Museums for All is a cooperative initiative between the Association of Children’s Museums (ACM) and the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) to offer a signature access program that encourages families of all backgrounds to visit museums regularly and build lifelong museum habits. Museums for All is a way to broaden a museum’s visitor base and reach out to underserved communities. The following program evaluation gathered information from participating Museums for All organizations about how their participation
in the initiative influenced their access programs, internal processes, partnerships, and visitors.
Museums
The Effects of Facilitated Single-Visit Art Museum Programs on Students Grades 4-6
Spearheaded by the Museum Education Division of the National Art Education Association (NAEA) and the Association of Art Museum Directors (AAMD) with funding from the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) and the Samuel H. Kress Foundation, RK&A conducted a national study of the effects of facilitated single-visit art museum programs on students in grades 4-6. The results of this study are critical. Facilitated single-visit programs are the most common way art museums serve K-12 students; yet, there is a dearth of rigorous research about the effects of these programs.
In this study, facilitated single-visit programs are defined as one-time museum field trips in which students engage with original works of art within the physical setting of an art museum. Students are led by a representative of the museum (trained volunteer docent or staff member) who uses
inquiry-based pedagogies to guide students in discussions about works of art. The study team hypothesized that “though short in duration, single-visit programs affect students in complex, multi-dimensional ways; there is not one direct effect, but rather potentially multiple, interrelated
effects that are central to the education of young people in particular: creative thinking, critical thinking, sensorial and affective responses, human connections, and academic connections.”
Through a quasi-experimental study, we measured the effects of facilitated single-visit art museum programs on students. Ultimately, we found that a facilitated single-visit program in an art museum affects students in grades 4-6 in four ways:
- QUESTIONING: Students ask more complex questions about works of art
- MULTIPLE INTERPRETATIONS: Students are more accepting of multiple interpretations of a work of art
- PHYSICALITY OF ART: Students are more likely to think about art in terms of its material properties
- EMOTIVE RECALL: Students experience greater emotive recall of the program
The above benefits are the result of a facilitated single-visit program in an art museum; please note we did not find these same benefits for students who received a similar one-time classroom program. A close examination of the data, which are elaborated upon in this document, reveals the nuances and complexity inherent in these results. The graphic on the next page begins to clarify the relationship between teaching and learning during facilitated single-visit art museum programs, although further discussion is necessary to identify its many implications.
Art Museum Staff Demographic Survey
Ithaka S+R, The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, the Association of Art Museum Directors (AAMD), and the American Alliance of Museums (AAM) set out to quantify with demographic data an issue that has been of increasing concern within and beyond the arts community: the lack of representative diversity in professional museum roles. Our analysis found there were structural barriers to entry in these positions for people of color.
Calm and collected: Museums and galleries: the U.K.’s untapped wellbeing resource?
The research that informs this report shows that we are anxious about our workload, our financial situations, health issues and social isolation, to name a few – and we struggle to find enough time to pursue activities that could
contribute to our wellbeing, such as visiting museums and galleries.
The results of two stages f research – a UK-wide representative survey, and
a qualitative social study in which participants were encouraged to visit museums and galleries once a week with a National Art Pass and keep a diary of their activities – suggest that engaging with the nation’s art collections more frequently can help improve our wellbeing. It is an
activity that can bring people together, and over time it can become part of an approach to life that people may find healthier and more balanced.
In the survey, those who say they regularly visit museums and galleries as part of their overall lifestyle choices tend to feel much more satisfied with
their lives, and in the social study, those who visit at least once a week report a range of benefits, from learning new things to finding space
to reflect.
Yet only 6% of us regularly take advantage of our national art collections.
While 51% of those surveyed say they would like to visit
museums and galleries more regularly – and 63% say they
have at some point visited specifically to ‘de-stress’ – only
6% of us actually visit at least once a month.
Overall, both the quantitative survey and the qualitative
social study suggest that museums and galleries are a
significant untapped resource at our disposal that can help
us achieve a greater sense of wellbeing when we take time
out for ourselves.
Art Museum Staff Demographic Survey 2018
In order to gauge the extent to which progress has been made since 2015 towards increasing staff diversity in art museums, in 2018 we undertook a second iteration of the demographic survey, partnering again with AAMD, AAM and Ithaka S+R. The aggregate findings are presented in this report. We are extremely grateful to the 332 art museums that responded to the survey. It is especially helpful to have received responses from 136 institutions that had also submitted their data in 2015, allowing for direct comparisons over time for that cohort.
At a high level, the study has found some meaningful progress in the representation of people of color in a number of different museum functions, including the curatorial. We also found an increase in the number of women in museum leadership positions from 2015 to 2018. Nevertheless, the data also shows that progress has been uneven. While trends in recent hiring are encouraging, certain parts of the museum appear not as quick to change, especially the most senior leadership positions.
This second demographic survey of art museums offers a snapshot of change that is overdue, slow, but also real and welcome. These results show that diverse hiring is entirely possible, and encourage all of us to do more to realize that potential. The Mellon Foundation looks forward to continuing to work with our many partners across the field on the great task of making American art museums representative and inclusive of the rich diversity of our country, so that their collections and programs may be a significant and joyful resource for all.
Facing Change: Insights from the American Alliance of Museums’ Diversity, Equity, Accessibility, and Inclusion Working Group
This document presents a shared vocabulary and a set of basic principles to guide museum professionals toward incorporating DEAI into the heart of our work. It is meant to be a starting place, not an endpoint. The working group’s findings are presented here as food for thought to jump-start the long-term processes that effective DEAI work requires.
Our five insights summarize key takeaways from the working group’s conversations about big-picture ideas and specific examples from members’ experiences. Selected responses to questions the group posed at the 2017 AAM Annual Meeting and on social media are meant to highlight feedback and inspire action. Several ideas reappear across sections, since many of the issues we discussed are interconnected. The report also outlines the working group’s process to model how museum staffs, leadership, boards, and other stakeholders can launch similar convenings.
Overall, the report explores challenges faced and lessons learned by a few of those who have taken on the effort to expand DEAI in museums. We invite you to take note of which insights resonate with you and share those notes with others. Continue to visit the Alliance website to join the conversation through blog posts and other interactive opportunities.
