The Museum Outside In Silvia Filippini Fantoni, Indianapolis Museum of Art
The Collection
User-centred Approach Visitor-Centered Approach
Visitor-Centricity at the IMA Implementation of a new exhibition development model Creation of an audience research and evaluation team Development of participatory projects
New Exhibition Development Process
Principles Make the exhibition development process more collaborative from the start by including representatives from various departments, who contribute different perspectives. Include representatives of Evaluation and Interpretation who are charged with prioritizing the needs and interests of visitors and who ensure that learning theories are applied to the process. Identify early in the process the exhibition s main thesis (big idea) and learning outcomes and use these as a reference to develop interpretive material, gallery design and layout, criteria to evaluate success. Incorporate testing and evaluation at the various steps of the exhibition development process, to guarantee that visitor feedback is taken into account.
Objectives Make exhibitions more accessible to visitors, particularly those that have little or no previous knowledge of art or art history. Increase visitors engagement with artworks and the institution, as well as their understanding of art. Increase visitors satisfaction with their experiences. Attract new audiences and increase repeat visitation.
Exhibition Proposal Process Preliminary Proposal*. Curatorial meeting discussion. Proposal is presented by curator. Exhibition Committee vet and approve.** Approval by Exhibition Committee and scheduling. Core team is established Front-end evaluation: Test visitors interest in topic/concept (if appropriate) Core team Staff from various depts. Senior management or exhibition committee Curatorial staff
Exhibition Development Process Formative evaluation with visitors* Big idea Document ** Interpretation Plan*** Checklist finalized Exhibition Layout Evaluation Plan Graphic Design (cont.) Content development Exhibition Committee vet and approve Activity development Core team Department staff Senior management or exhibition committee
Big Idea The landscapes and rich cultural traditions of the Southwest fueled the imaginations of early 20 th century artists like Georgia O Keeffe. The evocative still life paintings produced by these artists provide a fascinating example of art s capacity to document the essence of a place.
Learning Outcomes The Southwest art scene: Visitors will learn about the early 20 th century phenomenon of artists visiting the Southwest Southwestern culture: Visitors will learn more about the context and culture of the Southwest Artistic approach/style: Visitors will explore the varied approaches to still-life painting employed by Georgia O Keeffe and her contemporaries About O Keeffe: Visitors will explore Georgia O Keeffe s life, career, and fascination with the Southwest Defining still life: Visitors will expand their understanding of what a still-life is and what it can convey.
Interpretive Plan
Text Content Development Process Interpretation Plan & Layout First draft by Curator Revision by Interpretation Revision by Editor Production by Design Proof review by Editor Test sample labels with visitors (if appropriate) Installation * This includes labels, wall-graphics, didactics, other text-based interpretation.
Audiovisual Content Development Interpretation Plan Interview questions by Interpretation Revision by Curator Interviews or filming Editing by Media Producer Revision by Curator Installation Upload content into technology tool Test with visitors (if appropriate)
Participatory & Hands on Experiences Interpretation Plan Concept Proposal by Interpretation Approval by Core team and Conservation Specification & Design Review by core team Test prototype with visitors Installation Test with visitors (if necessary) Development or Fabrication
Challenges Resistance mostly from curatorial staff Fear that exhibition is dumbed down Fear that interpretation tools might distract the visitor from experiencing art Resistance from other organizations (canned shows) that are not willing to modify their show More time-consuming More contentious Benefits Increased visitor satisfaction New ways of measuring success Key messages are communicated more effectively Better integration and usage of interpretative and participatory experiences
Audience Research & Evaluation
Front-End: Automobile Design n=576 35% 30% 27% 31% 25% 20% 21% 21% 15% 10% 5% 0% Art Deco Automobiles Duesenbergs Automobile Masterpieces Concept Cars
Formative: Robert Indiana Visitors interests: Artist s life (30/40) Inspiration (30/40) Process/technique (26/40) Artist s or other s explanation about the meaning behind the work (7/40)
Formative: Star Studio Focus Group
Remedial: Prototype Testing www.imamuseum.org/autoportrait
Summative: Exhibition Evaluations Assess if learning outcomes have been met Assess if expectations regarding level of satisfaction, and use of interpretive tools have been met Identify problems that might be addressed in future exhibitions Audience demographics & psychographics
Snapshot Exhibition Observation
% Usage of Exhibition Elements Elements Used Extended Labels Simple Labels Artworks 70% 60% 50% 40% 30% 20% 10% 0% 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Gallery # Gallery 2 had the highest percentage of observed element usage in the exhibition The biggest drop in the percentage of elements used is after gallery 5, this is particularly true for extended labels and artworks
Creating Participatory Experiences
Participatory Experiences: Why? Engage visitors in innovative ways Develop new audiences Reinforce the perception of a museum as a more inclusive organization
MY SNAPSHOT
View entries by: - Most popular - Most recent - Most viewed Search for topic, photographer, title Browse by popular tags
Embed, Share, Flag Vote View related photos Comment using Facebook account
Onsite Component
Key Numbers 2,681 photos submitted 552 photographers 33,000 visit to the website 11.3% of photos with comments Most Popular: 2,897 votes
Inspired by Matisse
IMA: https://www.imamuseum.org/inspiredbymatisse/
Key Numbers 3,922 drawings submitted 30,709, visits Most popular: 1,457 votes 3% of drawings with comments
Create Your Autoportrait
http://www.imamuseum.org/autoportrait
Key Numbers # of autoportraits made: 3,706 Survey: 40% of exhibition visitors have created an autoportrait 4,132 visits online by 1,248 visitors
Pointillize Yourself
Questions? sfantoni@imamuseum.org