Museums & Galleries Case Study

How a regional gallery used 3D AR sculptures and AR wall galleries to boost visitor engagement on-site and at home.

Industry

Regional art gallery and museum running rotating exhibitions, education programs and a small gift shop.

Plugins Used

AR for WordPress (including Image metadata not available) + AR for WooCommerce (for ticketing & gift shop items)

Key Outcomes

Longer visits, more interaction with key works, higher repeat visits and more membership sign-ups.

The Challenge

Visitors loved the exhibitions, but many moved quickly past key works. Common pain points included:

Limited space on wall labels for stories, process photos and behind-the-scenes content.
School groups needing more interactive, hands-on ways to explore sculpture and hanging artworks.
Difficulty keeping people engaged with the gallery once they left the building.

The result? Short visits, under-used educational content and fewer opportunities to convert visitors into members or donors.

Goals

The gallery team wanted to:

Bring sculptures and installations off the plinth and into the visitor’s own space with true-to-scale 3D models.
Let visitors “re-hang” paintings, photographs and prints on their own walls using AR from a simple gallery view.
Extend exhibits into homes and classrooms after the visit to encourage return trips and memberships.

They needed a way to manage both 3D models and AR wall galleries for flat artworks, all from their existing WordPress site.

The AR Solution

Using AR for WordPress and the Image metadata not available shortcode, the gallery attached AR experiences to both sculptures and hanging works:

True-to-scale 3D models of selected sculptures that visitors could place in their lounge room, office or classroom.
AR wall galleries of paintings, photographs and prints using Image metadata not available, letting visitors preview artworks as if they were framed on their own walls.
Linked AR buttons and QR codes on exhibit pages and labels so visitors could move seamlessly between the physical artwork and the AR version.

Visitors scanned a QR code or tapped an AR button on the gallery’s website, then saw virtual sculptures at full scale or re-hung entire exhibition walls in their own space through the AR gallery.

Implementation in WordPress & On-Site Signage

1. Create AR-Ready Assets

The gallery team and artists prepared a mix of 3D objects (GLB/USDZ), high-res images and short videos to be used as AR overlays and virtual exhibits.

2. Attach AR to Exhibits & Pages

Using AR for WordPress, staff linked each asset to a WordPress exhibit page and generated AR buttons or QR codes for on-site labels and printed guides.

3. Promote & Extend the Experience

AR-enabled exhibits were highlighted on the website, in email newsletters and in education packs, encouraging visitors to “continue the exhibition at home”.

Results & Impact

Within the first major exhibition using AR, the gallery observed:

Visitors spending more time at AR-enabled works and returning to them during the visit.
Increased participation from school groups, with teachers building AR into pre- and post-visit lessons.
More newsletter sign-ups and memberships driven by AR-linked follow-up content on the website.

When visitors can unlock extra stories and virtual objects on top of your existing exhibits, they feel more connected to the collection and more likely to come back.

“AR let us show the stories that didn’t fit on the wall labels. People linger longer, ask better questions and keep exploring our collection online after they leave.”

Exhibition CuratorRegional Gallery

Why Use AR for Museums & Galleries?

Built for WordPress

Connect AR content directly to your existing WordPress exhibit pages, events and education resources.

Native AR Viewers

Uses native iOS and Android AR viewers so visitors can access AR with their own phones – no special app required.

Start with Key Works

Enable AR on a handful of hero exhibits, then extend across your permanent collection or touring shows.

Curator-Friendly Controls

Curators and education staff can update AR content via WordPress without needing a developer for every exhibition change.

Ready to Add AR to Your Museum or Gallery?

If you run exhibitions, education programs or a heritage collection, AR can turn your displays into layered, interactive stories that live on beyond the visit.

Use AR for WordPress and AR for WooCommerce to connect in-gallery signage, online exhibits and education packs into one joined-up AR experience.

Learn More About the Plugins

Do visitors need to download an app?

No. The plugins use the native AR viewers built into modern iOS and Android devices. Visitors simply scan a QR code or tap a link and their phone opens AR straight away.

Can we start with just one exhibition?

Yes. Many institutions begin by AR-enabling a single touring or feature exhibition, then roll the same approach into their permanent collection once staff are comfortable with the workflow.

What media can we use in AR?

You can use 3D models (GLB/USDZ), high-resolution images and short video or audio clips. Once uploaded to WordPress, AR for WordPress and AR for WooCommerce handle the AR viewer integration and linking to exhibits.