Digital Arts for Youth and Community Wellbeing

📊 Did You Know?

Although the Augmented Reality (AR) and Virtual Reality (VR) market appears to be pausing its growth due to the delayed supply of new devices, it remains a key investment area for major players. It is expected to continue growing in the long run. The International Data Corporation (IDC) “anticipates a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 38.6%” between 2025 and 2029.

📖 The Story

Who, When, and Where — Context

Founded in 2016, Artolution is a US-based international community-based public arts organization that delivers VR-based digital art programs across continents.

Why — Challenge

Globally, Artolution works with local artists and runs collaborative art-making programs to build community resilience, positive social change, and agency to shape their own story. These programs, however, used to require physical human interactions. The COVID-19 pandemic and lockdown surfaced the underlying limitations and scalability challenges.

What and How — Tech Solution

Through their Virtual Bridges initiative, Artolution has built new platforms for virtual connection through the arts and technology. Virtual Bridges’ VR-based digital art space provides refugee and crisis-affected youth opportunities for relationship-building, educational, and creative programming across borders. In 2024, Virtual Bridges was selected as a part of UNHCR’s Digital Innovation Fund portfolio.

💡 Key Insights

• 🎨 Arts are authentic and powerful. It cultivates community resilience, provides storytelling tools, and makes positive social change.

• 💻️ Digital spaces make relationship-building and educational programs borderless, especially for vulnerable populations.

• 👓️ VR enriches human capacity. The technology can be a great interface to unlock one’s creativity in the arts programs

✅ Try This

Watch Artolution’s video clip showcasing how Virtual Bridges work.