Impact Evaluation at the Smithsonian’s Anacostia Community Museum

Experience Design Research
Written By Cathy Sigmond

Client: Smithsonian’s Anacostia Community Museum | Location: Washington, DC

 
 

Guided by the museum’s audience impact framework, we conducted a summative evaluation for the Smithsonian’s Anacostia Community Museum to explore the impact of the To Live and Breathe exhibition on its audience.

OVERVIEW

We evaluated the exhibition To Live and Breathe: Women and Environmental Justice in Washington, D.C., which was on view at Smithsonian’s Anacostia Community Museum (ACM) in 2023. The goal of the evaluation was to establish a process of measurement and reporting for ACM. Having just finished impact planning work, the timing was right for ACM to start evaluating their work. Since exhibitions are a core function of ACM, ACM decided to start evaluation practices with exhibitions.

APPROACH

We conducted a mixed methods approach to the evaluation using:

  • Timing and tracking observations of visitors in the exhibition

  • A retrospective pre-post survey of visitors to the exhibition

  • Longitudinal interviews with visitors to the exhibition, conducted at least two weeks after their visit

ACM’s intended outcomes identified during the impact planning process were a lens to analyze the results of all methods. Through discussions with ACM staff prior to evaluation, we developed indicators of the outcomes that were specific to the exhibition’s goals.

CLIENT TAKEAWAYS

Overall, the summative evaluation revealed that the exhibition To Live and Breathe: Women and Environmental Justice in Washington D.C. largely achieved its stated outcomes for visitors to the exhibition. A short summary of results by outcomes:

  • Celebration of Community: Surveys and interviews indicate that the exhibition helped visitors appreciate the women of color who led the environmental justice movement. 

  • Curiosity and Knowledge: Observations indicate visitors were highly engaged in the exhibition, and surveys and interviews indicate understanding of the five take-home messages for the exhibition. 

  • Personal Relevance: Surveys indicate that people of color felt the exhibition was highly relevant to them. 

  • Challenge the Status Quo: Surveys and interviews suggest this is beginning to happen.

  • Community Action: Surveys indicate that people of color are particularly motivated to community action, although interviews indicate visitors have not yet taken action.  

In a reflection meeting, ACM staff had several ideas about how to use the evaluation to inform future work. For example, staff saw ways they could use the report to communicate with their board and other constituents about their commitment to impact strategy.  Staff also took away ideas about exhibition design elements that worked well, and they questioned how they might extend the life of an exhibition, either through longer timelines onsite, virtually, or in other ways. Further, staff had ideas for how they might approach evaluation in the future, thinking about specific questions they want to continue to ask and of whom.

Cathy Sigmond

Cathy brings many years of experience in education and experience design to her role as Head of Strategy at Kera Collective. 

Having previously worked in a variety of educational settings, Cathy is driven by her constant fascination and delight at how people make discoveries about the familiar and the unfamiliar. 

Cathy loves helping to shape experiences that spark curiosity and make a difference in people’s lives. She particularly enjoys the rapid, iterative nature of design-based research and the deep insights that come from qualitative research, especially on projects exploring interactions with the digital and built environments. 

Cathy shares her passion for experience design research widely and regularly guest lectures for graduate programs, including the Fashion Institute of Technology’s Exhibition and Experience Design Program and the Pratt Institute’s School of Information. Cathy served as the co-chair of the Museum Computer Network’s Human-Centered Design special interest group from 2018-2021.

Outside of work, you can usually find Cathy playing soccer, thrifting, or making her way through her large cookbook collection. 

Cathy’s favorite museum experiences are immersive; she will always vividly remember walking through the giant heart at the Franklin Institute, being surrounded by birds at the Peabody Essex Museum, and hearing centuries-old instruments come to life at the Museum of Musical Instruments. 

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Understanding Community Partner Experiences with the Smithsonian’s Anacostia Community Museum’s “To Live and Breathe” Exhibition
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