Renewed space, new connections: meet Rosie at Crystal Bridges
June marked a historic milestone for Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art as they celebrated the opening of their major physical expansion. Yet, inside these new walls lies an equally profound digital expansion: Rosie. This AI-powered companion is redefining how visitors interact with art.
Crystal Bridges just officially opened its spectacular new expansion, welcoming nearly 10.000 visitors in a single weekend. Quietly tucked inside that milestone is something we're proud of: being part of Eidra, we as Fabrique together with our sister companies Curamando and Q42, built Ask Rosie, Crystal Bridges' AI-powered art companion. Rosie lives in the galleries. She knows the collection. She meets visitors where they are - curious, unhurried, ready to talk about art in a way that feels genuinely personal.
Ask Rosie
Visitors scan a QR code in the gallery — no app download, no account. Just point your camera at an artwork, and Rosie recognises it. If she knows it, she opens a conversation in your web browser from a relevant angle and invites you to ask a question or share an observation. You can stay with one work as long as you like, or move on and start fresh with the next.
How AI is creating deeper connections in museums
Working for a museum like Crystal Bridges means taking their mission seriously: free admission, art for everyone, and a deep belief that access to culture changes lives. Rosie had to earn her place in that spirit.
What we've learned from this project (and others like it across the Netherlands, the UK, and the US) is that AI in a museum context isn't about efficiency. It's about depth. About the question a visitor didn't know they wanted to ask. We think the next frontier for museums working with AI is enabling deeper relationships. Companions that remember, that grow with a visitor across multiple encounters, that eventually travel with a collection beyond the walls of a single institution.
Congratulations to the Crystal Bridges team on a remarkable opening! We're glad Rosie gets to welcome visitors into what comes next.