A few months ago I went to the Van Gogh Immersive exhibit that is currently touring the country. I enjoyed being surrounded by the artwork and feeling as though as I was part of the painting. Since then, I’ve kept an eye out for similar immersive exhibit options, and I recently learned about Arcadia Earth. While I haven’t had a chance to check it out, it’s absolutely something I want to check out next time I’m in New York City (the first location) or Las Vegas (recently opened second outpost).

Photo courtesy of Arcadia Earth.

The Las Vegas exhibit reimagines the most pressing environmental issues of our time at the 15,000-square-foot location featuring immersive physical installations through the futuristic lens of augmented and virtual reality.

Photo courtesy of Arcadia Earth.

Experiential artist Valentino Vettori designed Arcadia Earth, the world’s first multichannel platform highlighting ecological issues. The Las Vegas space includes 15 different exhibits on global challenges like melting ice caps, plastic waste, overfishing, loss of biodiversity and more.

Photo courtesy of Arcadia Earth.

Not designed to shame visitors, the exhibits instead inspire empowerment through beauty, education and actionable suggestions. For example, while visitors to the Las Vegas outpost learn more than 40 percent of Nevada is in “exceptional” drought, they also learn the city has already reduced its consumption, using 23 billion fewer gallons of water in 2020 than in 2002 even with a population increase of more than 780,000 residents. QR codes throughout the exhibit share steps visitors can take to conserve; there are also links to the Arcadia Earth marketplace, selling an assortment of reusable items.

Photo courtesy of Arcadia Earth.

Throughout the exhibit, guests find sculptures, sensory experiences, AR and VR. Ticket prices begin at $33. A tree is planted for every ticket sold, and proceeds support Oceanic Global, which raises awareness about the effects of human consumption on aquatic ecosystems.

Photo courtesy of Arcadia Earth.

— Kim Krol Inlander, editor in chief