traditional museums. (Though the Vatican may have more funds to try this sort of thing.)

It’s a really neat idea to be able to donate to a specific work of art or conservation project happening at the Vatican. This is straight Kickstarter modeling: the ability to support a tangible thing and then witness its progression. Donors can feel like they were a part of something specific and worthwhile when they see a product or a campaign come to fruition.

Certain features in Patrum seem a little ambitious, like the promise that if you donate to a specific project, you can use the app’s chat feature to converse directly with someone in the “patrons office” (doesn’t that sound cooler than “development”…?) and request updates on that project. There’s also the goal of having curators send photos and updates directly to contributors. I think this is an awesome idea but could be logistically difficult to get curators to participate on an ongoing basis. For me personally, the chat feature seems expendable; if I donate to a project, I’d rather receive standardized update notifications and messages directly to the app, just like Kickstarter. I’d also enjoy receiving access to video / Periscope tours of the artifact or space throughout the conservation process.

The OG Patron, Lorenzo de’ Medici (image via Wikimedia Commons)

And I think the Vatican is doing something really smart—perhaps even tongue-in-cheek—with the name of the app and the ritual patronage system to which it harkens. The opening screen of the app “unlocks,” creating the sense of being part of a select society (I couldn’t help but think of The Da Vinci Code when I saw the design).

There’s plenty of content even if you don’t decide to officially become a Patron, by paying an annual membership fee or by donating to a standalone project. Set up like a newsfeed (this video put out by the Vatican says Instagram was a big inspiration), you scroll through content chunks that fall into one of three categories (at least, that I saw while browsing): Idea, Person, or Restoration. That last one on the list has a big red “donate” button associated with it, but it thoroughly describes the artifact or project and how your donation will support it. The Kickstarter-y metrics of “Raised” and “Goal” are prominently displayed.