Creating a More Equitable Visitor Experience: How Museums Foster and Respond to Change

CREATING AN EQUITABLE VISITOR EXPERIENCE: HOW MUSEUMS FOSTER & RESPOND
TO CHANGE Sue Goodwin, Jody Green, & Andrew Schoeneman

Who We Are Sue Goodwin Jody Green Andrew Schoeneman

AGENDA 1. The “Problem,” Background and Significance 2. Scholarship and
Literature 3. Introduction of Community Practice Framework 4. Case Study Method and Findings 5. Group Exercise

Introduction Summary Museums, in addition to serving as guardians of
the past, have the opportunity to be the interpreters of history. In order to remain relevant, museums need to adapt to a new social consciousness and to foster more equitable understandings of culture, history and art. This presentation will focus on how museums are adapting to and/or helping foster new social consciousness around important issues and remaining relevant to the new or newly aware audiences and visitors that come with that transformation. Our Approach Utilizing a multi paradigmatic community practice framework, the presenters will address visitor services, community outreach, volunteer management, exhibiting strategies, and presenting difficult topics. An experiential component will allow participants to assess progress in their own place of employment in this regard.

Background History Thomas Allom, ‘The Grand Gallery of the Louvre’
(ca. 1844) A wide scale photograph from 1880 showing the South entrance of the Museum at Great Russell Street.

Problem Museums must move outside of their old modes of
operation in order to adapt to the needs of the 21st century and remain relevant. Otherwise, they risk long-term sustainability. Museums in the 21st Century must address and respond to the below in order to remain relevant: -An aging and homogenous philanthropic pool and less philanthropy from government entities -Younger, millennial audiences who value experience over all else And, most especially the focus of our presentation: -Changing demographics and consciousness of the American populace and therefore who the museum’s audience is and how they can be best served

Significance Implications for Museums Most museums tout enhancing, serving, educating,
or improving their communities in their mission statements. By excluding some members of society, museums are less inclusive, do not relate to many members of their communities--in effect defining “community” narrowly- -and do not increase community benefit overall.

Practice in the Field Why Museums Should Address This Problem:
It’s the Right Thing to Do and Field Thought Leaders Agree Dr. Johnnetta B. Cole Laura Raicovich

Why Museums Should Address This Problem: It’s the Smart Thing
to Do for Long-Term Sustainability and Field Thought Leaders Agree Darren Walker Practice in the Field Natanya Khashan

Literature Review The scholarly research we reviewed on this subject
centers around several key themes: 1. Organizational Identity a. Static Storehouse to Dynamic Learning Environment b. Authoritative versus Convening c. Politically Passive or Active 2. Diversity, Equity, Accessibility and Inclusion a. Serving Diverse Needs and Interests of Visitors b. Representation Within Museum Personnel c. Unconscious Bias 3. Community and Belonging a. Part of or Distinct from Community? b. Programming and Services c. Input Process

Literature Review Identity: • What is a museum and what
is its purpose? Museums all over the world are struggling to redefine themselves, changing from being static storehouses for artefacts into active learning environments for people (Hooper-Greenhill, E. 2004). • The relationship between knowledge and power in a museum is being examined under the lens of “truth”-whose truth is being presented and under what circumstances (Bennett, T. 2018). • Are museums being objective or subjective with the narrative? Then again, are truths being manipulated to please the potential audience? In his study of the Creation Museum in Kentucky, Didier Maleuvre makes the case against the “museum that, as per the multicultural ideal, tailors science to the sensibility of its customer base, in this instance the sensibility of American biblical literalists”(Maleuvre, 2012).

Literature Review Identity: • As a counterpoint, in his study
of cultural inclusion and exclusion, Kevin Coffee explores how cultural practices can affect museum strategies and visitor perception (Coffee, 2008). The study concludes that a museum can not effect broad accessibility if it does not intend to confront, at least episodically, the social forces that underlie or overlay its existence.

Literature Review Diversity, Equity, Accessibility, and Inclusion • In order
to serve the needs of ever diversifying audiences, the need to address issues of diversity, equity, accessibility and inclusion are paramount for all institutions. Most attention has emphasized external inclusion; diversifying audiences and creating more physically and intellectually accessible programs and services (Taylor, 2017). • Creating diversity and inclusivity within the institution itself has been a challenge, as Maurice Davies notes in his study of diversity in the museum workforce. There is a significant under-representation of minority-ethnic groups in most areas of museum work (Davies, 2010). His study looks at training programs and internships among other practical solutions to narrowing the gap.

Literature Review Community involvement and belonging • In order to
remain relevant, museums must support the meaningful engagement of their users, and they must look outwards to reach out and engage directly with their communities and with contemporary issues (Black, G.2012). • Community involvement can range from the external such as social services (Silverman, 2010) to activism, where the institution not only “provides a place for public dialog, but participates actively in the dialogues themselves (Leschenko, 2016),” as in the case of the Movement Museum in Malmo, Sweden. • In the case of the operating policies of the museum itself, community input can “validate and solidify audience identities, whether they be ethnic, regional or global” (Rosenberg, 2011), bringing a more balanced perspective to programming and exhibition strategies.

How do museums define and work with communities and respond,
internally and externally, to their changing needs and concerns? Research Question

Intersection of Community and Museums (Thomas, O’Connor, & Netting, 2011)

Three Questions Posed 1. What is community and how do
we define it? 1. How do we understand truth and narrative? 1. Do we seek to maintain the status quo, to foster incremental change, or to bring about radical change?

1. What is Community? Analysis of a museum’s interactions with
community is premised on a clear understanding of how this community, or these communities, are defined. Is the community one of ...geography or location? neighborhood, city, state, region ...identity or demographics? latinx, wealthy, queer, (dis)abled ...affinity or interest? history, art, justice, ideology ...affiliation or membership? profession, organization, association Has your museum done an analysis of its current, and aspirational, stakeholder communities?

2. How is truth (narrative) understood and determined? Subjective Objective
Is reality and truth context dependent? Is there one Truth regardless of context? Are various perspectives and truths valued? Is one Truth and perspective dominant and valued above others? Is the narrative developed and presented inclusively? Is the narrative established a priori and without meaningful input from various stakeholders?

3. What is the orientation to status quo and change?
Does your museum believe that… • fundamental, structural change is necessary • the current state of affairs is unacceptable • conflict is part of transforming society and must be embraced Or, does your museum believe that… • incremental change is sufficient or preferred • we should focus on helping people adapt and thrive in the current social order Regulation Radical Change

(Thomas, O’Connor, & Netting, 2011) Traditional Community Practice - Reality
is external and fixed - Status quo should be maintained and worked within - Incremental change is the goal - Planning is linear and hierarchical - Desired program outcomes are consistent with the goal of preserving a functional and stable community - Power is concentrated at the top of the org chart - Political approach is a politics of control - Evaluation is geared toward the product and outcomes, not the process

(Thomas, O’Connor, & Netting, 2011) Collaborative Community Practice - Reality
is a product of the mind and is context dependent - Status quo should be understood from as many perspectives as possible to inform action - Incremental change is typically the focus - Planning is iterative and circular - Desired program outcomes are consistent with the goal of fostering an inclusive community - Process and outcomes are fused - Power is distributed throughout the org chart - Political approach is a politics of collaboration - Evaluation is geared toward the process, not the product, and how participants make meaning of that process

(Thomas, O’Connor, & Netting, 2011) Radical Community Practice - Reality
is contested, but one version of Truth tends to dominate - Status quo should be fundamentally transformed to address structural injustices - Consciousness raising and structural change is the goal - Planning is participatory and rational - Desired program outcomes are consistent with the goal of fostering a new reality - Power resides in oppressive structures and also in collectives of marginalized people - Political approach is a politics of contest and threat - Evaluation is geared toward the end result as well as the consciousness raising that occurs among participants

Field Response/Mode of Engagement • Mellon Foundation, AAMD, AAM and
Ithaka S & R study to explore museum DEAI initiatives in relation to: ◦ Collections, Programs, Community Engagement, Partnerships, and Board development • Ford and Walton Family Foundation Diversifying Art Museum Leadership Initiative (continuing the work of the Mellon Foundation) focus on career development options for diverse professionals: ◦ Fellowships, Mentorships, and Internships

Andy Warhol Museum Mission: Located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, the place
of Andy Warhol’s birth, The Andy Warhol Museum holds the largest collection of Warhol’s artworks and archival materials. The mission sets out “To engage and inspire through Warhol’s life, art and legacy.” Type: Fine Arts Institution Response analyzed: In response to an ad campaign for an upcoming exhibition gone wrong, the Warhol Museum’s former director sat down with D.S. Kinsel a community stakeholder, African American artist, and activist for a conversation to better understand each other’s narratives and the community. As a result, a now multi-year program titled “Activist Print” was developed, starting with a mural project on vacant properties in Pittsburgh. These murals addressed police brutality. A forum with the chief of police, the museum’s director, and Kinsel was also held to address the topic.

Andy Warhol Museum Community/Power: Geography, affinity, identity. While power at
the Warhol Museum is top down, engaging with community stakeholders indicates that that there is room for a multitude of voices through collaboration Change: Collaborative process, geared toward inclusion, moving toward transformational Truth: More subjective than some of the traditional modes that museums are used to

Baltimore Museum of Art Mission: The BMA seeks innovation and
excellence in an artistic program that focuses on art of the modern era, from the 19th century to the present. The Museum is committed to creating an environment that inspires creativity, encourages learning, and fosters human understanding in a place where everyone feels welcome. Type: Fine Arts Institution Response analyzed: In August 2019, the BMA announced its 2020 Vision, a year of exhibitions and programs dedicated to the presentation of the achievements of female-identifying artists. The museum has also committed to exclusively purchasing works by female-identifying artists during 2020 and will explore objects across genre, style, and medium in every collecting area. The BMA has committed a budget of up to $2 million for acquisitions to implement a broader vision to address race and gender diversity gaps within the museum field, and to represent more fully and deeply the spectrum of individuals that have shaped the trajectory of art. Amy Sherald’s Planes, rockets, and the spaces in between, 2018, at the BMA.

Baltimore Museum of Art Community/Power: Geography and identity. Power is
still top down; decision to move in this direction appears to be made by the director and board. Change: Attempting to raise consciousness but stops short of structural change agenda Truth: Elements of both objective and subjective

Museum of Movements Mission: The museum is expected to open
in 2024; the mission statement has not yet been established. The aim is to address migrations, human rights, and civil society based activism in a public space that engenders open discussion around difficult issues. Type: History & Cultural Heritage Response analyzed: The museum is being developed by the Malmo Cultural department, and the planning has involved over 100 organizations and 600 people. The plan is for over 200 nationalities to be represented, reflecting the emerging multicultural population of Sweden.

Museum of Movements Community/Power: Identity and affinity. Collaborative, within existing
government and the community Change: Radical, moving towards a new reality that reflects the changing population Truth: Subjective reflecting many viewpoints

Whitney Plantation Mission: Located in Wallace, Louisiana, the Whitney Plantation
is a museum of slavery on the grounds of a historical sugar, rice and indigo plantation established in 1752. As a site of memory, Whitney Plantation features several memorials dedicated to the enslaved people who were forced to live and work here and throughout Louisiana. Type: Historical Site Response analyzed: The Whitney portrays the plantation experience purely from the perspective of the enslaved population. Deep scholarly research into the global history of slavery forms a framework for visitors to use in their interpretation of the site. Descendants of the original enslaved population are among the tour guides.

Whitney Plantation Community/Power: Geography and identity. Privately owned, locus of
power is at the top of the institution but shared throughout the community Change: Radical consciousness raising; presents visitors with an intimate view of a difficult past, suggesting need for structure change Truth: Subjective, foregrounds personal narratives

• Something to explore further, based on these cases, is
how museums are attempting to become more collaborative, and what that collaboration actually means or looks like on the ground • The internal roles and functions, e.g. human resource management, strategic planning, volunteer management, have critical connections to how museums implement their goals and priorities related to this framework • There are external factors that impact the operations/decisions of the museum that may be explained outside of the framework; these factors include: -Funding Sources -Role of the organization -Stakeholders -Lifecycle stage of the organization -Definition of Community -Size of the organization Lessons Learned from Case Studies

Using frameworks from other disciplines can be helpful to museums
as they navigate a changing landscape. Change can be incremental or radical, or somewhere in between; power can start the top, be collaborative, or come from the outside; truth can be subjective or objective. The change from the museum as a “temple” to a place of community inclusion and activism takes many different forms, all dependent on the particular place and institution. There is no one answer to what a museum should be and what place it takes in the community. The controversy around the ICOM definition of a museum illustrates just how many different ideologies there are on this matter, and there may not be a single definition that works for all institutions in all places. Perhaps the role of museums, like the work of photographer Dorothea Lange, may be to become “less about bearing witness to history and more about engaging directly with it, being part of history itself”(NY Times, 2020). Conclusions

Exercise/Workshop Part i • Apply framework to your institution •
In pairs Part ii • Hypothetical case study • Large group discussion and conclusions

Who We Are Sue Goodwin [email protected] Jody Green [email protected] Andrew
Schoeneman [email protected]

Bibliography Bennett, T. (2018). Museums, Power and Knowledge. London: Taylor
& Francis. Black, G. (2012). Transforming Museums in the 21st Century. London: Taylor & Francis. Coffee, K. (2003). Cultural Inclusion, Exclusion and the Formative Roles of Museums. Museum Management and Curatorship. Cole, J. B., & Lott, L. L. (2019). Diversity, equity, accessibility, and inclusion in museums. Washington, D.C: American Alliance of Museums Press. Crooke, E. (2008). Museums and Community-Ideas, Issues and Challenges. London: Routledge. Davies, M., & Shaw, L. (2010). Measuring the ethnic diversity of the museum workforce and the impact and cost of positive-action training, with particular reference to the Diversify scheme, . Cultural Trends, 147-179. Hooper-Greenhill, E. (2004). Museums and Their Visitors. New York, London: Taylor and Francis. Maleuvre, D. (2012). Must Museums be Inclusive. Journal of Educational Media. Pandolfi, E. (2019, May 15). How Rapid-Response Exhibits are Changing the Way Museums Engage Their Communities. Next City.

Bibliography Rondolini, D. E. (n.d.). A Brief History of the
Art Museum. Retrieved from Khan Academy: http://www.khanacademy.org Rosenberg, T. J. (2011). History Museums and Social Cohesion: Building Identity, Bridging Communities, and Addressing Difficult Issues. Peabody Journal of Education, 115-128. Sandell, R. (2012). Museums, equality and social justice. London: Routledge. Silverman, L. H. (2010). The Social Work of Museums. New York: Routledge. Sweeney, L., & Schonfeld, R. (2018, September 20). Ithaka S+R: Interrogating Institutional Practices in Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion. Retrieved from https://sr.ithaka.org/publications/interrogating-institutional-practices-in- equity-diversity-and-inclusion/ Taylor, C. (2017). From Systemic Exclusion to systemic Inclusion: A Critical Look at Museums . Journal of Museum Education, 55-162. Thomas, L., O’Connor, M. K., & Netting, F. E. (2011). A framework for teaching community practice. Journal of Social Work Education, 47(2), 337-355. Doi: 10.2307/23044455 Zabalueva, O. (2018). Museum as Activist(Re) Inventing Institutional Paradigm at the Museum of Movements in Malmo. Lund, Sweden: Lund University.

Creating a More Equitable Visitor Experience: How Museums Foster and Respond to Change

Creating a More Equitable Visitor Experience: How Museums Foster and Respond to Change

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