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  • 1.  Visitor wants -- guided vs. not?

    Posted 02-07-2017 11:03 AM
    Hi everyone -

    I'm looking for research to back up what I thought would be a pretty simple question: Do art museum visitors want guided experiences or not? I know it's a very general question that doesn't account for a slew of variables. I'm interested in "general" visitors, not part of a special group or school, visiting permanent collection galleries, not special exhibitions. Overall, is there a demand for "highlights" type experiences, either with a docent/guide or with an audio device? Or do people, generally, prefer to wander and discover as they go? Have any of you researched this question in your institutions (or read studies of others who have), and would you be willing to share? Again, I know this is simplistic and reductive, but I think there's got to be some stats out there. Thanks so much!

    Best,
    Stefania

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    Stefania Van Dyke
    Denver Art Museum
    Denver CO
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  • 2.  RE: Visitor wants -- guided vs. not?

    Posted 02-07-2017 02:38 PM
    Edited by Tiffany Trieu 02-07-2017 02:38 PM
    Hi Stefania,

    I think the key to your question is if you are trying to attract a new group of "general" visitors. I find people can perceive art galleries as unwelcoming, uncomfortable if they feel that they don't have historical knowledge to "understand" the art.  I found a great example of making art more personable, as well as providing a layer of interpretation here Sukiennice "Secrets Behind Paintings.

    Of course, it would be nice to put a twist on audio tours (i.e. having variations of docent voiceovers by giving them different personalities) this way it would encourage visitors to revisit galleries and come back to listen to different versions of tours...all of this speaking from a visitor's standpoint.

    ------------------------------
    Best,
    Tiffany Trieu

    Exhibit Designer
    Gallagher & Associates
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  • 3.  RE: Visitor wants -- guided vs. not?

    Posted 02-07-2017 03:51 PM
    Thanks, Tiffany. No, not necessarily. Essentially, we don't have a permanent collection audio tour (though we do have a live "highlights" tour with a docent offered 2x per day) and I really want to know if there's a demand for that--in general--in art museums. Of course we could do our own research and poll people regarding our museum specifically, but thought there might be some gross info out there. Thanks for passing along that video!

    Best,
    Stefania

    ------------------------------
    Stefania Van Dyke
    Denver Art Museum
    Denver CO
    ------------------------------

    Original Message


  • 4.  RE: Visitor wants -- guided vs. not?

    Posted 02-08-2017 08:05 AM
    Always lots to consider for these issues, and I generally think it's best to examine your specific situation rather than looking for larger trends.

    At Mia, we often use the Falk model of visitor motivation. If you can discover what group your visitors generally fall into, then you can plan programming accordingly. An "explorer" probably won't want a guided tour, but other audiences will.

    If you've got volunteer docents leading tours that are not well-attended you also need to consider issues of volunteer morale that are equally important. How could you use those volunteers to help understand the visitors?

    We've done a little informal survey work interviewing people who do come to our daily public tour. Some know about the tour in advance, and come specifically for that content, and others just stumble upon it. If those people that stumble upon it are in the majority, how can we offer that content in another way and save our volunteers for other activity? 

    Good luck!

    ___________________________________________________________
    Juline A. Chevalier, Head of Interpretation and Participatory Experiences
    Minneapolis Institute of Art
    2400 Third Avenue South
    Minneapolis, MN 55404
    Phone: 612-870-6317
    jchevalier@artsmia.org | www.artsmia.org  




    ------Original Message------

    Thanks, Tiffany. No, not necessarily. Essentially, we don't have a permanent collection audio tour (though we do have a live "highlights" tour with a docent offered 2x per day) and I really want to know if there's a demand for that--in general--in art museums. Of course we could do our own research and poll people regarding our museum specifically, but thought there might be some gross info out there. Thanks for passing along that video!

    Best,
    Stefania

    ------------------------------
    Stefania Van Dyke
    Denver Art Museum
    Denver CO
    ------------------------------


  • 5.  RE: Visitor wants -- guided vs. not?

    Posted 02-09-2017 04:02 PM
    Hi Juline,
    Thanks so much -- yes, Falk is key to our work, too, but I keep thinking about how visitors fall into different categories on different days, under different circumstances, and how there SEEM to be so many fewer of certain types than others. For example, I just got stats from our live highlights tours and only about 0.3% of our total visitors participated last year. You're right that it could have something to do with volunteer morale or any number of other issues. In any case, it's great to learn about how other museums are grappling with these questions. Thanks for your response!
    Best,
    Stefania

    ------------------------------
    Stefania Van Dyke
    Museum Educator and Interpretation Specialist
    Denver Art Museum
    Denver CO
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    Original Message


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