Museum of Art + Light — Attraction in Manhattan

Our family visited the museum on a beautiful Saturday afternoon, and we had high hopes for the newly built space. Unfortunately, those hopes quickly started to fade the moment we stepped into the lobby. It was mostly empty, and dominated by a massive, tacky chandelier made of colored plastic squares. Then came the price of entry, nearly $30 per adult, which, in retrospect, feels outrageous given the experience.

The front desk staff was very kind. I asked if the museum was worth it, and the woman replied simply, “I think it’s worth it.” That was the most enthusiasm we encountered during the visit.

We began on the first floor projector museum. Within minutes, we realized we’d made a mistake. It honestly felt like either a social experiment or the most pretentious art concept I’ve ever had the displeasure of seeing.

The second floor didn’t improve much. It consisted mostly of TV screens mounted on walls, many of which displayed visuals that looked like TikTok art loops. I asked a staff member if people genuinely liked the exhibit, and she said, “No.” She did mention that it used to be even more bare and that they’ve tried to improve it by adding new pieces.

One installation featured what appeared to be bedsheets with projectors shining onto them. I’m not exaggerating when I say this museum is an absolute train wreck.

We spoke with another couple in the elevator, and we all ended up laughing about how terrible it was. Several visitors shared similar sentiments, it honestly felt like a high school art show would’ve been more interesting.

If the admission had been $5, I probably wouldn’t be writing this. But at nearly $30 a person, I feel compelled to warn others. I usually only leave positive reviews, but in this case, I want people to know to avoid it.

If you're in Manhattan, you’re far better off visiting other local gems like the Beach Museum, the Discovery Center, or even the Midwest Car Collection. Unless this museum undergoes a serious transformation, I don’t see it...

The Museum of Art + Light truly brings an incredible cultural experience to Kansas and the Greater Midwest. Web3 and blockchain are finally explored the way they were meant to be in the art world. NFTs and art have never before been combined in the way they were truly meant to be linked, or at least not like this! The immersive exhibitions create the feeling that one has transcended the museum experience and become a digital entity exploring the majestic cryptographic world of a distributed ledger with every fabric of their being. The very foundations of life - sound, sight, motion, and emotion - combine into the rich tapestry of an unforgettable experience. Mezmereyz, or “The Mez” as a growing number of fans have come to know it, is a multisensory immersive extravaganza of pure joy and delight. In the same way the Web3 integration brings about a deep sense of belonging as only imagining oneself in a decentralized and distributed network can do, the multimedia experiences bring about what might be conceptualized as not just a post-film experience but also a truly post-VR/AR/XR experience. This is not just Tron or Tron 2.0 - this is Tron 3.0! As the participant interrogates the liminal space between chaos and order, a synthesis unlike any other gradually emerges as the total experience reimagines conventional narratives while negotiating a nuanced dialogue between the present and the future. The European-style Café Azul coffeehouse achieves the “third space” experience that the most vibrant neighborhood coffee shops aspire to. This museum is a 21st century masterpiece that goes far beyond the notion of an art museum and becomes a true...

I've never been so torn on a review before.

We were only able to attend the Mezmereyz exhibit, but it was quite literally mesmerizing. The exhibit consisted mainly of 2 very large rooms. Each room had a fully immersive experience where projectors covered every surface in moving art by Renoir. It was breathtaking. The exhibit gets 5 stars easily.

Our experience however was 0 stars. We visited the museum using Sunflower Summer (a yearly program for KIDS to see amazing places around the state). We were partway through the exhibit when we were asked to leave. To quote the employee "We know they (our kids) are just excited about the exhibit, but we can hear them talking and laughing in the other room." I'm not normally one to be easily offended, but to be asked to leave because our kids were "too excited" about the exhibit? To quote Renoir himself, “The work of art must seize upon you, wrap you up in itself, carry you away. It is the means by which the artist conveys his passion; it is the current which he puts forth which sweeps you along in his passion.” Art encourages passion, while the museum only encourages silence. I do not recommend that families with younger children visit the Museum of Art + Light, and I highly suggest KS Tourism removes them for Sunflower Summer participation.

We drove over 2 hours just to visit this museum, but I'm thankful to say that the Flint Hills Discovery Center next door happily accepted our excited children and we had enjoyable afternoon...