I love going to museums but it’s not always easy getting my kids to walk from room to room to look at paintings for hours on end and not start to whine after 30 minutes. I still want them to be familiar with art and know about artists’ lives and how their lives can influence their paintings. “Beyond Van Gogh – The Immersive Experience” is an exhibit that allows people to see 300 of Van Gogh’s artworks, while learning about him and his craft. And the best part is that it only takes one hour and doesn’t require going to a bunch of different rooms.
My family and I recently went to the exhibit, located at Samanea Mall in Westbury, Long Island, NY. I was happy that the first thing you see is multiple slides with information about Van Gogh’s life and background, along with details about his approach to art, his style of art and how it had changes over the years. This part of the exhibit is important because it gives context to all of the artwork, otherwise you’re just looking at beautiful art, but without understanding anything about it.
The next room had various graphics, some based on Van Gogh’s art, cascading like a waterfall. This room led into the Immersive Experience room, which is a very large room that screens images on the walls, the floor and various structures as well.
The 300 pieces of art were divided by topics and screened everywhere, accompanied by quotations and graphics. There was also music in the background, including the famous Don McLean song, “Vincent.”
I loved how not only the artwork was constantly moving and switching to different works of art, but that also some video tricks made eyes on portraits “blink” and images of water “flow.”
I also loved how this is one of those rare exhibits that allows people from all backgrounds and in all ages to enjoy it. You can be in your eighties and have a vast background on Impressionism, or you can be a four-year-old who simply likes the visuals. There’s something for everyone here.
Tip: kids under 4 are free so if you have a 3-year-old I would still bring them. The exhibit’s youngest patrons enjoyed looking at all of the colors and art. They don’t need to understand who Van Gogh was – they can simply enjoy the visuals for what they are.
My kids, ages 16, 13 and 10 liked learning about his life, in addition to looking at the art.
The exhibit is located inside the Samanea Mall, at 1500 Old Country Road, Westbury, NY.
Open through May 14.
Tue-Thur, Sun: 10:00am – 8:00pm; Fri & Sat: 10:00am – 9:00pm; Mon: closed
Price is $55.99 adult; $34.99 child (ages 5-15). Kids 4 and under are free. Click here to purchase tickets.
Some favorites from the exhibit:
I was not compensated for this post. I received tickets.
Senior Reviewer Maytal Wichman is a PR consultant and freelance writer and has written for several blogs, including The Huffington Post. She has been living in the New York City area for over twenty years and holds a Bachelor’s Degree in English Literature as well as a Law Degree. Maytal is a mom to three kids, ages 16, 13 and 10.
[…] six months ago, my family and I went to see Beyond Van Gogh: The Immersive Experience and were blown away by the visuals. We recently had a similar experience with the new exhibit, […]