The Met’s New App Lets Visitors Interact with the Artwork

I’m always game for a visit to The Met, but sometimes my kids need a little convincing. They don’t know how good they’ve got it, but this week’s visit was an easy sell for my 10-year-old, thanks to the launch of The Met Replica, a brand-new, interactive app that mashes up the power of play—in the form of Roblox characters—with The Met’s masterpieces, introducing the art in a whole new way.

I turned my phone over to my daughter and let her lead the way on our hours-long quest to find all the artwork highlighted by this new app, and we emerged hours later filled with new knowledge and excitement to return again soon. Find out why this app is a cool new guide to one of our favorite museums in NYC to visit with kids, and get all our tips for the city’s top culture spots in our Guide to Museums, Galleries, and Exhibits for NYC Kids.

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The Met Replica App

The recently launched app promises a first-of-its-kind experience for museumgoers. Developed in conjunction with Verizon, it allows users to scan artwork and bring elements of each piece to life in the palm of their hands. Use each interactive element to outfit your Roblox avatar within the app or copy your progress over to the Roblox platform itself. I’ll admit, my daughter isn’t a Roblox player, but that didn’t stop her from having tons of fun accessorizing her AR avatar within The Met Replica app!

Another aspect we both loved about using the app to plan out our journey was the interactive gallery map. I let my daughter lead the way and the whole visit felt like one big scavenger hunt as we explored one gallery after another. Galleries with interactive pieces are highlighted by circular icons, and as you get closer they start pulsing—and the excitement of finding a piece builds!

RELATED: Free Science and Art Play Space Comes to The Met this Fall

Guests get to accessorize their avatars with details from The Met’s masterpieces as they’re collected.

Preparing for Your Visit to The Met

The Met Replica app is available for download on both the iOS and Android platforms and is completely FREE. You’ll want to download it before you visit and connect to The Met’s Wi-Fi for the best service once you’re inside.

Another tip: Come with a fully charged phone! The screen never dimmed as we walked from gallery to gallery and the battery was nearly drained by the time we left.

There are 37 pieces highlighted by The Met Replica app, and during a roughly three-hour visit, we found all the pieces on the first floor—27 of them—many hiding in some of the museum’s most kid-friendly exhibits, like Arms and Armor and the Egyptian galleries, and we’re already planning a return trip to explore the second-floor galleries using the app. 

I loved how engaged my daughter was for the entirety of our visit—and how many times she told me she was having “so much fun.” I also loved that after scanning the artwork, you could learn more about each piece. Often, the information was on the placard next to the piece, but she was more willing to read the little bits on the app and swipe for more than to read the tiny museum print. Overall, it felt like a “good” use of technology, and one I’d love to see more of. I think my daughter would agree.

But, take note: Like many of The Met’s special exhibitions, The Met Replica app is here for an undisclosed limited time. It will likely wrap up its in-museum run this fall, though all the Roblox treasures you collect live on in that virtual world. Still, it’s worth planning a late summer visit if you want to play with this new tech. 

Photos by the author