In-gallery interpretation, no wall labels

The Barnes hangs no wall labels. Dr. Barnes arranged the collection in ensembles so you'd look at relationships of color, light, line, and space instead of reading a placard and moving on.

Focus is how a visitor can go deeper without putting text back on the wall. You point your phone at a work, it recognizes the work, and the interpretation lives on the device. In June 2026 we replaced the commercial engine behind it with our own, built in weeks rather than the year we would have scoped. The average scan now matches in 594 milliseconds, roughly five times faster, and 61% of first-time visitors have used Focus. That kind of project used to be out of reach for a small museum team, before AI tools came into our workflow.

Read more: Digital Product as Institutional Practice at the Barnes Foundation