Building on a longstanding legacy of shaping public learning and culture, museums are finding new ways to engage audiences and bring art to life, including through multi-visual technology and immersive experiences. At the Museum of Art + Light (MoA+L) in Manhattan, Kansas, art and technology converge to create immersive experiences that ignite imagination and redefine how audiences engage with creativity. As the first museum in the U.S.—from its inception—to unite digital, immersive, and fine art, MoA+L is setting a new standard for cultural innovation and using Epson’s next-generation projection technology to do it.
The MoA+L vision began nearly six years ago with a bold idea: to build a museum that blends traditional collections with immersive digital experiences for 21st-century visitors. Uniting leading figures from the art world, the centerpiece of this vision is now The Mezmereyz Gallery (“The Mez”), a state-of-the-art immersive exhibit space on the MoA+L’s first floor.
“We’re building entirely new artistic worlds, and that requires state-of-the-art technology,” Erin Dragotto, executive director of the Museum of Art + Light, said. “We depend on industry leaders who can elevate each artist’s vision and support their creative process. It’s a complex undertaking, and Epson has truly stepped up to meet the challenge.”
Immersive and Integrated
To bring The Mez to life, the museum needed a display solution that provided flexible throw distance and aspect ratios, as well as precise brightness and resolution to ensure art-quality viewing at close range. For Sydney Bouhaniche, creative director of immersive exhibitions at the museum, projection was the clear choice. “When you’re immersed in projection, you don’t need permission or prior knowledge of art history to experience it fully,” he said.
With deep expertise in digital and immersive art experiences, Bouhaniche led the design process with precision. After building a full 3D model of the space and assessing multiple projector brands, he said, “Epson consistently delivered the best results in pixel clarity, color reproduction, projector count, and lens options.”
The museum uses 108 Epson 10,000-lumen laser projectors with a variety of lenses along with short-throw models for specialized spaces. These projectors deliver crystal-clear, lifelike images, which are vital for close-range viewing in immersive environments. Two 20,000-lumen large-venue laser models, which power the building’s front-facing projection mapping, are housed in durable enclosures built to withstand various outdoor elements.
For precise blending and mapping, the museum paired the Epson projectors with a Modulo Pi media system. The museum also runs 24 servers, each feeding six projectors. A custom tool splits the 12,000-pixel-wide animations into wall-specific files with the correct naming conventions, allowing each server to automatically identify its content for a seamless, automated workflow.
“Seamless integration with the Modulo Pi system and servers was essential, as were the short-throw lenses that let the projectors sit close to the wall, minimizing shadows while maintaining high brightness and crisp pixel detail,” Bouhaniche said. “Reliability was another critical factor; once you set them up, the alignment holds, even with vibration, HVAC airflow, or daily power cycles.”
“Because we’re a museum, we’re constantly shifting the galleries and working with different artists who want to integrate projection and multimedia,” Bouhaniche said. “Epson’s range of equipment makes this possible for us on an ongoing basis.”
On Display: Erosion of Time
The Erosion of Time exhibit paired contemporary artists Dean Mitchell and Des Lucréce in an immersive exhibition designed by MoA+L’s motion graphics team. Visitors begin in the Mez Gallery One, a 360-degree projection environment featuring Lucréce’s layered digital work exploring belonging, memory, and life between cultures.
As a digital artist, Lucréce is used to seeing his work projection mapped, from smaller settings to massive buildings, but nothing prepared him for complete immersion in his artwork. “I think it was the first time I was truly stopped in my tracks by seeing my own work,” said Lucréce. “I might even say it was the first time I saw it the way other people see it.”
The journey continues through the Mez Gallery Two, a curved projection gallery of Mitchell’s portraits and landscapes, arranged from 400 high-resolution images to form a visual narrative on community, dignity, and empathy. Experiencing his work at this scale moved Mitchell deeply, revealing every brushstroke and emotional detail in a way he’d never seen before. “It was incredibly emotional for me; the color, the clarity—it's astonishing. Everything is so sharp and alive,” Mitchell said.
An Experience Like No Other
From the immersive Erosion of Time exhibition to ongoing collaborations with digital and fine artists, MoA+L is more than a museum; it’s a creative hub where art and innovation intersect. “Seeing this all come to life exactly as envisioned is incredibly rewarding,” Bouhaniche said. “And we couldn’t have done it without Epson’s technology and support.”
Dragotto added, “We’re being recognized globally, regionally, and locally, and what impresses me most isn’t the statistics; it’s the reactions we’re receiving and the grassroots impact we’re creating. And this is just the beginning.”
“We’re inspired by what this museum represents and the bold approach behind it,” Gavin Downey, group product manager at Epson America, said. “Their use of Epson projectors in this unique space pushes the boundaries of aspect ratios, installation techniques, and blending methods, and we can’t wait to see even more remarkable art come to life.”
