Three augmented reality apps for art and culture

Three augmented reality apps are transforming how audiences engage with art and culture. ArtBeamer targets galleries, allowing collectors to visualize artworks in their own homes via smartphone, with options for descriptions, artist bios, QR code integration, and social sharing. It is free for collectors but paid for artists or galleries, available on Android and iOS. The South Australia Maritime Museum leveraged AR to animate drawings from a temporary exhibition on Nicolas Baudin, marketing it as the 'Pokémon Go of science museums.' The app is free on iOS. Lapse Miami, created by Ivan Toth Depeña, offers six AR interpretations of Miami's urban landscape, from downtown to the Design District, including a reimagined railway. Described as a 'decoder or magnifying glass that reveals hidden gems throughout the built environment,' it is free on iOS. The article, published in Artribune Magazine #33, references the influence of Pokémon Go on renewing interest in AR, noting that while some museums like the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum banned Pokémon hunting, others like the Chicago Art Museum embraced it, listing 14 Pokémon in their galleries.