Audience Research to Shape Inclusive Interpretation at the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco
Client: Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco | Location: San Francisco, CA
We used walk-and-talk interviews and surveys at the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco to explore visitors’ experiences with interpretation, primarily labels, in support of the museum’s vision of being an inclusive and equitable institution.
OVERVIEW
Kera Collective partnered with the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco (FAMSF) to understand visitors’ experiences with interpretation at FAMSF, including (1) the ways in which they interact with FAMSF interpretation, (2) their views on the Museums’ current interpretation, and (3) whether they find FAMSF’s interpretation relevant, welcoming, and/or engaging.
Overall, the study sought to inform important internal goals for FAMSF: developing an institutional framework for interpretation; building staff capacity for audience research; and understanding ways in which FAMSF interpretation activates the museums’ vision of equity and inclusion.
FAMSF is committed to providing interpretive content that creates a cohesive, inclusive, and welcoming experience for visitors—in particular, FAMSF aims to offer content that is relevant to and reflective of a diverse range of experiences. Thus, the study primarily focuses on experiences from BIPOC visitors in an effort to understand how FAMSF’s future interpretive framework can reflect an inclusive story of art history.
APPROACH
The project included three interrelated parts:
Walk-and-talk interviews: FAMSF’s Interpretation Outreach Associates (IOAs) conducted 34 walk-and-talk interviews with BIPOC visitors during Free Saturdays at the de Young Museum and Legion of Honor Museum. They guided visitors through one of five specific interview routes, asking for their thoughts on FAMSF interpretation; participants received $50 for their participation.
Short survey: An IOA collected 77 short, standardized surveys from visitors at the de Young and Legion of Honor. This brief survey asked visitors about their overall experience with FAMSF interpretation.
Staff training: Kera led three training sessions on qualitative data collection and analysis for the IOAs; we also provided feedback during the data collection process.
CLIENT TAKEAWAYS
We found that FAMSF interpretation sparked visitors’ desire to learn the historical and cultural context of the artworks. They enjoyed explanations of complex and inclusive history, as well as learning about the cultural significance of objects. Visitors also appreciated the museum’s interpretation, finding it accessible, concise, and thought-provoking. At the same time, some visitors expressed the need for spaces to rest when encountering histories of colonization and violence and suggested continuing to include more perspectives from people of color.
We recommended that FAMSF use these findings as a starting point to further explore visitor experiences with interpretation. Interviewing BIPOC visitors provided insight into how FAMSF’s goals of inclusivity and equity are perceived. However, it is important to note that these visitors speak from their own lived experiences and do not represent the entirety of opinions within their racial, ethnic, or cultural groups.
Overall, our findings helped inform FAMSF’s future interpretive framework, highlighting key touchpoints for visitor engagement like multilingual interpretation, storytelling approaches, visual elements, and community voices.
