Prototype: Columbus’s Bold New Experimental Museum Blending Art, Science & Play

A new kind of museum just opened in Columbus—one that breaks all the rules. Prototype: The Experimental Museum is not a traditional gallery or science center. Instead, it’s a 30,000-square-foot cultural lab where art, media, and technology collide, and visitors become active participants in the experience.

A Playground for the Curious — and Adults

Designed by Roto, a Dublin-based exhibition design studio known for working with major institutions, Prototype is built without the usual client constraints. The result is a space that feels more like a bold experiment than a polished museum. Its mission? To invite curiosity, test ideas, and reshape what a museum can be.

Importantly, this museum is for ages 16 and up. The design team intentionally limits crowds (around 80 people per hour) so visitors can move through the space with ease, reflectively and without rush.

Six Stages of Immersion

Rather than standard exhibit halls, Prototype is organized into six themed “stages.” Each one offers a dramatically different environment — from motion-responsive light and sound spaces, to areas built around digital drawing powered by AI, to a room devoted to the history of tarot.

Technology Meets Emotion

Technology isn’t just a tool here — it responds to you. The museum uses artificial intelligence, motion detectors, and high-resolution visuals that shift as you move. One of its standout features is a 150-foot-wide Immersion Theater powered by six massive projectors, creating a sensory “cinematic” space where light and sound converge in astonishing ways.

A Social Experiment, Not Just a Museum

Prototype isn’t just presenting installations — it’s designed to evolve. Visitor feedback is integral: every exhibit is labeled with prompts to help people reflect on what they’re seeing and experiencing.What’s more, the museum itself sees this as version 1.0. The team expects to iterate, adapt, and reimagine based on how people interact with the space.

Beyond Entertainment — Deep Connection

At its core, Prototype aims to foster genuine human connection. Its mission is not only to entertain but to provoke thought, spark conversation, and build a sense of shared discovery. There’s even a full bar in the Immersion Theater, encouraging visitors to pause, reflect, and connect after their journey through the stages.

Collaborations & Creativity

From the start, Prototype has tapped into diverse creative partners. BalletMet, Champaign Aviation Museum, and a dance group from Taiwan called Meimage Dance all contributed to the inaugural slate of experiences. Roto’s interdisciplinary team — including artists, technologists, software developers, filmmakers — worked together to build a space that feels deeply human and wildly futuristic at once.

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