CHICAGO, IL.- Google announced its partnership with the SCAD Museum of Art in Savannah, Georgia, and the Gibbes Museum of Art in Charleston, South Carolina, bringing a number of the museums’ top works online with the innovative Google Art Project. The museums are the only two in the Southeastern United States to participate in the project.

The Google Art Project is a unique collaboration between Google and the world’s most respected and acclaimed museums, enabling visitors to virtually explore museums, discover and view hundreds of artworks online at incredible zoom levels, and even create and share their own collection of masterpieces with a few clicks of a mouse.

“The SCAD Museum of Art provides SCAD students and visitors with a world-class public space to learn and grow in their understanding of art and design,” said Laurie Ann Farrell, executive director of exhibitions at SCAD. “We’re delighted to participate in the Google Art Project since this partnership broadens our reach, further expanding the walls of our institution to the global art community.”

Angela D. Mack, executive director and chief curator of the Gibbes Museum of Art, also noted the opportunities that the partnership provides virtual visitors. “The mission of the Gibbes Museum of Art is to preserve and promote the art of Charleston and the American South. By participating in the Google Art Project, we are able to share treasures from our unique collection with art enthusiasts around the globe.”

The partnerships are part of a major global expansion of the project, which counts a wide range of institutions, including the Tate Modern, MoMA, The Museum of Modern Art, and the Uffizi Gallery, among its 151 partners in 40 countries. In the United States, 29 partners in 16 cities are participating, ranging from regional museums to university galleries. All told, more than 30,000 high-resolution objects are now available with the project’s expansion, up from the original 1,000 in only nine museums announced with the debut of the Google Art Project in 2011.

Artwork from a wide variety of cultures and civilizations is represented as well. “Google is committed to bringing all types of culture online and making it accessible,” said Nelson Mattos, Google’s vice president of engineering. “The Art Project demonstrates how the Internet helps spread knowledge.”

A contemporary art museum, the SCAD Museum of Art presents engaging art exhibitions and installations from renowned and emerging artists, as well as works from the university’s diverse permanent collection. The museum’s collection also features holdings in costume and significant historical paintings ranging from the late 17th to 21st centuries.

Highlights from SCAD’s collection showcased in the Google Art Project include Reclining Nude, 1977, by Romare Bearden; Odile and Odette IV, 2005-06, by Yinka Shinobare; Homeward Bound, 2010, by Wangechi Mutu; Madonna (self-portrait), 1975, by Cindy Sherman; and Marriage à la Mode (series of six etchings), 1745, by William Hogarth.

A major strength of the Gibbes collection is the portraiture, including some of the earliest portraits created in America. Examples from the Gibbes permanent collection that are on view in the Google Art Project include Henriette Charlotte Chastaigner (Mrs. Nathaniel Broughton 1700-54), 1711, by Henrietta Dering Johnston; Thomas Middleton of the Oaks (1753-1797), 1770, by Benjamin West; Dinah, Portrait of a Negress, ca. 1867, by Eastman Johnson; and April (The Green Gown), 1920, by Childe Hassam.

To view these pieces and the museums’ other works available through the Google Art Project, visit www.googleartproject.com.