A museum unlike any other recently opened in Manhattan.

The Museum of Art + Light welcomed visitors in early November. It is the first contemporary art museum in the world to showcase immersive, digital, and permanent art collections. By incorporating 21st century technology with the visual and performing arts, the museum creates captivating experiences.

The 100,000-square-foot facility consists of three floors and features exhibition galleries, flexible classrooms, a makerspace (collaborative workspace), a restaurant, and a retail store.

The Museum of Art + Light does not resemble a typical art museum.

“My first impression of the Museum of Art + Light was this place is like nowhere else in the world,” says Marcia Rozell, director at Visit Manhattan. “The private collection rivals those I’ve viewed abroad. The innovation to have both digital and traditional art shows the progressiveness of those who have created this special place for others to enjoy.”

On the first floor, Mezmereyz, or “The Mez,” transports art enthusiasts inside a digital experience as they walk through 21,500 square feet of immersive, fully animated space. “Renoir: A Luminous Evolution” surrounds visitors with art using 300 high-resolution digital images during a 40-minute show. Open through Aug. 31, 2025, the engaging experience showcases the artist’s works, family photos, and pre-recorded family films to the French artist’s story.

The spaces utilize 108 Epson projectors to produce 188 million pixels of animated imagery for a multi-sensory experience. As onlookers meander through the space, they may feel as if they are one with the art exhibition.

“The experience to walk through and among the numerous paintings of Renoir inspires an appreciation for art and this great historical artist,” says Rozell.

Visitors can purchase Mezmereyz tickets online to secure their desired date and time. A combination ticket lets visitors view the entire museum and walk through Mezmereyz. Museum members receive free admission to exhibitions on floors two and three all year long and a limited number of passes (tied to their membership tier) for the Mezmereyz experience annually.

Beyond Mezmereyz, the museum’s upper floors consist of rotating and permanent gallery spaces.

The De Coded Gallery features new works by emerging digital artists. “Code & Canvas: Defining Digital in the Age of Blockchain” is on display through Aug. 1, 2025, and features the works of Erick “Snowfro” Calderon, Tyler Hobbs, Sasha Stiles, Emily Xie and Grant Yun.

Each artist uses digital techniques to communicate themes with algorithms, collaged graphics, and by harnessing artificial intelligence. For example, generative artist Calderon stretches the imagination using gradients and colorscapes, creating, as he describes, “a new way to engage with art.”

“Showcasing artistic advancements in new media and technology is a critical tool in engaging with this generation of visitors in fostering creativity, inspiring innovation, and spurring connectivity,” says Erin Dragotto, executive director of the Museum of Art + Light.

On display through June 30, 2025, “Mads Christensen’s Solo Exhibition” features two- and three-dimensional art created using software. The trained electrical engineer uses light as a medium to incorporate temporal elements reminiscent of transitions between day and night and the sun’s energy to inspire visual and emotional responses.

On the second floor, the Byrnice & Gordon Hurt Gallery is dedicated to two individuals who instilled the value of arts and culture as a family value.

The Fine Art Gallery on the third floor houses a permanent collection and temporary exhibitions in continuous rotation.

“Lasting Impressions: Shaping a Personal Collection” showcases an array of acquisitions curated over 40 years by the museum’s founders. The artwork, an eclectic mix of media, styles and eras, is available through Nov. 1, 2025.

The awe-inspiring experience of standing before innovative digital artwork is just what the museum’s founders hoped to achieve.

“Museums are working feverishly to keep pace with technology and its role in elevating inventiveness and interpretation,” says Dragotto. “Museum of Art + Light’s aim is to be an active participant in co-creating these artistic spaces and shifting the landscape and future role of museums.”

Museumgoers could easily spend half a day exploring the museum, especially if they stop for a bite at its restaurant, Café Azul. Operated by locally owned Radina’s Bakehouse, Café Azul serves hand-crafted espresso drinks and beverages and a menu of lighter fare. Radina’s Bakehouse is known for serving pastries and sandwiches prepared with freshly baked bread at lunchtime.

Members save 10% at the café and the museum’s gift shop. The retail space is one-stop shopping for contemporary regional artists’ gifts.

Fostering a love of art through education is also a tenant of the museum’s mission. In partnership with schools, visiting groups of students and teachers can use the on-site educational spaces.

Available in 2025, the Digital Accelerator Learning Lab’s visitors “will be prompted to develop their art creations not found in a formal classroom setting or in any other museums found in a 250-mile radius,” according to the website. Artist’s Atelier is a flexible and dedicated museum space where hosted artists can demonstrate their skills to students in grades K-12 and the community. The Museum of Art + Light plans to add studio art classes.

The state-of-the-art museum expects to attract art enthusiasts with its unique offerings, whether students visit the museum for a workshop, or tourists travel from miles away. It’s open six days a week.

“We are so ever grateful the Museum of Art + Light is here in Manhattan, Kansas, where visitors will come from around the world to see this magical attraction,” says Rozell.

By Vanessa Whiteside

December 1, 2024

The full article can be read here.