Museum Audience Insight

Free Research Opportunity (or at least some more details)

Over the past few years, we have worked with nearly 150 museums across the country, surveying over 30,000 museum-going households about their motivations, expectations, and experiences with museums.

This research, which we have shared widely through this blog, has told us a lot about our repeat visitors.  But it has also raised far more questions. 

Now, we want to dig deeper. We want to figure out if there are certain experiences in childhood that are crucial for the development of what we call Museum Advocates.  We want to understand the different types of Core Visitors, who visit museums often but don't seem to be as engaged as we would like.  Are there ways to engage them more deeply? 

To find out more, we are launching a nation-wide research project.  We'll be looking for a lot of museums, representing a wide variety of genres and from all parts of the country, to apply to participate.  Each participating museum will invite their e-mail lists (and Twitter feeds, and Facebook fans, etc.) to take a survey, and in return, each museum will receive their results, with the overall comps for benchmarking purposes. 

Best of all, for the museums it will be free.  Free data they can use about their museum, and we'll, of course, share the overall results widely with the field.  

Look for more information via this blog, and our e-newsletter, the first week of January.  Mark your calendars so you don't miss it!

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