Culture Index exists to catalog cultural institutions online, and highlight the best practices that inspire us.
Launching with a focus on museums and building from there, we are a resource for both research and discovery. Browse information about online communications, and discover ideas with examples of what’s possible for cultural institutions in the digital space.
As a community project facilitated by Base, we invite you to use and contribute to this growing resource.
National Museum of African Art
The National Museum of African Art (NMAfA) began as a private educational institution in 1964 to promote cross-cultural understanding in the social sciences and arts. Founded by Warren M. Robbins, a former U.S. Foreign Service officer, it was known as the Museum of African Art and located on Capitol Hill in a townhouse that had been the home of Frederick Douglass, the African American abolitionist and statesman. In August 1979, by enactment of Public Law 95-414, the museum became part of the Smithsonian Institution, the world’s largest museum and research complex dedicated to the increase and diffusion of knowledge.
Tech Specs
Tech Specs
Performance
Accessibility
Best Practices
SEO
Performance
Accessibility
Best Practices
SEO
Google Analytics (GA4)
used by 285 institutionsGoogle's analytics platform that offers advanced tracking and analysis capabilities across web and app data for enhanced user behavior insights. Read more
PHP
used by 438 institutionsA popular open-source scripting language widely used for web development and server-side applications. Read more
Swiper
used by 116 institutionsA modern touch slider library for creating responsive and mobile-friendly sliders and carousels.
jQuery
used by 485 institutionsA fast, small, and feature-rich JavaScript library that simplifies HTML document traversal, event handling, and animation.
Underscore.js
used by 42 institutionsA JavaScript library that provides utility functions for common programming tasks, including manipulating arrays and objects.
Lightbox
used by 38 institutionsA JavaScript library that displays images and videos in a clean, overlaying lightbox, enhancing user experience.
Bootstrap
used by 135 institutionsBootstrap is a widely-used, open-source front-end framework for developing responsive web designs. Created by Twitter, it offers a collection of HTML, CSS, and JavaScript tools and components, making it easy to create mobile-first websites. Bootstrap is popular for its ease of use, extensive documentation, and ability to streamline web development processes.
GSAP
used by 92 institutionsA high-performance JavaScript library for creating animations and transitions in web development.
Backbone.js
used by 24 institutionsA lightweight JavaScript framework that provides structure to web applications with models, views, and collections.
WordPress
used by 266 institutionsWordPress is a popular, open-source content management system (CMS) that powers over 40% of websites. Initially a blogging platform, it now supports various sites with customizable themes and plugins. Known for its user-friendly interface, WordPress is used by both beginners and professionals to create and manage websites. Read more
WordPress
used by 272 institutionsWordPress is a popular, open-source content management system (CMS). Initially a blogging platform, it now supports various sites with customizable themes and plugins. WordPress is used by both beginners and professionals to create and manage websites. Read more
MySQL
used by 247 institutionsAn open-source relational database management system widely used for web applications and data storage.
RSS
used by 155 institutionsRSS (Really Simple Syndication) is a web feed format used to publish frequently updated content such as blog posts, news articles, and podcasts. It allows users to subscribe to feeds from their favorite websites and receive updates in a standardized, easy-to-read format. This helps users stay informed without needing to visit multiple websites.
BigCommerce
used by 8 institutions