The Valentine Partners with ARtGlass for Richmond’s First Wearable Augmented Reality Tours
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 15, 2021
Contact: Susan Shibut
(804)-649-0711 ex. 322
The Valentine Partners with ARtGlass for Richmond’s First Wearable Augmented Reality Tours
RICHMOND — The century-old Valentine, Richmond’s first museum, is now the city’s first institution to embrace the most imaginative touring technology: augmented reality on transparent smartglasses. They are partnering with ARtGlass, the Richmond-headquartered global leader in wearable AR for culture, to expand the public’s access to a thrilling way to engage with history.
Beginning in July, Valentine Tour Guides will lead the groundbreaking walking tour Monument Avenue: Origins and Reverberations. As guests are guided through the Monument Avenue Historic District, they will experience powerful storytelling using dynamic 3D visuals and compelling audio layered over real-life views of the neighborhood. For example, participants will see original source documents and period photographs from the era of the controversial monuments’ construction through modern protestor-led removal.
The tour was developed and piloted in 2020 to engage guests in meaningful dialogue about the factual history of systemic racism in Richmond and the nation, with the controversy over the Confederate monuments as a lens. Immediately the tour became oversubscribed, with extended waiting lists.
With the Valentine integrating this offering into its suite of walking tours, more city residents and visitors will be able to participate. The tour contents will evolve in real time as the situation on Monument Avenue develops, such as the potential removal of the Robert E. Lee monument.
“We’re committed to offering our guests new ways to engage with history,” said Liz Reilly-Brown, Director of Education and Engagement. “Wearable AR brings the past to visitors’ present in a way that is immersive, moving, and informative.”
The innovative format facilitates open conversations, accentuating interpretation with digital content that helps guests better understand these complex spaces, their history, and their broader significance. ARtGlass’ purpose-built software and strategies enable museums to deploy tour content on smartglasses, here on hardware produced by Epson.
ARtGlass has donated its services. The tour will be available for free to Richmond Public Schools and Title I students, thanks to funding from the Community Foundation for a greater Richmond, the Jackson Foundation, the Moses D. Nunnally, Jr. Charitable Trust, the REB Foundation, the Shelton Hardaway Short, Jr. Trust, VCU Health, and Wells Fargo.
“This is such a unique opportunity for us as a museum and each of us as Richmonders. Seeing historic sites as we’ve never seen them before will spark discussion about how we acknowledge Richmond’s past and move forward together,” said Valentine Director Bill Martin.
Lexi Cleveland, public historian, lifelong Richmond area resident and ARtGlass Vice President of Client Services stated “Honest, evidence-based conversations around our collective history are more important than ever. We are excited that the Valentine is willing to embrace this new technology and keep the dialogue going.”
Tours will begin Saturday, July 24 and Saturday, July 31 at 10 a.m. Future tour dates will be available on the Valentine’s online calendar.
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The Valentine has been collecting, preserving and interpreting Richmond’s 400-year history for over a century. Located in the heart of historic downtown, the Valentine is a place for residents and tourists to discover the diverse stories that tell the broader history of this important region.
ARtGlass, a global Augmented Reality technology company based in Virginia and Italy develops software and strategies that enable clients to easily arrange dynamic digital content over views of real-world objects and places through smartglasses, tablets, or smartphones. Over the past three years, ARtGlass has emerged as the world’s leading developer of wearable AR experiences for cultural sites and attractions, with millions of thrilled visitors at dozens of iconic places. Visit https://artglassgroup.com/.
