Museum Audience Insight

Hands-On: We Mean Really Hands-On

We recently ran into one of the sacred cows of the curatorial world: touching and using artifacts.

In our recent survey of Connecticut Cultural Consumers (funded by the Connecticut Humanities Council), we asked, “If you could do whatever you wanted at a historic house museum, with no restrictions, what would you do?”  A significant number of respondents wrote in that they wished to step behind those velvet ropes, get up close and personal, and touch or use artifacts.  As one respondent wrote (in all caps), “TOUCH, PICK UP, LOOK AT THE MARKINGS, SIT ON THE CHAIRS, FEEL THE FABRIC, LOOK AT THE BOOKS - TOUCH HISTORY.”  Another observed, “Isn’t it everyone’s fantasy to try out the furniture?”  

Starting to feel queasy yet?  Our "inner curators" sure did as we were analyzing the results of this survey question.  Traditional prohibitions against handling and using collections items exist for a good reason:  to prevent or slow deterioration . . . or worse.  Thankfully, at least some of our survey participants recognize this.  One wrote, “Too much handling by too many people, some of whom may not be very careful, would be ruinous to many pieces.” 

Yet we also know all too well that those prohibitions can also be barriers, as physical access is important to a well-rounded learning experience.  As one survey participant noted, “By touching, I get a better sense of the history and craftsmanship.” 

Of course, many museums have been inviting visitors to “please touch” for years via interactives, teaching collections, hands-on activities, and reproductions.  But if the results of this survey question taught us anything, it’s that museums may not be doing enough to satisfy visitor demand in this area, especially in historic house museums. 

Can we do more of what we are already doing?  For instance, lots of museums have teaching collections or reproductions available for school groups and families to explore.  But fewer institutions have similar interpretation for adult visitors. 

Can we find some middle ground?  Can we offer special access opportunities, limited to a few people at a time, that allow visitors to get a little closer to some artifacts, so they can experience them at closer range?  How about rotating a few artifacts out of their settings and displaying them where visitors can get closer to them?  What if we carefully selected some artifacts that can be handled by the public?

Maybe it is time to rethink the "Rembrandt Rule," as Jim Vaughan of the National Trust so thoughtfully suggested last year in Museum.  Unless, of course, we are actually talking about a Rembrandt!

What are your thoughts?  Are there additional methods we could be using to safely satisfy tactile visitors?  Do you have any stories from your museum?  Or do you think we are crazy to even bring this up?  Click on “comments” below to share.  (If you are reading this from your e-mail subscription to the blog, please go to our blog's website to add a comment.)  Please include the name of your museum as well!

My Green Dogs

Ok, my dogs are really brown, white, and black.  But they are also green. 

Green as in Green Dog members with The Trustees of Reservations. 

 

We have talked on this blog before about dogs and their ability to bring community together.  And we are big fans of making museums more accessible to people and their mutts (of course, not the galleries, but grounds, yes). 

 

So there are a number of reasons why I absolutely love the Green Dogs program of The Trustees of Reservations (which has both historic sites and nature sites).

 

I enrolled our dogs in the Green Dogs program because it gave us access to a number of properties that dogs are not normally allowed to visit.  To enroll, my husband and I had to be members (hmmm . . . . members), our dogs had to be licensed in our community, and we had to sign on the line that, yes, we would be responsible (a nice way of saying we would pick up their poop).  And if we did not follow their simple requests, well, our Green Dogs would be kicked out of the program.  Fair enough.

 

But this is why I love this program:

 

First – you have to join to enroll your dog.  While we think The Trustees does really fine work, the Green Dogs program is what sealed the deal.  It made us join.  It made us go from “yeah, we really should be members” to “yes, we are members.”  Why?  Because of doggie access.  How many people would join your museum or historic site in order to get to walk their dogs there?  Perhaps more than you think.

 

Second – they make you sign on the line that you will be responsible.  We would be anyway, but for those who might not, this forces the issue.  Don’t pick up?  Dog going rogue?  Lose access.  Period.  

 

Third – they gave us tags for the dogs.  They say “Green Dogs” on them.  Think what you could name your program!  And every time the owner sees that tag on their dog, well, guess what they will think of?  Your museum.  Sweet. (Heck, if a museum came up with something really creative, I would probably join just to get the cool tags for my dogs.  And I am not embarrassed by that.)

 

Fourth – they gave us this dorky-looking pass to wear.  It identifies us as all as Green Dogs members .  . . . and when we see other Green Dogs members we greet them.  We say hi.  Our dogs sniff each other’s, well, you know.  It starts conversation.  It makes it personal.  It creates community.  We don't even care that the pass is dorky-looking.  It works.

 

Fifth – they gave us a reason to renew.  Access.  Community.  On top of their great work.  Pretty compelling

 

- Susie

Photo:  The incomparable Shadow, left, and the incorrigible Macie, right, at a Green Dogs property of The Trustees of Reservations.

Older Men are Awesome . . . But Yet Not Always Engaged?

In our recent e-newsletter, archived here, we shared that older men are “awesome.”  And, indeed, in our studies of outdoor history museum visitors and science museum visitors, they emerged as the most engaged, happiest audience segment at those types of museums.

 

But does that mean they are highly engaged at all types of museums?

The answer is. . . . . no. 

 

In our recent study of Connecticut Cultural Consumers, funded by the Connecticut Humanities Council for Connecticut Landmarks, men over the age of 60 simply did not “pop” like in the other studies.  Women over 60 responded at twice the rate of men over 60, and were clearly more engaged by visiting more often, and enjoying a wider variety of cultural activities. 

 

But why is this?  We believe the primary reason is subject matter.  Older museum-going men, as seen in our research, are very self-motivated to explore topics that are of great interest to them.  Outdoor history museums and science museums are natural places to immerse oneself in the topics that older men tend to gravitate towards, such as blacksmithing, construction, and engineering. 

 

In contrast, the organizations participating in the Connecticut project included art museums, historic house museums, historical societies, history museums, and a performing arts group.  These organizations tend not to as naturally provide those types of opportunities that men seek out.

 

Yet there may be opportunities for these types of museums to reach out to older men and engage them.  In those previous studies, older men did indicate that what they enjoyed about outdoor history museums and science museums was the time and ability to work with their hands, and with others, doing the kinds of labor that they did not do in their professional lives.  As retirees, they are seeking out those opportunities.  Creating those kinds of opportunities may help museums better attract, and engage, older men.

 

Has your museum had particular success with older men?  To share your stories or questions, simply click on “comments” below.  (If you are reading this from your e-mail subscription to the blog, please go to our blog's website to add a comment.)  Please include the name of your museum as well!

Mystery Shopping at the Art Museum

Last fall Susie Wilkening was invited to guest lecture for a museum studies class at Tufts University.  Upon learning that students were asked to "mystery shop" the visitor amenities at a local museum, and write up reports, she invited the authors of the best papers to write up their experience on our blog.  Welcome to our guest bloggers, Tufts students Jeanne Koles and Sarah Marcoux.

 

The mission:  Visit the Currier Museum of Art, located in Manchester, NH, incognito and secretly analyze their visitor services.  Is it easy to find? Does it make you feel welcome?  Is the staff nice?  Are the restrooms clean?

 

The Currier Museum of Art passed our secret test with flying colors. Its use of architecture and exhibition design make visits fun and enlightening, the staff is friendly and welcoming, and yes, the bathrooms are clean. 

 

Secret shoppers are notoriously nitpicky, so in the name of over-analyzation, we have a few (very minor) complaints because greater awareness of visitor comfort, interests, and knowledge, specifically for its constituents who may be less at ease in museums, would make any museum visit even better for everyone. 

 

Getting to the Museum

Getting to the museum by car is easy, with excellent signs and directions.  The parking lot can fill up, but there is some on-street parking as well.  If you prefer public transportation, bus service is infrequent, so plan ahead.

 

Facilities

The Currier provides many amenities to make visiting easy and comfortable.  When we think of ease and comfort, we think of three things:  restrooms, food services, and seating. The two main bathrooms available in the lobby are handicapped accessible “family bathrooms”.  While clean and fully stocked, one did not have a changing table and it was a challenge for one surveyor to change her one-year old’s diaper. 

 

For visitors ready for a break, the Currier operates the colorful and visually exciting Winter Garden Café, a casual and comfortable in-house restaurant that offers vegetarian and kid-friendly options at affordable prices.  

 

Seating in the galleries was spotty, however.  Constant standing is uncomfortable and may be a deterrent to lengthy visits, especially for the elderly, handicapped, or those who are simply tired; the museum should consider adding more seating.

 

Staff

The Currier provides a high level of customer service.  Most staff persons with whom both surveyors interacted behaved in an incredibly welcoming and friendly manner.  The front desk employee greeted visitors with eye contact and a smile. Security guards, while an obvious presence, were unobtrusive and pleasant.  In fact, during one evaluation, more than one security guard held the door to walk into the galleries.  There was only one sour note concerning the staff.  A tour guide did not introduce herself, spoke quietly even after a visitor asked her to talk louder, and did not take off her sunglasses during the tour.  This was the exception in an overwhelmingly polite and pleasant group of people, who should be commended for their attention and thoughtfulness. 

 

Presentation of Information

The visual identity of the Currier is simple, strong, and consistently used in the website, in printed materials, on signage, and more.  The visual identity is much like the museum itself:  creative and professional without being stuffy.

 

The Currier’s website is a fantastic introduction to what the museum has to offer.  It is easily navigable and has a wealth of useful information–everything from hours and driving directions to an online database of its collections.  The website also includes a family guide with suggestions for how parents can make their visit exciting and less stressful.

 

Inside the galleries, the object labels are well lit and generally easy-to-read.  On the negative side, several of the more detailed labels are full of jargon and technical art terms.  For example, the labels include vocabulary like “organic or geometric forms.” Omitting a simple explanation in favor of a more complicated one may appear off-putting and difficult, or hold no significance for the visitor.

 

The Verdict

The Currier Museum of Art strives to offer a positive experience for its visitor before, during, and after the visit.  An appreciation for comfort, education, enjoyment, and inspiration is reflected in the design of the building, the warmth of the staff, and the exhibitions, programs, and amenities on offer.  Yet even a great museum can always be improving, and continue to be conscious of the difficulties of cracking the museum code.  The museum should continue to value visitor feedback and implement change as practicable in response to this feedback, thus keeping the savvy and critical visitor satisfied.

 

Overall, the Currier's commitment to a welcoming, enriching, fun museum experience should be applauded.  The verdict from these secret shoppers:  two thumbs up!

- Sarah Marcoux and Jeanne Koles

 

Moms, Older Men, and Audiences discussion, hosted by ASTC

Over the past couple of months we have been sharing some of our data on moms, who may not be as engaged as we would like them to be, and older men, who are highly committed (and, yes, awesome).  How can we keep core users like these happy and engaged?

To dig deeper into these critical audiences, as well as other audiences, the Association of Science - Technology Centers (ASTC) has asked Susie Wilkening, Curator of Museum Audiences at Reach Advisors, to guest moderate their February ASTC Dimensions Forum.  What does the research tell us about these audience segments?  Where do we need more research?  What are your questions?  What are your observations about these audience segments?  And have you had success engaging them? 

ASTC is inviting Museum Audience Insight blog readers to participate in the discussion, whether you work at an art museum or for history-based museums.  These audiences are important to you as well!

Discussion will run from Monday, Feb. 16 through Friday, Feb. 20, 2009, and takes place via the ASTC Dimensions Forum (which is a super-easy format for discussion). 

To enroll, contact Margaret Glass at mglass (at) astc (dot) org. And feel free to pass on word to any colleagues you feel may be interested.

The Love-Hate Relationships with Guided Tours

As we shared in a recent post, museum visitors are split right down the middle about the value of guided tours, and they have very strong opinions either way.  And while we think this issue has ramifications for museums across the board, it has the most impact on historic house museums, which tend to rely heavily on guided tours as a primary form of interpretation.

 

To delve deeper into this issue, we turned back to the results of our recent survey of Connecticut Cultural Consumers (funded by the Connecticut Humanities Council).  First, we found that Museum Advocates were more likely to prefer guided tours than Core Visitors to museums.  

 

Additionally, the type of museum on whose behalf respondents were participating made some difference; those who took the survey for historic house, art, or history museums were somewhat more likely to prefer guided tours than those who responded for science and children’s museums.  These results may have to do with visitor expectations for the kind of interpretation they often encounter at different types of museums.  However, we suspect the age of the respondent has even more to do with it.  Respondents to historic house, art, or history museums were overwhelmingly over the age of 50 – an audience that is much more likely to enjoy guided tours than younger respondents (though even here only barely more than half enjoy tours).  

 

In fact, visitors’ love-hate relationships with guided tours are most apparent among respondents of different ages and parental status.  Older audiences were far more likely to enjoy guided tours than younger ones and moms with young children were the least likely to enjoy guided tours, feeling they were not age-appropriate for their children (see graph, below). 

 

 

What does all this mean?  If your museum relies on guided tours as a (or the) primary interpretation method, chances are that only a little less than half of your visitors are satisfied.  And widening your audience base to include families, for instance, may be more challenging.

 

What about the majority of museum visitors who dislike—even hate—guided tours?  What kinds of experiences might appeal to them instead of guided tours? When we asked our Connecticut respondents “If you could do whatever you wanted at a historic house museum, with no restrictions, what would you do?” among their top wishes were:

 

• Experiencing the museum at their own pace
• More hands-on, participatory experiences
• Touching, or otherwise getting closer to, original artifacts
• Consuming food and drink—historically appropriate or not
• Participating in special or social events, either as a guest or a host
• Extending visits to include full days, overnights, or even longer periods of time

 

A lot of these wishes are time-honored alternatives that are accepted in the field.  Some of them, on the other hand, may make the hair on the back of your neck stand up (we will be delving a little deeper into this when we talk more in depth about touching original artifacts in a later post). 

 

We would love to hear your thoughts and questions.  To share or ask questions, simply click on “comments” below.  (If you are reading this from your e-mail subscription to the blog, please go to our blog's website to add a comment.)  Please include the name of your museum as well!

Crystal-Ball Gazing: Museums in 2034

** Only five spots left - RSVP soon! **

What challenges will society and museums face in the next quarter-century?  How will the demographic profile of America change between now and 2034?  How will energy and infrastructure costs affect the sustainability of museums?  Most importantly, how will museums face these challenges and shape the future they will have to inhabit?

To find out, we gazed into our crystal ball, 25 years in the future.  The world will be different, and we think museums will have an important role. 

Museums & Society 2034: Trends and Potential Futures

Presentation and discussion of report commissioned by
AAM's Center for the Future of Museums

TODAY, February 9
1:00 EST / 10:00 PST

To RSVP for this FREE conference call session, please e-mail Susie Wilkening at museumconversations (at) reachadvisors (dot) com.  Only five spots are left, so RSVP quickly!

Click here to download the slides for today's presentation:

Download AAM Future Trends Feb 2009

 

Already have questions about 2034 . . . or how we get there successfully?  Click on “comments” below to post your questions for the call!  (If you are reading this from your e-mail subscription to the blog, please go to our blog's website to add a comment.)

 

Finally, over the next few weeks we will be moderating a discussion of the paper.  Want to tell us we are dead wrong (or absolutely right, or somewhere in between?) Check out the discussion page on the Center for the Future of Museums' website and have your say!

The Worst Thank You Note Ever

A few weeks ago, I was blown away by the WalkBoston thank you note I received (and shared on this blog).

Well, now I am completely underwhelmed.

 Or maybe blown away by this extraordinarily poor acknowledgment I just received from another organization.  So bad I had to, once again, scan and share in its entirety (the blackouts are sparing the identity of the sender).

 

 

Oh, where to begin.  First, how impersonal.  I have no identity.  I am simply “member.”  I just spent a lot of money renewing, and they cannot manage to address me by name?  Additionally, no one signed the letter.  No one.  It would have been nice to have someone, anyone, sign off on it.  

But here is the big, honking problem.  Something is missing.  The most important thing of all.

They never said thank you.  

Not once.  

Nada. 

Ok, sure, the benefits are nice, and yes, I like benefits.  

But no thank you?  Come on!  

The culprit?  I am going to spare the organization by not naming it, but suffice it to say it is not an American museum or museums association.  

But a thank you would have been nice.

- Susie

Older Men are Awesome

They are curious, philanthropic, and engaged.  They are really happy visitors to a variety of museums.  They are a dream audience.

Who are they?  Men over sixty.  They are awesome. 

We first noticed the engagement of older men in our outdoor history museum (OHM) survey, as they responded to the survey in greater numbers than women over sixty, an atypical survey finding.  And when we analyzed their responses, it was clear:  of all demographic segments, men over sixty were the happiest with the museum.

Then we saw something similar in our study of science museum visitors.  While older men responded to the survey in similar numbers to older women, they were again the happiest audience segment.  Turns out, they are a fascinating audience.

Older Men and Museum Visitation

So why do older men visit, and enjoy, museums? 

Primarily, they go because they are curious and want to learn. Yet older men also chose a variety of reasons for visiting, telling us that while this audience is the most curious (and engaged, as we will see), they have a lot of different reasons for visiting museums.  Additionally, older men are generally more positive than other audience segments, and we consistently find that they are the most likely to say that their needs are met.

But it was their rate of membership that gave us a strong clue that something special was going on with these older men.  We consistently find in our research that older men are the most likely to be members.   Their reasons for joining are striking as well because they are so overwhelmingly philanthropic, focusing on improving the museum or helping their community.  Additionally, they are the least likely to join for budgetary reasons, such as saving money or to pay for services received.  It turns out that, for many, the budget is not a big issue.  The older men in these studies are very affluent, with incomes well above the national average, and they have extremely high educations to match.

Interpretation Preferences

So what do older men enjoy at museums?  When we carefully examined the written-in comments of our older men, it was clear:  it is all about their personal interests.  Men wanted to see and do blacksmithing, perform experiments, build stuff, or do anything with railroads.  Or, as one gentleman told us, he wanted to "fire the cannon, climb the rigging, sing the songs."  They want to do the stuff.  They want to delve in deep and work with their hands - in a way they want the antithesis of their pre-retirement lives when many of them were professionals working behind desks. 

Self-curated experiences are also key for older men.  That is, they do not want a lot of facilitation from staff.  They are happiest when they are given a map of the site or a floorplan of the museum . . . and then let loose. 

But while they generally avoid guided tours, if you have the keys to the storage area, or the attic or the cellar, men will go along with you to see that.  As one man in his sixties noted, "I enjoy behind the scenes opportunities.   To see attics or basements that are not usually available . . . " 

Underlying all of this is a burning desire to learn, because "I just enjoy learning new things," as one older man noted. 

Older Men - Great Engagement, Great Opportunity

So what does it all boil down to?  Older men are highly engaged, curious, philanthropic visitors and supporters of museums.

When serving older men, keep in mind that they are focused on adult activities and their own personal growth.  They want those behind-the-scenes opportunities, and they want the facts.  They are confident visitors who know how to navigate museums, and who often already have an excellent level of knowledge about history, science, and art, but they still want you to include a layer of new information that they will find stimulating. 

The audience of older men is relatively small, but with their interest, lifestyle, and affluence, they represent an under-tapped opportunity.  How?  They are in a time of their life when they are pursuing their personal interests intensely.  Museums can do a great deal more to attract greater audiences of older men by creating, as one older man requested, "higher level learning experiences" catering to their interests.  This extends to volunteer and development opportunities as well. 

The big question, going forward, is how Baby Boomer men will approach retirement.  To date, they have reinvented each lifestage anew, and there is no reason to think that their approach to retirement will be like that of their parents.  Will they follow these patterns, or will they chart a new course . . . which may not involve museums as much?  Will they also want to work with their hands?  Or will they want to provide other types of volunteer services?  In the meantime, we will be keeping an eye on the activities of the first wave of Boomer retirees, and how their behaviors will affect museums and volunteering.

Overall, however, older men are a fantastic audience.  They are happy with museums, and they find museums stimulating.  They exhibit deeper levels of engagement than other audiences primarily because their primary motivations for visiting are personal.  They are, in short, a dream audience. 

We would love to hear your thoughts.  Simply click on “comments” below.  (If you are reading this from your e-mail subscription to the blog, please go to our blog's website to add a comment.)