Robidoux Row Museum opens a new AI exhibit

Sara Rooney, St. Joseph News-Press, Mo.
·3 min read

Jul. 8—Robidoux Row Museum is bringing history to life through a new artificial intelligence exhibit.

The exhibit brings still photos to life, giving people in history a way to tell their own stories. Robidoux Row is a St. Joseph history museum that opened in 1981. It is celebrating its 41st anniversary this year.

"We're constantly trying to teach people St. Joseph history to understand where the town comes from, why it is special and the fact it has such a fascinating history in such a short period," said Daniel Johnson, executive director at Robidoux Row Museum and the St. Joseph Historical Society.

The museum has many different exhibits, including a rotating area that changes frequently. Currently, the exhibit is covering the pharmaceutical history of St. Joseph.

"We have exhibits about the Native Americans that were in the area and Lewis and Clark coming through," Johnson said. "We also do now have an exhibit about the theaters that's an ever-expanding exhibit, talking about some of the amazing theater history we have."

The museum recently added the "St. Joseph in Color" exhibit, which utilizes AI technology, after almost two years of work.

"We use an AI program that would pick and choose little color notes in a black-and-white picture to give people a chance to really experience what it really looks like," Johnson said. "You can always look at a black-and-white picture and so it kind of takes you out of the image and brings characters in history to life in a brand new way."

Another new exhibit that highlights AI is called "Joe Comes Back." This exhibit is an expansion of "St. Joseph in Color."

"We had taken the time to colorize an image of Joseph Robidoux," Johnson said. "We found an eye program that allows us to create a message for him. We wrote up an entire two-page speech for him, and then the AI institutes into him speaking to our guests, allowing him to tell his story rather than you having to read a boring synopsis."

Johnson said he found his inspiration to incorporate AI in the new exhibits by visiting other museums. He found that the Lincoln Library in Springfield, Illinois, had opened up an exhibit using holograms.

"I took my children there and their eyes lit up as soon as they saw the integration of technology they understand with history," Johnson said.

This sparked Johnson to find a way to bring a similar type of technology to Robidoux Row.

"I thought, 'How can we get people at the end of their tours wanting to still be here and listen to the story of the founder without having to just put a giant sign to read?'" he said.

While the colorization and AI exhibits are new to Robidoux Row, Johnson said he has always been interested in the idea of enhancing the way people experience history.

"I've always had a passion of giving people the ability to see St. Joseph, not through the light of an old picture or an old-time frame but to really understand how it was when you were walking around on the streets in that time," Johnson said.

Both of the new exhibits are open to the public. The Robidoux Row Museum is open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday.