Image courtesy of David Zwirner, N.Y. © Yayoi Kusama
A 2017 report by marketing firm LaPlaca Cohen found that 81 percent of respondents wanted digital experiences when visiting museums, and many institutions have taken note, offering up Instagram-worthy installations and attractions for visitors to post away. Here, eight of the best camera-ready museums and exhibits—in both traditional galleries and modern pop-ups—where you can go to get that perfect shot.
Arcadia Earth
New York City
Artist Valentino Vettori’s augmented-reality exhibit puts the spotlight on the environmental problems facing our world through 15 immersive rooms, including a cave made from 44,000 salvaged plastic bags—or the amount New Yorkers use every minute. Arcadia Earth will plant one tree for every ticket sold, and proceeds will directly support the museum’s partner, Oceanic Global. $33, arcadia.earth
Museum of Selfies
Los Angeles
Rather than just encourage photography, this installation in Hollywood is built all around it—specifically selfies. At this interactive exhibit, visitors can snap selfies walking the red carpet, sitting on an Iron Throne of selfie sticks, and swimming in a pool of emojis. $25, museumofselfies.com
Percy Street Project
Philadelphia
A mural artist and a lighting designer teamed up for this permanent installation, titled “The Electric Street,” and transformed a normally inconspicuous Philadelphia alleyway into a passage of color and neon light. The project currently features more than 200 feet of light, but there are already plans to expand it to even more buildings down the block, which is situated between Wharton and Reed Streets and between 9th and 10th Streets in South Philly. Free, percystreetproject.org
Museum of Ice Cream
San Francisco and New York City
The Museum of Ice Cream continues to serve up perfect-for-Instagram exhibits where dessert-loving visitors can pose for sweet pics. After sliding into their signature pool of sprinkles, explore any one of the ten exhibits in San Francisco, including a rainbow room and an old-school throwback diner. And this December, the museum returns to New York with a three-story slide, a café to try their signature flavors, and, of course, another pool of sprinkles. $38 (SF), $39 (NYC), museumoficecream.com
The Broad
Yayoi Kusama’s Infinity Mirror Rooms
Los Angeles
The beloved Japanese contemporary artist’s Downtown LA exhibit invites museum visitors into a mirror-lined room with flashing LED lights. The continuous reflections make the room feel, well, infinite. The Broad actually features another one of these rooms by Kusama, called Longing for Eternity, in which visitors stick their heads through a hole to look into a chamber also lined with mirrors and lights. Free, the broad.org
The Rosé Mansion
New York City
Billed as part wine bar, part amusement park, and part science museum, New York’s Rosé Mansion gives visitors the chance to taste and learn about their favorite wine in a made-for-Instagram setting. You can jump in the disco ball pit, pose in a bathtub of rose petals, or sample one of the 100 rosés available from around the world. $45, rosewinemansion.com
The Museum of Modern Art
New York, New York
After four months of being completely closed to the public and a massive four-year renovation, the Museum of Modern Art has finally reopened. In addition to seeing classics by Jackson Pollock and Andy Warhol, visitors can also walk among Rainforest V, a sound installation by David Tudor and Composers Inside Electronics Inc. made from everyday objects suspended in space. $25, moma.org
The Smithsonian American Art Museum
Electronic Superhighway
Washington, D.C.
Late Korean-American artist Nam June Paik’s Electronic Superhighway has long been a must-see feature of The Smithsonian American Art Museum. This neon-outlined map of America displaying dozens of flashing screens represents the intense scope of the country that confronted the artist when he immigrated here at ten years old. Free, americanart.si.edu
