HOME: Better World Museum

ReThinking the Museum

Before the pandemic, Better World Museum combatted accessiblity and onboarding creative educational technologoes by primarily sharing VR headsets to individuals, groups, and communities. From the flagship site in downtown Minneapolis, to bringing VR Garden, a participatory community garden VR interactive drawing experience to create more empathy and equity, to local and global communities. Over 4000 mostly students, teens, women, and diverse community members participated in the VR Garden from 2016-2020 and beyond. Brining VR to communities was amazing, however as a reaction to global structural inequites, Better World Museum has activated 3D world-building to redefine our relationship with diverse communities by taking action to deconstruct traditional power structures and physical barriers within museum spaces.

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Solution

Better World Museum redefined its relationship with the community by creating a "White-Walled Template Museum" within the social VR platform Meta Horizon Worlds, situated in an environment reminiscent of elite museum districts. Through their Artist in Residence program, participants were empowered to reimagine and reshape this template into their vision of a better world.

This shift has empowered participants, resulting in increased agency, global recognition, additional revenue streams, and investment in their communities. Participants were encouraged to retain the museum's logo and name while selecting a nonprofit organization for the museum to donate to as a token of gratitude for their positive real-world impact.

PARTICIPANTS IN THE ARTIST IN RESIDENCE PROGRAM

  • AngltheArtist: Black Art Museum, highlighting women, art history, and mothers with art and poetry.

  • VJFranzK: Connection > Competition, a world exploring aspects of the complex and unique world of neurodiversity.

  • ShayArtsz: Positive Affirmations, a world journey navigating positive affirmations through loss, dreams, uncertainty, and hopes that help support the weight of life.

INCLUDED IN PRESENTATIONS:

  • XR for Change Summit, Games For Change Festival

  • Meta Center Global Week

  • Immerse Global Summit, Miami and Funchal, Portugal

  • Gatherverse

  • Augmented World Expo

  • XR Community Summit

  • XR Women

MULTI-PLATFORM

Better World Museum is building Inclusive Museum Experiences: Community Wellness Spaces, VR Gardens, and Climate Hackathons

Better World Museum in Rec Room with a QR code to the world

Earth Day Opening Reception, Better World Museum, Rec Room


OPEN ALL HOURS: Better World Museum's rapid response to COVID-19 was to create a cross-platform museum. Accessible in IOS, PC, PlayStation, Steam, and Oculus using Rec Room. Programs include Museum Social Club, One-Hour Artist in Residence Program, Exhibitions, Yoga in the Museum, and Pizza with Artists for participatory and social community activities.

Visitors can visit 24/7 to draw a VR Garden, create with the maker pen, and share #museumselfies. The ultimate purpose is to dispel isolation and feelings of powerlessness to grow more resilient individuals, groups, and communities. 



Developing Teen Leaders

Teens are Leaders at Better World Museum. Watch "The Architect", the Virtual Holotar Educator, and Inagural Artist-in-Residence share their Leadership Skills. Created to share in presentation "XR Creative Leadership Roles for Resilience" at the VR/AR Global Summit, 2020

Photos: #MuseumLife & Community Love