As an evaluator with extensive experience in exhibition evaluation, I’m passionate about the intersection of evaluation and experience design. Recently, I spoke with Brenda Cowan, Professor at the Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT), about this topic. Over the past two decades, Brenda has played a key role in shaping and growing FIT’s Exhibition and Experience Design Masters program, consistently emphasizing the importance of evaluation in training future designers. We discussed why she believes it’s crucial for emerging designers to understand how evaluation happens and how it supports their work. Enjoy these highlights from our conversation!

About 10 years ago, I stood in front of my first-ever class, a newly minted teacher. I was nervous: I was still a graduate student. What did I know about teaching? As the class began, I calmed my nerves by wielding one of the few tools I had in my back pocket: an icebreaker question. “Would you rather battle a lion or fight a shark?” The students laughed; they each answered, showing a bit of their personality with each response. My nerves began to settle, and I thought, “Oh, yeah, I forgot. My students and I create this space of dialogue together, and we can use questions to build connections.” As I grew as an educator over the next couple of years, I loved facilitating learning. I was surprised at how much I enjoyed the role of facilitator—I liked (as the cool kids might say) “holding space” for inquiry, critique, and dialogue. So, I went on to explore other facilitation roles; I served as a writing tutor, and I trained to become a museum docent.

Responding to uncertainty and loss with resilience and imagination isn’t easy. But we believe it’s essential to thrive in our current world. This month, we spotlight three resources that describe how museums are rethinking “business as usual.”

There are so many ways to tell a visual story with quantitative data. We’ve all come across data visualizations that communicate information in a clear and compelling way (for example, this amazing data story in the New York Times). But, I’m sure you’ve also encountered visualizations that leave you scratching your head, wondering what you are looking at and what you are supposed to be taking away. It can feel overwhelming to know where to start with making or improving your own visualizations.

Never fear! I want to share a few simple tips to keep top of mind when you are creating your next data visualization.

Our evaluation of the Talk of the Town artist-in-residence program at El Museo del Barrio looked at ways the program served its intended audience: immigrant communities throughout New York City that speak Indigenous and/or endangered languages. As part of data collection for the evaluation, interdisciplinary educator and evaluator Filippa Christofalou followed three different month-long artist residencies organized by El Museo in partnership with community-based organizations. Each residency focused on a different project designed to serve its specific community: a guide book for refugees and asylees from across the African diaspora, processional banners celebrating Indigenous Kichwa culture, and documentation of Indigenous Latin American medicinal healing resources through art. 

As we enter the second month of 2025 with some anxiety and trepidation about what lies ahead, here are three resources to inspire and encourage you to put people first, prioritize equity, and share the wealth moving forward.

We’re excited to share a thoughtful blog post by Samantha S. Snow, a valued data collector from one of our past projects and a graduate student in Museum Education at Tufts University. In this post, Samantha reflects on her experience and provides a unique perspective on the challenges and rewards of collecting data in museum settings. Her insights offer a behind-the-scenes look at the data collection process and emphasize the critical role it serves in shaping museum research.

In this talk, Cathy Sigmond explores how formative evaluation supports the process of creating audience-centered exhibitions. Cathy covers the ins and outs of formative evaluation for exhibition development, from core principles to strategies for doing formative evaluation in all types of museums. 

This month, we’re reflecting on the importance of cultural context in shaping human experiences. Whether we’re assessing cognitive development, measuring program impact, or designing community spaces, context influences everything—from how we interpret behaviors to how we foster belonging.