Snapchat Provides New AR Art Activation in Partnership with Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco

Snapchat’s once again looking to highlight the potential of integrating AR and classic art, via a new partnership with the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco (FAMSF), which will see an augmented reality try-on element included within its latest exhibition of 20th- and 21st-century women’s clothing in the United States.

As explained by FAMSF:

“Have you ever wished you could try on the fashions you see in museum exhibitions? Well, now you can. Snapchat Augmented Reality Mirrors let you try on three iconic looks from our collection. The outfits, featured in Fashioning San Francisco: A Century of Style, include a 1955 “Soirée de Paris” dress by Yves Saint Laurent, a 1985 lamé outfit by San Francisco–designer Kaisik Wong, and a 1987 velvet gown by Valentino.”

As you can see, the activation will include highly detailed AR try-on examples, which visitors will be able to snap photos of as part of their experience.

The AR element will be available via Snap AR “Mirrors” which will be available at the event.

As per Snap:

“It marks the first time that Snap’s AR Mirrors have been featured in a US museum, which will be on display throughout the entirety of the exhibition running from January 20 to August 11.”

It’s another interesting exploration of the potential of AR, and the integration of digital creation and art, which could become a key avenue for broader discovery among younger audiences.

Snapchat has been looking to establish such a linkage for years, through partnerships with artists like Damien Hirst, KAWS, and Jeffrey Koons.

Snap also partnered with The Los Angeles County Museum of Art in 2022 on an interactive exhibition, with each of these activations sharing another glimpse of how past and future artworks can be integrated to create all new experiences.

That’s a valuable, and largely underrated application of AR and VR creation, in ensuring the longevity of classic art, while also facilitating new forms. And as these technologies become more commonplace, it’s important to maintain that connection, in some form, to facilitate broader cultural understanding.

As such, this is another important step, which also underlines Snap’s key role in the development of AR experiences.