Museum Audience Insight

School Field Trips Up in Smoke (Traveler's Rest isn't, though)

When I was in fourth grade, we were scheduled to go on a field trip to a historic house museum, Traveler’s Rest.  We gathered that morning in the school lunchroom, ready to board the buses.  The air crackled with excitement.  Someone had heard there was Indian blood on the stairs of the house from an attack!  The titillation of seeing that.

And then Miss Fannie Mae Baker, one of the teachers, came in and told us, in grave tones that, sadly, Traveler’s Rest had burned down just last night.  We were all devastated. 

Turns out Miss Baker was just teasing us (she is a lovely lady, by the way).  Traveler’s Rest is still calmly standing and welcoming visitors, mysterious red-stained stair and all (though the “Indian” story is pretty well debunked). 

I remember that trip fondly and vividly, and I bet at least some of my White County Elementary School classmates feel likewise. 

This morning, the Wall Street Journal ran an article about school field trips, sharing the excitement kids felt about taking hikes, going to plays, and visiting museums.  But, as the article continues, those trips are increasingly being cut as school budgets shrink.  Even free museums, with travel funds to give to schools, are seeing fewer bookings as schools cut back every incidental penny they can find. 

It is a shame, and could have long-term ramifications that will haunt museums for years.  Why?  Our preliminary research indicates about a quarter of Museum Advocates had seminal childhood memories of museums . . . from school field trips.  School field trips appear to be a critical pathway to lifelong learning for children who may not otherwise visit museums with their families.  These cuts shut out important experiences for children that can, ultimately, lead to a habit of learning, curiosity, and museum-going in adulthood . . . . and in future generations. 

We have posted on this subject before, and as we continue our research on Museum Advocates this winter, we will undoubtedly post again.  Bottom line, school field trips are important.

Do you have fond memories of childhood field trips?  How has your museum dealt with school budget cuts?  We would love to hear your thoughts.  Simply click on “comments” below to share your thoughts (and if you are reading this from your e-mail subscription, go to our blog to comment).

 -Susie

'Curating' in a new world?

Interesting article on the cover of this week’s SundayStyles section of the New York Times on how the “curating…has become a fashionable code word among the aesthetically minded, who seem to pass it onto any activity that involves culling and selecting.”   The article mentions ‘curators’ who run sneaker stores, flea market swap meets, consignment shops, music websites….  It’s such a sought-after moniker that the article mentions that serving as a guest curator of a design blog, craft fair or department store has become an honor.

It’s easy to write this off as a fad, but in the past few years that we’ve been talking about the concept of the public embracing the role of ‘curating’ their worlds outside the museum sphere, there are a few points that have been fun to kick around:

The obvious driver behind this is the continued acceleration of the internet.  Sure, some of us of a certain age may have made mix tapes in our younger years, but it’s a rather different ballgame when the depth and breadth of creative inputs are far greater than ever before, as is the potential to build a sizable following.  Simultaneously, in a digital world where we’re bombarded with inputs, there’s a real role that these new ‘curators’ fulfill.   Given that we don’t see the internet slowing down anytime soon, this shift clearly fits in our model for fundamental trends likely to continue rather than short-lived fads likely to fade away.

But perhaps a bigger driver behind this shift is that there’s a generation under 30 years old that’s simply far more likely to be wired this way.  That might mean they assume that the curators in their lives are their peers or strangers online…or they think of themselves as curators for their peers…or they view their digital time as a means to curate their own lives.  In part, it’s a logical extension of how young adults have always tried to separate themselves from prior generations.   But our museum audience research and our broader consumer research is pointing towards an entirely new level of generational separation.  The segment within this generation that we call “Extremely Creative Consumers” is a real force, dramatically reshaping the definition of creativity for themselves and those around them.   We’re pretty certain that this shift will end up as one of the defining characteristics of this generation of young adults, even as they progress through later life stages.  The folks at the AAM's Center for the Future of Museums have cleverly coined this as part of the "MyCulture" trend, and we view this as a real force that we're going to see play out for decades to come.

So here are a few interesting questions to ponder:

First:  Does the use (or overuse) of the word "curator" help or hurt museums?  We would argue it might be negative for museums that simply ignore this trend.  Likewise, acknowledging this trend could really help open up the eyes of the public about the role and value of the curating that museums do...but that might take some 'curating' of the work of curators to help audiences see more of how the curating work of museums really matters.

Second:  As more of the public (at least among younger audiences) redefine the role of curating in their lives, does this mean that museums will have to redefine that role as well?  While it’s highly unlikely that this trend gets to the point where we’ll see people mounting their own Calder or dinosaur exhibits from home, is there a way to help passionate amateurs engage more with museums?  We’ve seen some museums start to engage community groups to help curate exhibits or even ‘crowdsource’ some of the key decisions for an exhibit.  Will we see museums enlist amateur 'curators' to assist with online efforts?  Or will we see curators become a far more prominent public face of museums, where a younger audience that is increasingly migrating to a new type of curator can cultivate their passions someplace unexpected...like a museum?  (Any examples out there of where rethinking the role of curating is having positive -- or negative -- impact?)

Third:  We’ve seen in many fields how these shifts have decimated the role of the 'expert.'  The relevance of the editors at Britannica and the World Book has been completely blown to bits by the Wikipedians.  In many markets, for many subjects, the power of the newspaper editor has been usurped by bloggers.  One of the differentiating factors here is that museums deal with more than digitizable bits; there’s also a physical component that’s rather important to many out there. But it’s undeniable that we’re in the midst of a fundamental shift in public attitudes and expectations of the role of the ‘expert’ and their relevance in the lives of the audiences they serve.

A bit frightening…but also sort of exciting to think about ways museums can serve an audience that is increasingly hungry for curated work that enriches their lives.

As always, we look forward to the conversation…  Simply click on “comments” below (and if you are reading this from your e-mail subscription, go to our blog to comment).

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!

Gaming, Museums, and the Future

The future.  Right now it may look a bit scary, with museums reporting layoffs, cutbacks.  

 

Yet the future is also incredibly exciting.  And we think museums can benefit from the changes the future will bring.  

 

AAM’s Center for the Future of Museums (CFM) is helping museums think about the challenges, and opportunities, of the future.  And they are doing so in some very creative ways.

 

Last month, CFM hosted a provocative, and thought-provoking, lecture by game designer and researcher Jane McGonigal on “Gaming the Future of Museums.”  They are hosting a free webcast of her presentation:

 

Gaming the Future of Museums

 Wednesday, January 28  

1:00 EST/10:00 PST

Click HERE to learn more from CFM and to register

We have seen this presentation, and you won’t want to miss it.

 

 

CFM has also asked us to gaze into our crystal ball and think about the future as well.  It has been mind boggling, fun, and challenging to do so!  And we would love to share what we found.  So join us for our next Museum Conversation:

 

Museums and Society 2034:  Trends and Potential Futures

Monday, February 9

1:00 EST / 10:00 PST

            RSVP to Susie Wilkening at Susie (at) reachadvisors (dot) com

            Space is limited, so RSVP quickly!

 

To download our white paper Museums and Society 2034, go to CFM’s website at http://www.futureofmuseums.org/reading/publications/.  

 

There will be a lot more coming about museums and the future.  Stay tuned . . .