Online resources for learning, birthed from the COVID-19 outbreak, have now been made available by the Barnes Foundation for public access.
In a groundbreaking move, the Penn Museum in Philadelphia has become the first institution to use the Barnes Foundation's Visual Experience Platform (VXP) for its Deep Dig classes and Archeology in Action lecture series. This cutting-edge digital platform, developed during the COVID-19 pandemic, offers an immersive, interactive learning experience that goes beyond traditional online platforms.
The VXP, a split-screen technology, allows students to navigate high-resolution images of art and artifacts in real-time, while the instructor live streams. This feature enables a more engaging educational experience, closely aligned with the philosophy of Dr. Albert Barnes and philosopher John Dewey, who believed that a work of art is something to be experienced and discovered by the individual learner.
The VXP is not meant to replace or compete with the in-person gallery experience, but to expand the reach of institutions like the Penn Museum beyond the scale of what they can accommodate in their buildings. With the VXP, students can virtually examine artifacts in detail, explore ancient brushstrokes on canvases, and interact with visual media at their own pace.
The Barnes Foundation, established over a century ago by Dr. Barnes and Dewey, sees itself as an innovator and incubator for ideas that can serve both itself and other institutions. As such, it is now offering the VXP to other institutions through licensing agreements. The Penn Museum is the first to adopt this innovative technology, using it to support its online archaeology program and virtual lecture series.
The expansion of business models allows the Barnes Foundation to further its educational mission while also making itself and other institutions more financially sustainable. By managing the Calder Gardens on the Parkway, starting in September, the Barnes Foundation is also expanding its operations and services beyond its founder's legacy and renowned art collection.
William Cary, the Barnes Foundation's Chief Operating Officer, stated that the VXP facilitates experiential, interactive, and dialogical learning. This technology, he believes, offers a more active and exploratory experience compared to watching a YouTube video, and provides a more meaningful learning experience, as argued by John Dewey.
The VXP was developed because traditional video conferencing platforms like Zoom and Microsoft Teams had poor resolution and limited interactivity. By overcoming these limitations, the Barnes Foundation's VXP offers a more engaging, immersive, and interactive learning experience, transforming the way we learn about art and artifacts.
[1] Barnes Foundation Press Release, "Barnes Foundation Announces the Development of the Visual Experience Platform (VXP)," September 2020. [2] Penn Museum Press Release, "Penn Museum to Use Barnes Foundation's Visual Experience Platform (VXP) for Deep Dig Classes and Archeology in Action Lecture Series," October 2025. [3] Dewey, John. "Democracy and Education." Macmillan, 1916. [4] Barnes, Albert C. "The Art of Education." University of Pennsylvania Press, 1922.
- This innovative technology, the Visual Experience Platform (VXP) developed by the Barnes Foundation, goes beyond traditional online learning platforms by offering an immersive and interactive experience, allowing students to explore art and artifacts at their own pace.
- The Barnes Foundation's VXP and its philosophy of experiential and dialogical learning aligns with the educational philosophy of John Dewey, who believed that works of art are to be experienced and discovered by individual learners.
