First Augmented Reality Gallery at WKU

BOWLING GREEN, Ky. (WBKO) - The first Augmented Reality Gallery on Western Kentucky University’s campus is at the Fine Arts Center from October 3 through October 9.

Augmented reality is any technology that overlays graphical information on top of the real-world environment. People see this a lot in smartphone apps, like Pokemon Go.

The AR Gallery is not only the first of its kind on the hill, but it is the first STEAM (science, technology, engineering, art, and mathematics) gallery, and the first gallery osn campus to feature works of computer animation.

“We just had this idea of what if you walked into a space that was set up like an art gallery, except them all the wall mount spaces were empty, and all the pedestals just had a QR code on them,” said Chris Nalani DeMeo, one of the main curators. “But then when you scan these QR codes, suddenly the whole exhibit comes to life. It was just an idea we bounced around at first. And then we realized one day...wait, we can actually do this. We can make this happen. And it sort of just went from there.”

Students working on the gallery come from a variety of majors, including graphic design, computer science, and engineering.

“I think it’s a really good hodgepodge of majors,” said Madison Whittle, another curator. “There’s technical arts and digital art, but there’s also fine art. There’s a lot of illustration and screen printing, but there’s also computer animation,3D modeling, and CAD programs. It’s pretty diverse, and I’m really proud of how everything came together.”

The four main curators of the gallery are Chris Nalani DeMeo, Diego Diaz, Sarah Terry, and Madison Whittle.

They hope to have another AR Gallery next semester.

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