Indigenous Digital Art Gallery

A 3D digital museum preserving Indigenous art and culture while quizzing visitors to make learning interactive and accessible.

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Inspiration

Indigenous art holds centuries of cultural knowledge, storytelling, and identity, yet much of it remains inaccessible to the wider public. We were inspired by the hackathon prompt, “Preserve today for tomorrow: why archives matter,” and wanted to create a platform that safeguards Indigenous heritage while making it interactive and educational. Our goal was to merge technology and culture to ensure future generations can access, explore, and appreciate these artworks.

What it does

Our project is a 3D digital Indigenous art gallery that showcases artworks from diverse Indigenous tribes. Visitors can navigate a virtual museum, click on individual artworks, and explore dedicated pages with detailed descriptions and interactive quizzes. The quizzes allow users to test their understanding of the artwork’s history, symbolism, and cultural significance, promoting deeper engagement and cultural literacy.

How we built it

We built the 3D Indigenous art gallery using Unity, creating an immersive museum environment where users can explore different artworks. The frontend interface is developed entirely with React, JavaScript, TypeScript, and CSS, ensuring smooth navigation and responsive design. Each artwork links to a dedicated page containing quiz questions related to that specific piece, allowing users to interactively reflect on what they have learned. The system is structured to support analytics integration for tracking engagement in future iterations.

Challenges we ran into

  • Learning how to deploy a website on vercel.
  • Music integration in the 3D museum environment.
  • Curating artworks that were both publicly available and culturally sensitive.

Accomplishments that we're proud of

  • Successfully created a functional 3D museum with interactive navigation.
  • Built a website with a quiz system to test user knowledge.
  • Created a platform that combines education, accessibility, and cultural preservation in one cohesive experience.

What we learned

  • Technical: integrating 3D rendering and frontend interactivity
  • Cultural: working with Indigenous content requires care, respect, and consultation to avoid misrepresentation.
  • User experience: interactivity increases engagement and retention for educational content.

What's next for Indigenous Digital Art Gallery

  • Implement analytics to track quiz responses and better understand user learning patterns.
  • Add time-based quiz challenges to encourage focused engagement.
  • Expand the collection to include more Indigenous tribes and contemporary artworks.
  • Introduce personalized learning paths and knowledge tracking for users.
  • Explore VR or AR integration to create an even more immersive museum experience.
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