Museums as Spaces for Comfort and Meaning
These three articles explore the evolving role of museums as spaces that go beyond an authoritarian curatorial voice to being community-centered spaces that encourage active meaning making by diverse audiences.
September Coffee Break Picks
HANNAH’S PICK
Trauma-Informed Content Warnings
“This AAM blog post summarizes why museums should employ more content warnings in their interpretation and labels. A recent project involving visitor interviews made me think of this idea. In the project, a couple of visitors were uncomfortable and emotional about the content of what they were seeing—particularly the way Black artists and artwork were always accompanied by trauma. This post provides arguments to those who may be less receptive to having content warnings in museums, as well as providing ways to take a proactive approach at utilizing trauma-informed practices to establish content warnings.”
EBONY’S PICK
Museums as Third Spaces
“Recently, I have heard a consistent question: where are the third spaces? What happened to the abundance of neighborhood spaces (whether it be a community center, a mall, or a local hotspot) where we could gather, share, relax, and form in-person, communal connections? Adam Rozan’s “Museum as Living Room: A Q&A with Arkansas Museum of Fine Arts’ Victoria Ramirez” touches on how museums have (and can) figuratively and literally break down their walls and fill the role of ‘third spaces.’ In this post, Rozan interviews Dr. Victoria Ramirez, Executive Director of the Arkansas Museum of Fine Arts (AMFA), about AMFA’s new community space, the ‘Cultural Living Room.’”
AMANDA’S PICK
Our God-Shaped Brains
“I have listened to this podcast episode twice already! The title may not naturally draw to mind museums and evaluation, but the second part of the episode had so much resonance. The guest, psychologist Ara Norenzayan, described teleological thinking, which he describes as ‘a fancy word for saying that we often see purpose in the world, even when none exists.’ He describes human discomfort with randomness and thus the search for patterns or coherent stories to make meaning. It made me think about museums as places of meaning making and also my role as an evaluator who looks for patterns within data.”
New on the Learning Hub
What’s New At Kera?
Read about our recently completed project with the Brooklyn Botanic Garden here. The project included a two-phase evaluation of the Garden’s Power of Trees and Trees of Little Caribbean exhibits.
Emily will be attending the Association for Science and Technology Centers’ conference in Chicago from September 27-30 to present findings for our evaluation with ASTC on the Voya STEM Futures program, a STEM program for K-8 students. Check out her session if you are attending!
We’re excited to announce some new projects coming up! We will be kicking off a four-season visitor study at the Capitol Visitor Center, a study looking at how visitors make meaning from new approaches to interpretation at the Baltimore Museum of Art, and a summative exhibition evaluation at the National Portrait Gallery.
Moment of Wonder
“On a recent trip to the West Coast, I stopped by the Chihuly Garden and Glass. I’m always amazed by the beautiful things artists can create from glass! This is an image of Mille Fiori, one of the many exhibits on display. It’s like being in an Alice in Wonderland-like underwater dreamscape.”
— Emily
