The Cleveland Museum of Art has always been a leader in using technology to help people understand its collection. However, the museum is taking a step towards the future with its new update to the ArtLens Gallery. Currently undergoing renovations, the ArtLens Gallery will be fully reimagined and rebranded as the ArtLens: Infinite Gallery with an opening date of July 2026. They are replacing the touchscreens throughout the museum with gesture-sensing technology and AI.

The idea behind the new ArtLens: Infinite Gallery is to allow people to interact with art more naturally. Rather than tapping the screen to navigate to the next painting, people will simply move into the room and trigger the digital displays to interact with the art as they approach it.

The Infinite Landscape

Perhaps the most important development of the ArtLens: Infinite Gallery is the addition of an “Infinite Landscape.” This feature uses AI to analyze the thousands of landscape art pieces in the Cleveland Museum of Art’s collection. The AI reads the collection’s different colors, art styles, and eras and stitches them together into a digital landscape that appears to go on forever. As visitors move throughout the gallery, the AI shifts the art styles from one century to the next, giving individuals the sense of walking through the museum’s history of appreciation for landscape art.

Reading Your Expressions

Another tool used in the ArtLens: Infinite Gallery is a feature called “Express Yourself.” This program will use facial recognition software and machine learning to identify the individual’s expressions in front of the art installations. For example, if an individual expresses surprise at one of the art pieces, the program will find another art piece in the museum that conveys the same feeling, so individuals can experience the same emotion when viewing these art installations. This is a helpful tool for those who may struggle to connect with the more traditional art pieces in the collection, as they can all relate to these human emotions.

Learning Through Body Language

Another feature used in the ArtLens: Infinite Gallery is a series of games that use motion-tracking technology to teach individuals about art. For example, one game will prompt individuals to mimic the pose of an individual in an art piece. When individuals assume the pose, they will feel the physical exertion of the emotion expressed in the art piece.

By using artificial intelligence and mixed reality technology, the Cleveland Museum of Art proves that technology does not have to take individuals’ attention away from the art but can instead help them better understand it.