Virtual Reality Museum Application for the Arts

Most students are monetarily or physically inhibited from visiting private or public institutions. The Metaphysical Exhibit project goal is to give all ages a modern, technological take on the museum experience by providing a Virtual Reality alternative. By lowering the barrier of entry to a one-time purchase for the hardware and free software, any classroom or consumer can experience masterworks in an immersive environment. A rich collection of art pieces across the eras can be displayed under one roof by compiling public information on historical works. By utilizing Virtual Reality, the museum is easily distributed and portable. In this paper, we aim to develop a virtual museum with artworks and observe its effects on users. The developed application is capable of running on modern headsets, specifically the Meta Quest 2. To analyze the viability of the application in a classroom and personal setting, we especially find answers to the following questions: (i) Does experiencing the museum in this format feel analogous to prior exhibit experiences? (ii) What is the level of interest in exploratory, self-guided Virtual Reality content used in education from a student and teacher perspective? (iii) How can the experience be improved? The results show that the project was received positively by students and teachers as an introductory experience for the arts.