Artists and photographers have been trying to capture the essence of New York City for decades. Attracting professionals and aspiring amateurs from all around the world, New York’s galleries and museums have always been a welcome place for innovative forms of expression.

These days, with even casual amateur photographers and artists having access to professional-looking effects with applications like Instagram, the line between fine art and casual photo snapping is beginning to blur.

The First Instagram Art Show

Exhibit A in the redefinition of professional photography is the recent New York City photography exhibition composed entirely of Instagram images. The Instagram Art show received over 6,000 entries from professionals and amateurs alike. The featured images chosen for the Instagram show were principally scenes of the New York environment -- skyscrapers, stairwells, bridges and the like -- made whimsical and poignant with Instagram filters. In the end, the show curated 41 images from professional photographers; not without opening a new realm of possibilities to mobile art enthusiasts. Could the future of photographic fine art include anyone with an iPhone?

The Future of Instagram Art Shows

Some die-hard Instagram users worried that the Facebook acquisition of the company might lead to a degeneration of the Instagram community and the end to pursuing Instagram as a fine art outlet. However, what Instagrammers are beginning to realize is that Facebook is simply making their hobby even more mainstream than ever.

Imagine a future of spontaneous InstaArt shows, announced via Twitter or social media, and held with nothing more than a projector and a screen in Central Park. Alternatively, imagine Instagram images appearing on the walls of coffee shops and restaurants as Instagram artists begin looking for audiences for their work. Indeed, far from destroying the spirit of Instagram, the acquisition by Facebook could very well spell the beginning of even more art shows and InstaGalleries.

The Instagram Wing

At this point, the sky is the limit for Instagram and mobile art. Who knows, could we even read of the opening of an Instagram wing in an art museum one day? Although it may seem preposterous now, what is considered art has changed dramatically over the last hundred years; the next hundred years will bring even more interesting changes as the digital revolution inevitably seeps into the world of high-brow art.