In addition to her role as a national museum data source, Susie also works with museums across the US to help them better survey, study, and understand their current and future audiences. I’ve long wanted to do a Q&A with Susie, and as the importance of audience research continues to percolate, I thought now was the time to do so! The following are excerpts from our conversation on her work and background and insights into the Annual Survey of Museum-Goers and its themes for 2025, among other emerging trends.

Adam Rozan: Hi, Susie. Can you introduce yourself?

Susie Wilkening: Hi, Adam. I’m Susie Wilkening, the principal and founder of Wilkening Consulting. We’re an audience research firm that primarily serves the museum field. A large part of our work looks at the role of museums in American society, which is a ginormous, big question.

AR: Before you were Susie Wilkening, the go-to voice for research on US museums, were you also a former museum employee?  

SW: Yes, I’ve also worked and interned at many museums. My first museum volunteer gig was at the Fernbank Museum of Natural History in Atlanta, and later, I volunteered at the Atlanta History Center. After college, I got a master’s, and my first full-time position was as the director of the Saratoga County Historical Society in Ballston Spa, New York. It was a teeny-tiny historical society. I was the only full-time staff member with one part-time educator. I honestly did a bit of everything!

AR: I’m sure that was a fantastic experience and a hard one as well. How did this experience motivate you to think about research and the more significant, abstract questions facing the field?

SW: I spent five years there, and that’s where I started thinking about the audience. I had these questions: Why does this place matter? Why do people care about and give money to this place, especially when there are other things like food banks that feel more deserving?

AR: These are good questions, important ones. And how did you pursue those questions?

SW: I started looking for answers but didn’t find any. I eventually moved to Boston and started a short-term project that turned into working for ten years with Reach Advisors. That’s where I learned how to ask the right questions and do this work.

AR: I want to know more about your research practice, but first, let’s establish some basics. What is audience research?

SW: Audience research is where we go out to the public—whoever we’re defining as the public in this case—and ask them what they think about whatever it is we have questions about.

AR: The public is…?

SW: The public could mean the broader population, frequent museum visitors, sporadic visitors, or even people who don’t visit museums. We might be asking them why they visit museums, what they think museums’ roles are in their communities, or doing political polling on topics like legislation supporting museums.

AR: What does a museum do with this information once they gather it?

SW: Ideally, they take this information and use it to inform their future programs, exhibitions, and initiatives. It helps them plan strategically, informing decisions about what kinds of exhibitions to bring in, what programs might appeal to specific audiences, and what longer-term goals they want to accomplish. They can also use evidence with donors or funders to show their impact or justify funding requests.

AR: Does a museum have to do its own research, or can it use external sources like census data or research from its municipality, chamber of commerce, or area colleges, for example?

SW: Many great external resources exist, like governmental sources, nonprofits, and academic institutions. For example, I’m excited that the Bureau of Labor Statistics just released its 2023 data for the Consumer Expenditure Survey. It tracks how much people spend on things like museum admissions, and that’s valuable for museums to understand.

External sources like the BLS and the US Census are great for providing information and context, but they are not museum-specific. For that, museums must do the work in-house, hire researchers, or participate in larger research projects (like the Annual Survey of Museum-Goers).

AR: Why ask the public when we can talk or survey our museum staff on what we should do?

SW: What the staff thinks, their input is essential. However, it likely will differ from what the public thinks. Overall, museum professionals are outliers. Museum staff are generally curious, lifelong learners who view learning as fun, but that’s not necessarily the case for the broader public. Our view of what makes an engaging museum experience differs significantly from what the public finds engaging.

AR: I wonder if you can share a few tips on how your clients—museums—are using and sharing data in real ways, like bringing research findings to meetings and decision-makers.

SW: It depends on the questions being asked. Some are straightforward, like asking the public about upcoming exhibitions or what’s keeping them from visiting more frequently. Museums take that input and adapt accordingly. Other questions are more complex, like those around inclusive history, climate change, or civics—topics where society doesn’t have a clear consensus. For these, we help museums understand their audience’s values and attitudes so they can present content thoughtfully, anticipating pushback and being prepared for it.

AR: What’s the biggest pushback you see from organizations when embracing data?

SW: One significant challenge is data overload. There’s so much data out there, and it can be hard to make sense of it. Museums often know their frequent visitors well but struggle to reach casual or non-visitors. It’s not impossible, but it requires effort and prioritizing broader outreach to understand the full context of their audience.

AR: Other big misconceptions?

SW: One of the biggest misconceptions is that frequent visitors represent the entire audience, the broader public. While frequent visitors provide valuable insight, they’re often just a fraction of the population, and their preferences might not reflect those of casual or non-visitors. That’s why it’s so essential to make an effort to reach beyond your core audience.

AR: For a museum with limited resources, how would you advise conducting audience research without spending a fortune?

SW: There are many ways to collect cost-effective data that take minimal time. The Annual Survey of Museum-Goers is a great way to gather insights into your audiences without designing or conducting the research yourself. You can even participate in the survey every few years or work with a consultant every few years. I also encourage museums to have casual conversations with visitors, which can be very informative.

AR: What strategy can museum directors or staff use to learn about visitors?

SW: I know a museum director who uses this great tactic. When he’s returning from lunch or a meeting and parking in the museum lot, he’ll approach visitors leaving the museum and say, “I only have an hour. Is it worth it?” They don’t know he’s the museum director, and it’s an informal way for him to get candid feedback on their experience, and it costs him nothing except a few minutes.

AR: That’s great. With so much available data, how do you break it down and make it useful for museums?

SW: We’ve found that infographic Data Stories work well. Every fall, we release one Data Story a week, which distills a piece of the Annual Survey of Museum-Goers into a quick, visually appealing infographic. It’s a digestible way for museums to get critical insights without being overwhelmed by the data. These stories help inform museum staff, trustees, and volunteers in an accessible way. Our graphic designer, Erika Kaszczyszyn, based in Boise, does excellent work making the data accessible and attractive and is also responsible for the many avatars that dot the work.

AR: The Annual Survey of Museum-Goers is a paid survey that benefits the participating organizations and the general field. How does that work?

SW: Every winter, in partnership with the American Alliance of Museums, we develop and field the Annual Survey of Museum-Goers. In return for a small fee, museums can field a high-quality survey to their audiences and receive reports of their results, including comparisons to the overall sample and to narrower peer groups. Because hundreds of museums participate, we typically develop dozens of peer group data cuts so we can provide comparison data for the major types of museums, such as art, history, zoos, etc., but also narrower peer groups, such as military museums or science centers in communities without children’s museums or vice versa … because that matters to science center audiences! We also provide comparison data by geographic area when possible.

The base fee is $1,250; it is a low-cost way of getting high-quality data and comparisons. We have found that staff, boards, and funders find the results extremely helpful as they make decisions.

AR: What kinds of questions do you ask in the Annual Survey?

SW: The annual survey always has benchmarking questions, like how often people visit museums, what they think the museum is doing well, and what they think could improve. It also includes a battery of demographic questions. We track these results over time, so museums that field the Annual Survey annually receive historical data, tracking their change over time.

About a third of the survey changes yearly, with different themes reflecting trends and pressures affecting museums, such as inclusion, climate change, or civic engagement.

AR: Can you give an example of one of those key insights from the Annual Survey?

SW: One of the survey’s most significant impacts is helping museum staff consider how they present inclusive content. Inclusive history can be a cultural flashpoint; museums must be prepared for the conversations (and emotions) they might spark. We’ve provided tools that allow museums to assess their audience’s attitudes toward inclusion, which helps them plan content that’s both productive and thoughtful.

AR: What’s a trend you’re seeing right now in the data that might surprise people?

SW: One interesting trend from the 2024 survey is that inclusive parents and guardians of school-age children are finding their voice to defend inclusive history in the classroom. It’s not something we’re seeing publicly yet. Still, it’s clear from the survey that these parents are starting to find the language and community they need to advocate for inclusive education. It’ll be interesting to see how that evolves.

AR: What is the theme for the 2025 survey?

SW: For 2025, we’re going deeper into repeat visitation because that’s still a challenge from the pandemic. We’re also looking into social connection, like how families and friends use museums as spaces to bond. Before the pandemic, we saw parents saying they couldn’t get family time at home anymore, and they were looking to museums as a place to focus on quality time.

AR: That’s interesting. Are there any other themes you’re excited about?

SW: We’re also following up on some earlier research on museums and community. There’s this idea within the field that museums are these community spaces, but the public doesn’t always see them that way. So we’re flipping the question around and asking, “What do you think are the responsibilities a museum has to its community?” It’ll give us better insight into how museums can engage more meaningfully with their audiences.

AR: That’s a great question. If I understand correctly, you’re also looking into trust and credibility.

SW: Yes, especially in this era of AI and disinformation. We’re asking the public what museums can do to support their trust in the presented information. Trust is such a big issue, especially as museums strive to be seen as credible sources of information.

AR: And will you be touching on the upcoming 250th anniversary of the United States?

SW: We plan on publishing multiple Data Stories that will help museums consider how to commemorate the 250^th.

AR: Has registration already opened, and when does it close?

SW: Yes! Registration opened on October 1, and museums are expected to field their surveys anytime between early January and March 8. The fee is only $1,250 if they enroll by February 28 and launch their surveys by March 8.

AR: Next, you’ll speak at the CoMuseum conference in Athens and Thessaloniki. Congratulations. Can you tell me about that?

SW: Yes, I’ll be heading to Greece, and I’m very excited and honored to be speaking and participating in this year’s CoMuseum programming! I’ll be talking about research and the many ways that we collect, use, and share audience research to help organizations make meaningful decisions in the work they are doing better to serve their current and future audiences and communities. I’ll share the best practices we have developed in the US, including how museums here are using the data, and I hope to learn how European museums might be fielding research as well.

All currents have a source: the organizations participating in Made By Us, their amazing team, and Caroline Klibanoff, their Executive Director, who is a friend, former team member, and my go-to for all things civic-related. To learn more about the initiative, I spoke with Caroline about what the team has accomplished and learned so far. The following is an excerpt from our conversation.

Adam Rozan: Caroline, Hello. Can you introduce yourself and share what you do?

Caroline Klibanoff: I’m the Executive Director of Made By Us, a senior fellow at New America on the US@250 project, and an Eisenhower USA Fellow.

AR: And a Smithsonian Research Associate!

CK: Yes, I’m a proud Smithsonian Research Associate, thank you, Adam.

AR: How did you get into this type of work? What’s your background? And what keeps you motivated?

CK: I’ve always been interested in the American story, how it is understood, and how we might use digital tools and pop culture to invite more voices. My training is in public history, but I have worked in the civic engagement and bridge-building sector, so bringing these worlds together through Made By Us has been very rewarding.

What motivates me is helping institutions prepare for an uncertain future, and create the capacity and agility to meet people’s real needs.

AR: And for those who are unfamiliar, what’s Made By Us?

CK: Made By Us is an incredible alliance of historic sites and history museums around the country that have stepped up to serve as civic hubs for younger generations, specifically Gen Z adults ages eighteen to thirty. We know that to shape the future, we must understand the past. But it’s not always easy to find credible, timely, accessible information about “how we got here” as a nation.

History museums can help, especially when working together as a vast repository of stories, voices, evidence, and perspectives. As we approach the US 250^th, it feels more urgent than ever that young people have a say in our country’s future, and some of that power can be gained from access to institutions and from understanding our past.

AR: And how do you do that?

CK: Working across hundreds of history institutions, we develop and share content and programming that puts the day’s news in a historical context. Through trivia nights, pizza parties, festivals, Instagram and TikTok posts, Teen Vogue articles, public radio podcasts, personality quizzes, and zines, we meet young people where they are with history—sourced from credible institutions. Along the way, we’re transforming our institutions’ capacity to better serve young people by offering training and collaboration opportunities. This all comes together in national programming like Civic Season, our flagship program held from Juneteenth to July 4^th every year since 2021.

AR: How did the project come to be?  

CK: As far back as 2015, museum directors were gathering to discuss how to serve younger generations better and equip them with civics education to be more informed, empowered citizens.

Fast forward, when I came on as program manager in 2019, seated at the Smithsonian, I shared a vision with the steering committee—including the CEOs of Monticello, National Museum of American History, National Archives, Heinz History Center, HistoryMiami and Atlanta History Center—that expanded the network into a nationwide coalition, produced shared but modular elements that allowed for a range of usage, and worked to harness different organizations’ strengths and inputs to learn faster and build bigger. Innovation pioneers like Kaz Brecher and Valerie Donati led us to a structure that was audience-first, iterative, and had rigorous and vibrant branding. The operations and infrastructure of Made By Us took root, with help from the staff at the steering committee organizations and our first public program, My Wish For U.S., was launched in 2020.

AR: Besides the steering committee, museum folk, like me, are also involved. What role do museum people play here?

CK: None of this would have been possible without our museum and historic site partners, who form the foundation of the Made By Us coalition. Local historic sites and museums are the gas in the tank that powers this engine with their ingenuity, commitment, and participation.

Hundreds of organizations have raised their hands to say yes, we want to engage younger folks and are willing to get to work doing that. Museum leaders and staff, like yourself, lead advisory committees, regional working groups, and public programming; they share what they are learning so others can save a step; they collaborate to get broader input when experimenting with a new idea or hot topic. The participation ripples out to our Fellows, Youth Bureau, and youth community, who gain access to consulting, speaking, and writing opportunities to improve museums’ offerings.

AR: What has Made by Us learned in doing this work?

CK: We’re still learning by design, but three key points come to mind.

One, plan to iterate. Our first strategic plan was visualized by a cyclone, looping year over year. We expected backslides, muddiness, and experimentation as we evolved and grew. We’ve tried, learned, tried again, learned, tried bigger.

Two, work together. We iterate smarter and faster because hundreds of museums file data points and case studies about what they’ve tried and learned for the benefit of others. We share templates and tools, and we also share risk and exposure—safety in numbers. In short, we can do more together than any institution alone.

And, three, make it joyful. Why shouldn’t participating in democracy be fun? There’s a reason we have an “I Voted” sticker. Sticking stickers on things is fun. There’s a need for gravitas and seriousness, profound critique, and thoughtful reflection. There’s also a need to reflect the current zeitgeist and its aesthetics. We strive for celebration, joy, and maximalism because we see the American story as ever-evolving, pluralist, and multi-perspective. 

AR: In your opinion, and from doing this work, can museums shift to being more audience- and Gen-Z-focused?

CK: Yes. We’ve seen it in small, volunteer-run museums and large federal entities. We’ve seen it in rural communities in red states and urban centers in blue states and military museums and state museums and historic houses and living history sites and with landmark markers and trails. Gen Z isn’t the only audience that matters, but they should be part of your museum’s inclusion strategy.

This is a matter of future sustainability—the ability to evolve to meet people’s real needs in real-time.

AR: Let’s talk Civic Season. What is it, and when is it?

CK: One of our largest and best-known programs is Civic Season, which has occurred every summer since 2021. Between Juneteenth and July 4th, two watershed moments in US history, we invite millions of Americans nationwide to school up on history and skill-up on civics and self-discovery. Civic Season is a vital civic ritual to learn more about yourself and your country through events, resources, and activations at hundreds of historic sites, libraries, community organizations, and online.

Everyone should know about Civic Season; every organization is invited to participate and join.

AR: What should organizations know? Audiences?

CK: This is your moment to make your own. We see Civic Season as the ultimate “test kitchen” for America’s 250th. It is a way for museums to try new approaches and programs, using the many resources, templates, and materials we share to engage new audiences. It’s been amazing to see communities from coast to coast deliver creative programming, from bird-watching at Conner Prairie in Indiana (yes, that’s a civic act!) to bystander intervention training at the Historic Black Police Precinct and Courthouse Museum in Florida, to walking tours at King Manor in New York, to a festival at the Wyoming State Museum. This past summer, we held “Slice of History” pizza parties in thirty locations, bringing a fun, social, IRL aspect to learning together in the community. Thirty-five thousand people created a custom Civic Season itinerary on the website, 570 organizations participated, and we’ve reached fifty million nationwide over the last four years.

I am proud of this flexibility and scale as we approach the U.S. 250th anniversary. This was precisely why we designed Civic Season in this way. We’ve now proven the concept, activated it, and streamlined the operations. Let’s do it again for 2025 and 2026.

AR: Speaking of 2026, what’s on deck for the U.S. 250th?

CK: We want to ensure youth input in the plans for how America commemorates 250 years, and we are building Youth250 to address that gap. In the fall, we will hold intergenerational workshops, distribute a toolkit for institutions, and launch the first-ever national youth advisory board. Young advisors will lead institutions in ensuring their 250^th plans are Gen-Z-friendly. This is a pilot for an advisory body that our country would benefit from, not just in museums but across sectors.

AR: Correct me if I’m wrong, but it seems that with every new generation, there is always the conversation about how to engage, learn from, and, importantly, work with them. Would you agree, and what are your thoughts on working with Gen Z?

CK: I heard a powerful phrase from two fellows in my New America US@250 cohort, Jaha Cummings and Joan Ai of the Blanchard House Institute, who are building an innovative trail comprised of communities that had historic Black business districts across the US. When these business districts were destroyed through the urban renewal policies implemented between the late 1950s and early 1970s, communities were hollowed out, interrupting the continuity of the transmission of values, wealth, and opportunity. Among these values was hope. Younger people lost out on the transmission of the hope that sustained the community in past years from the older generations.

Older generations contribute to our future by ensuring that the ideals of hope, excellence, and resilience get passed on. That’s a critical role. Without seeing the continuum, we’re individual data points, a blip in time. We think “this is a bad moment” without the context of yesterday and the hope of tomorrow. In some ways, that’s where we are now. Sixteen percent of Gen Z are proud to live in the United States. Trust is eroded, cynicism at an all-time high. It’s squashing our creativity, imagination, and will to build a better world.

We need younger generations’ passions and ideas to shape the future, and we need older generations to carry the hope and lend a hand. My hope is that Youth250 will begin to build this bridge, so we can write the next chapter together.

AR: You spend your day-to-day working with museums, civic organizations, and above all of that, Gen Zers. I have a few quick questions about this work, almost a lightning round. Can we try it?

CK: Sure!

AR: What advice do you have for museums that want to partner with Gen Zers and Gen Z groups?

CK: Invite them to weigh in.

AR: Gen Z as an audience?

CK: Pragmatic, curious, savvy.

AR: Gen Z as an employee?

CK: Action-oriented.

AR: A donor?

CK: Focused on impact for the world, not the org.

AR: Final question: what’s your hope for 2026?

CK: I hope this moment brings Americans closer to their country and makes them more curious about it. We have a crisis of belonging, of trust, of care. People feel pushed to the brink on so many fronts, with very few avenues to be heard or make change. This was true in 1976, 1876, and 1776, too.

The civic leader Eric Liu, whose Civic Collaboratory group I’m a part of, tells a story about a billboard that says, “YOU’RE NOT IN TRAFFIC—YOU ARE TRAFFIC.” That’s how I think about the United States. We are this country. We are this democracy. The story is not already written—it’s up to us.

I hope 2026 helps people celebrate that power.

To learn more about how she came to fill this role, I decided to reach out to Colleen. Over the course of our conversation, we spoke about her museum origin story, public speaking, and her love for data, among other topics.

Adam Rozan (AR): First, can you introduce yourself, on the off-chance that anyone doesn’t know who you are?

Colleen Dilenschneider (CD): My name is Colleen Dilenschneider. I am a great big millennial data nerd. I am the cofounder of IMPACTS Experience, a market research and predictive technology company that provides insight for cultural organizations. I also have a website called Know Your Own Bone, which is the source of my career and how everything got started for me. Today, that website aims to make high-confidence research from IMPACTS Experience accessible to leaders of cultural organizations as the company’s blog.

I got started with museums in college, when I volunteered at the Art Institute of Chicago. My first full-time museum job was at the Pacific Science Center in Seattle, where I was the Special Events Coordinator. It was one of those jobs at the bottom of the totem pole where every day was an adventure! I was calling alpaca farmers for events and creating bubble festivals. It was a blast. Did you have one of these jobs, Adam?

AR: Boston’s Museum of Science, where I would greet schoolchildren, teachers, and chaperones when the buses pulled up.

Okay, so when did your blog Know Your Own Bone come about and why?

CD: I started Know Your Own Bone because I was leaving my job at Pacific Science Center to go to grad school, and I was anxious about leaving the museum industry. Initially, I started aggregating what museums were doing on social media, focusing on digital engagement. The blog evolved when I was picked up off of the speaking circuit by a data company and I received permission to publish select, non-proprietary market research on the museum industry.

AR: Can we talk about you as a public speaker? How have you become the speaker that you are? Did you have a background in high school or college theater?

CD: I was in high school theater, but my father is a great public speaker and that’s an important part of my extended family’s culture and energy. I grew up in a very big family, and I got to see my dad and energetic aunts and uncles give elaborate toasts every Christmas as a Secret Santa tradition. This was highly influential to me.

AR: Were you nervous when you first started speaking at conferences?

CD: I sure was! When I was first starting out, I viewed speaking engagements as opportunities to share research and perspectives. Now, I see my talks as conversations with the audience; I’m learning as much from them as they are from me. I often get ideas for Know Your Own Bone articles and additional research segmentations from the questions I am asked that I don’t know the answers to.

AR: How do you respond to a question when you don’t know the answer?

CD: I say I don’t know. But if we are collecting research on it, I will do my best to find out!

AR: Did you ever have imposter syndrome?

CD: Absolutely! When I first started speaking, I wasn’t talking about data yet. Data has made me more confident because I’m sharing information from the largest in-market survey of perceptions surrounding cultural organizations in the US; it’s not just my personal experience.

AR: Here’s my softball question then: Why does data matter?

CD: Data matters because it helps institutions understand what’s important and what matters to their audiences. Data can help us efficiently and effectively educate and inspire audiences and achieve relevance. Without data, we’re just talking to ourselves about what should be important rather than understanding what is important to audiences.

AR: And relevance?

CD: Exactly. At the end of the day, relevance is about connection.

AR: Let’s talk about market research and data collection—most organizations collect some data. The problem is often using the data.

CD: Yes, I would say so. When organizations come to us for data, the hardest part for them is not often accepting data outcomes. Data outcomes can be challenging! There’s often confirmation bias and personal incentive to ignore inconvenient outcomes that suggest we could do something better that we’ve been doing it. The opportunity is to create a culture of being data-informed and challenging our own cognitive biases.

AR: Your education also includes a Master’s in Public Administration with a concentration in Nonprofit Management. Why did you pursue additional certifications?

CD: Challenging myself is essential for delivering data effectively and finding new approaches, so ongoing learning has been important to me. I believe that every single person has their own superpowers, and I like to think that curiosity and enthusiasm are mine! Curiosity and enthusiasm are fundamental to who I am and how I approach my life and work.

AR: You were just named the Chairwoman of the Board for the National Aquarium in Baltimore. What advice do you have for museums when considering millennials and Gen Z individuals for board or committee appointments?

CD: I think it’s important for boards to aim to be representative of the audiences who they are trying to serve. Representative perspectives help institutions stay relevant and connected to their communities. And the millennial generation is very large! I think it’s important for people of our generation to serve on boards because we can bring fresh energy and a digitally connected perspective.

AR: Final thoughts?

CD: I’m passionate about making data accessible to cultural organizations so that they may continue to carry out their missions to inspire and educate. Museums mean so much to me, and to so many people, and I’m honored and grateful to have the opportunity to help them succeed and flourish.

Learn more about these topics in Adam’s Q&A with James Heaton and the Museum Glossary Project Team, and be sure to explore the definitions for Audience Research, Target Audience, Metrics, and more at museumglossary.com  

Adam Rozan: Can you please introduce yourself and share what you do for work?

Sandy Skees: My name is Sandy Skees; I’m the Executive Vice President of Purpose + Impact Global Lead for Porter Novelli and the author of Purposeful Brands.

AR: How did writing a book about purpose come about?

SS: My main reason for writing this book is that we are running out of time. Today’s challenges are even more significant than we thought, and with the expectations of the next generation for businesses and brands, the need for the book becomes much more straightforward. If we can stop fighting over the words [purpose, mission, vision, and values] and accept a framework from which we can all work, that would accelerate the needed changes in our organizations and society.

AR: Having a mission or mission statement is standard practice for any organization, as is having a vision or values statement. However, most cultural organizations seemingly don’t have a clear or defined purpose statement. This is true for museums, where only a few have embraced the concept of purpose, like Space Center Houston, which is very much alone in this space.

Why is this?

SS: I think that museums and other organizations that have a non-commercial business model believe that their very existence speaks for itself and expresses a purpose. But I believe that for museums—or other organizations that collect, preserve, and nurture collections—a deeper dive is warranted. An answer to the bigger question…why? To ensure access to beauty? To deepen humanity’s understanding of the seemingly unknowable?

An answer to the museum’s theory of change or initial founding impetus are good places to unearth a purpose that, once articulated, draws others in shared pursuit.

AR: What’s your personal definition of purpose?

SS: Purpose is the greater good that an organization takes responsibility for creating in the world – using the full resources of the organization.

When I talk to brands about their business, I ask them to look at it this way – start with the thing you make, how you make it, what you do with it when it’s done. All those things can be aligned to some greater good, in service to the commons. The commons are those shared resources which we rely on but none of us own—cultural cohesion is the commons, a functioning society is a part of the commons. So are fresh air, clean water, all those things that we can’t live without. So, your purpose is your commitment to being responsible for something bigger that your organization. But it’s using the entity itself, everything—the thing, you, the product, the offering, the service—as the mechanism for creating that change. Not “we do this thing, we’ve got some money left over, we’ll write some philanthropic checks, or our employees will go out and, you know, do a beach cleanup.” Those are all just activities with little weight behind them, but if you can say we exist to improve the world, what’s the better thing you’re trying to create?

AR: We’re talking about purpose, but we should also shed some light on mission.

What is a mission or mission statement, and how is it different from a purpose statement?

SS: Many museums—and companies—conflate purpose and mission, which I believe are quite different and distinct. A mission is the function that the offering or product serves. A mission helps employees focus on the tasks at hand and encourages them to find innovative ways of increasing productivity with an eye to achieving organizational goals. Mission statements describe how organizations will serve customers. Included in mission statements are usually details about what market the museum is in, the approach it will take, and a future seen for the museum.

When differentiating from purpose, mission statements are specific to the organization itself and the way it will deliver value to customers. Purpose statements describe how companies will use their focus and assets to benefit the commons, the greater good.

AR: So, at a museum, it can’t just be that we collect and show objects. The question then becomes, to what end, for what goal?

SS: It’s the “why” that you’re talking about! It could be enough to say that humanity craves beauty, so maybe the purpose is preserving access to beauty or something because that’s part of the human impulse. When you frame it that way, it will change how you show up in your community, what you do, say, etc.

AR: Can you discuss the importance of language in articulating purpose?

SS: The language piece is so critical because it becomes like a beacon that people can follow. What is culture? What is engagement? What is impact? That might seem simple, but if you ask ten different people what culture is, you get ten different answers, but then we’re all not rowing in the same direction. So, a lot of that is getting down to basics and saying, okay, what do these words mean to us? We can move forward as an organization if we’re all clear on that.

AR: How do you ensure alignment with purpose across different levels and functions of an organization?

SS: It’s essential that leadership understands what’s happening on the front lines and can help the people there understand how what they’re doing daily ties back to the bigger picture. I think that’s often where there’s a break in communication and understanding. Part of it is just helping people see the bigger picture and also realizing that that doesn’t have to happen all the time, so if you give people enough information about what you’re trying to accomplish and why, then they can make good decisions on the front lines without having to ask you all the time.

AR: How do you keep purpose alive and relevant within an organization?

SS: Part of it is just continuing to talk about it. I think it’s also essential to give people visibility into what’s happening in the organization, so we have a couple of different meetings that we have set up that are just about giving people visibility into what’s happening but also giving them visibility into how what’s happening ties back to the bigger picture. And then I think it’s also just permitting people to push back if they feel like something’s not aligned with the purpose and then also rewarding people when they do things that are aligned with the purpose and recognizing that publicly.

AR: What role does purpose play in decision-making within an organization?

SS: Purpose plays a massive role in decision-making, because if you’re making decisions that are not aligned with your purpose, you’re just wasting your time. Having that clarity of purpose makes decision-making so much easier because you can say, okay, does this thing that we’re thinking about doing or currently doing serve our purpose? And if the answer is no? Then it would be best if you stopped or did not do it. If the answer is yes, then you should keep doing it or start doing it, so it simplifies decision-making.

AR: When I talk about museum purpose, I always ask, what if your museum was gone tomorrow? What would the world and, more specifically, your community lose? This question isn’t always hypothetical, and it requires you to get real and specific about your organization’s connection to its community.

SS: I agree. If you can’t articulate your purpose, your organization won’t likely be here in fifty years. In today’s world, where people’s attention spans are shorter, and their engagement with institutions is selective, relevancy and alignment matters.

Adam Rozan: Can you share with me what the Living Room space at the Arkansas Museum of Fine Arts is?

Victoria Ramirez: We call the space the Cultural Living Room, and to us, it is Little Rock’s living room. It is a gathering space that anybody is welcome to use at any point during their museum visit. We wanted to design a flexible space where, for example, students could come and work on their laptops, friends could meet and catch up, or community groups could gather.

We are a free museum, which means everyone is welcome and able to use the space as they wish. Also, because the Cultural Living Room is adjacent to the galleries, it is an integral part of programming. Often, our gallery tours will begin or conclude in the Cultural Living Room, which allows the conversation to continue.

AR: My first exposure to a space like yours was at the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, which opened its own Living Room space as part of its renovation as a welcome area for the community. Was the Gardner’s Living Room inspirational to you?

VR: Absolutely. I have long admired that space and found it innovative and well-suited to the Gardner. I love the name, its design, and how the space complements the rest of the building. Similarly, for AMFA, the design of the Cultural Living Room honors both the museum and our community. The space itself features large sweeping glass windows on all four sides. On one side, the Cultural Living Room faces a neighborhood that connects the museum and the community. It is interesting how, from the inside of the museum, one has a view of the neighborhood, but similarly, from the outside, there are views into the Cultural Living Room. Often, I have heard how much people enjoy driving by the museum at all hours of the day and seeing people milling about inside. That view of the interior of the museum reflects the life and energy we want people to experience during their visit. It is fascinating to drive by at night and, often see a party inside the museum.

AR: What was the design process like for the space, and what are some of the amenities it offers?

VR: Designing the Cultural Living Room was a very careful and deliberate exercise. We hired an interior designer to help select beautiful furnishings and fabrics that would stand up over time. We ensured the space was functional with power outlets, speakers for music, and a coffee and beverage bar that is open for drinks and snacks during public hours. We even added “strong points” to the ceiling with the plan to hang art in the space at some point in the future.

The space is outfitted like a living room with soft seating, wi-fi, books, and games. The beverage bar is popular, serving coffee, adult beverages, snacks, and child-friendly items.

AR: For comparison, what’s the price of a regular drip coffee in the cultural living room compared to a coffee elsewhere in Little Rock?

VR: The price is in line. We wanted to create a place that was a unique experience but not one that would break the bank. Coffee at the museum is $3 for a small and $3.25 for a large.

AR: Is the Living Room only an informal space, or is it designed for larger-scale events as well?

VR: The space serves as an informal space as well as one designed for larger events. Our emphasis is on flexibility. In addition to supporting internal museum events, the space is available for rent as part of our revenue-generating facility rental program.

AR: Thinking more broadly about the museum field and cultural organizations, do you foresee more emphasis on flexible spaces in future cultural institutions?

VR: Absolutely, the trend toward flexible spaces must continue. Designing spaces that can accommodate a variety of functions ensures resilience and adaptability. All museums must consider their current relevancy and for decades to come. Flexible spaces will help museums evolve as the art world grows, keeping up with the changing expectations and requirements of institutions and the communities they serve.

AR: Do you think the living room concept displaces the concept of museums as a third space? Now, it’s about the museum being an extension of the community home.

VR: Perhaps third spaces and living rooms are concepts that seek to define the same space. Specifically, third spaces might describe the types of activities happening in the museum, but the term “living room” seeks to explain how we hope you will socialize and feel in that space. When designing AMFA’s Cultural Living Room, function, comfort, and the spirit of being a welcoming community space were all priorities. This intentionality is so essential for the design of the space, as well as in the descriptive words you choose, programming, signage, and the whole package.

If you follow the news, you’ve likely seen a surge in headlines about censorship and book-banning, with libraries and schools under protest, and teachers and librarians facing a barrage of negative attention and even losing their jobs. Where is this trend coming from, how has it progressed, and could it also threaten museums and cultural spaces? To find out, I reached out to Jonathan Friedman, the Sy Sims Managing Director of U.S. Free Expression Programs at PEN America. The following is an excerpt from our conversation.

Adam Rozan: Can you introduce yourself and share what you do?

Jonathan Friedman: First, let’s talk about PEN America. We are a one-hundred-year-old nonpartisan, nonprofit advocacy organization at the intersection of literature and human rights. We celebrate creative expression and defend the civil liberties that make it possible in the US and worldwide. I oversee our domestic work on free expression across the cultural, literary, artistic and educational arenas. In education, our program focuses on advocating for the freedom to read, learn, and think in K-12 schools and higher education. That includes education programs, research, and advocacy, especially against new state laws to censor classroom teaching and the rise of concerted efforts to ban books.

AR: That’s a big task. Can you share more about the conversation that’s happening now?

JF: The conversation nationally focuses on students’ access to books and the effort to ban books from school districts and libraries. In the past three years, this has really been a conversation about the appropriate role of state government in setting curricula and local parents in determining what children should be able to learn in schools.

A lot has been driven mainly by a campaign to create a moral panic about public education that could be exploited for potential political gain and sow distrust in educators and even knowledge and expertise. Not everyone who has advocated for banning books is necessarily connected to this campaign, but you do see the clear influence of organized groups and politicians, particularly as this has transitioned from primarily being a fight contested at local school boards to a fight contested in statehouses. As this has continued, more and more citizens have started raising their voices against it. There are still specific challenges for many educators who fear that a law passed in their state will jeopardize their positions or careers. Fear is playing a huge role in this, as a means of ideological control, of chilling education at large. So, it is still a situation that is being significantly contested, and in 2024, we have continued to see efforts to pass state laws this spring. I expect to see ongoing efforts to embolden censors in the lead-up and following the presidential election.

AR: So we’re clear: What exactly is a banned book?

JF: There is a long history surrounding the topic of banned books, and the issue has flared up in different historical moments. Though there have been for decades steady highly local efforts to prohibit books in schools, this most recent wave, beginning in 2021, marked the beginning of a set of new tactics, and a concerted campaign, in many parts of the country, to control what books in schools all kids and families could read. In our work, we at PEN America define a book ban as “any action taken against a book based on its content and as a result of parent or community challenges, administrative decisions, or in response to direct or threatened action by lawmakers or other governmental officials, that leads to a previously accessible book being either completely removed from availability to students, or where access to a book is restricted or diminished. Diminished access is a form of censorship and has educational implications that extend beyond a title’s removal.”

I think what’s critical to understand as well is that book-banning does not take one particular form, and with regard to public schools or libraries, it can be enacted by local leaders, such as school board members; but book bans can also be the result of state boards of education, state laws, or even federal government actions, should it come to that. There’s no question we have seen different kinds of book bans in different communities and states for the past three years.

But the national trend is unmistakable, even if it takes different forms.

AR: What’s at stake here?

JF: The movement to ban books often targets topics like LGBTQ identities, race, and sexual assault, leading to self-censorship among educators. In the abstract, there’s nothing wrong with parents wanting to be invested in their kids’ education. In fact, we should all be encouraging that as part of healthy civic society. The challenge comes with what we are seeing now, which is laws and rhetoric that masquerades as serving all parents, but is actually geared to serving the interests of a particular minority of parents. We are seeing in state after state, organized groups of citizens—some but not all, are parents—who clearly aim to control what all students can learn about. This is not about fostering genuine education. It’s about ideological control and suppression. This movement could continue to gain momentum but right now it also faces mounting opposition.

AR: I was surprised to learn that many of the books that are under threat deal with topics like the Holocaust and slavery and even include books that I understood to be classics. 

Can you share some examples of books being banned and what about them is deemed questionable?

JF: The most common reasons for bans are because the book contains so-called sexual content, but this frequently blurs with LGBTQ+ content, and then another subset of books have clearly been targeted for dealing with racism, especially pertaining to American history. The censors’ tools are broad, wide-sweeping, and imprecise. And because they are propelled now increasingly by fear, we see more and more books, all kinds of American classics or contemporary novels, targeted or banned for one reason or another. So, in the fall we saw targeting of books by John Updike, Ayn Rand, and Ernest Hemingway, but also by Judy Blume, John Grisham, and James Patterson. And then also a book by comedian Steve Martin caught my eye a few months ago on one of these ban lists, similar to when we saw a district removing Amanda Gorman’s presidential inauguration poem, The Hill We Climb. It’s a really wide gamut. This layers on top of where this began in 2021 with distinctly targeted efforts against particular titles, that are targeted again and again, and where the books and their authors have been demonized by local groups or by politicians. Frequently banned books include Maia Kobabe’s Gender Queer, Juno Dawson’s This Book is Gay, George M. Johnson’s All Boys Aren’t Blue, Angie Thomas’s The Hate U Give, and Toni Morrison’s The Bluest Eye.

Children’s books about important figures such as Wilma Rudolph and Roberto Clemente have been banned in some cases without people paying close attention, pulled just because they were challenged, or perhaps without someone much noticing, as they were titles present on long lists that someone chose to prohibit. There have been efforts to ban a graphic novel adaptation of The Diary of Anne Frank because of the illustrations, including one of nude Greek statues—an illustration the authors chose to include to pair with a part of the diary discussing the female body, and because of Anne’s interest in Ancient Greece. So there’s all sorts of reasons being proffered, but again and again you have to question what the motives really driving this all are, and if people are deliberately choosing to abandon common sense. One district in Florida went so far as to ban the dictionary because it defined the word “sex.” How does that help young people learn?

AR: What’s the current state of legal challenges? If I understand correctly, some bills have been proposed limiting what could or couldn’t be taught and made available in our libraries.

JF: Several bills have been introduced in various states to restrict the dissemination of certain materials in educational settings. There is a wide variety, from efforts to place restrictions on what books can be sold to public schools in Texas, to flat out bans on particular content relating to sex, gender, or LGBTQ+ identities, which we’ve seen in Iowa and Florida. Every year we see a new crop of bills that target schools, universities, libraries, and even museums, particularly when it comes to bills that are trying to alter what can get educators in trouble if they give certain materials to minors. The issue is that we actually already have good rules about this, solid laws that protect educators, so that a librarian could stock a book about sexual assault, or students could study Michelangelo’s nude statue of David. But these are efforts to change those laws that would cast a wide chill, if passed.

But that’s just one kind of bill we have seen—many more directly prohibit certain topics or otherwise seek to curb what teachers do, or make them think twice when it comes to certain topics related most especially to race, sex, and gender. This is creating uncertainty and fear among professionals, leading to self-censorship and limiting the diversity of perspectives and experiences that can be shared in schools.

Overall, even the introduction of so many of these bills, even if they don’t pass, has a chilling effect on freedom of expression and artistic and academic freedom, as it signals a willingness to legislate and restrict cultural discourse in ways that could have far-reaching consequences and could impact a range of our educational institutions.

AR: How does the conversation around censorship and book banning affect museums and cultural organizations?

JF: This year we have seen a bill move forward past the House in West Virginia that would specifically target museums and libraries, in terms of removing traditional exemptions that protect their employees from being criminally charged with distributing harmful content to minors. That bill failed to pass fully before the end of the legislative session. It also echoes developments abroad, for example, in Hungary. There, a law controls the presentation of LGBTQ+ content to minors. At the National Art Museum in Budapest this year, an exhibit had photographs of the LGBTQ+ community. The government determined that those photographs essentially broke the law, and they barred all minors from seeing these pictures.

These were not pictures of an explicitly sexual nature; they were just pictures in an art museum of an LGBTQ+ community, I believe from the Philippines. In the wake of that, the director there was dismissed. Even if parents wanted to opt their kids into seeing the exhibit, under the law, they were forbidden to do so. So again, that law isn’t about true parental choice either. Again, it’s more about suppression and control.

AR: Can you share an example of a law proposed here and the language it uses?

JF: A law from last year that was proposed in North Dakota—SB2123—is one example. It would amend a state law about exposing minors to “objectionable materials” in business establishments frequented by minors by deleting the phrase “The above [i.e., business establishments] shall not be construed to include a bona fide school, college, university, museum, public library, or art gallery.” Displaying a nude in a museum is thereby equated with showing a minor an unwrapped pornographic magazine at a newsstand, and is subject to the same legal penalties.

AR: What’s the significance of proposed laws like these for those of us who work in educational settings?

JF: In many states, there are laws prohibiting the dissemination of sexual content to minors, but, as in the example above, these laws typically include exceptions for educational purposes, such as in schools, libraries, and museums. These exceptions have historically allowed educators, librarians, and museum professionals to present materials for educational and cultural purposes without fear of legal repercussions.

However, recent legislative proposals seek to remove these exceptions, leaving professionals in these fields vulnerable to potential legal consequences. This shift is alarming because it could result in self-censorship and restrict the dissemination of necessary educational and cultural materials.

Additionally, the vague language in these proposed laws creates uncertainty about what materials might be deemed “harmful” and targeted for restriction. For example, books about significant historical events like the Holocaust could be banned simply because they contain nudity, even if the nudity is not sexual. This vagueness and potential for harsh penalties make everyone nervous, leading to self-censorship and reluctance to engage with specific topics or materials.

AR: How can readers stay connected to these issues and support the fight against censorship?

JF: Stay informed about local issues, support organizations like us at PEN America, and engage with advocacy groups working to protect freedom of expression. Get active and get informed in your local communities. Public school issues are fundamentally local issues, and if these issues impact local libraries or museums, those are going to be local issues first. Beyond that, there is a moment we are in nationally where it is valuable to have people informed about these issues as they continue to spread from state to state. This is not a fight people can sit on the sidelines of, if we are to be successful at standing against this tidal wave of state censorship.

AR: And internationally?

JF: We are constantly working to raise international issues. Several alarming developments have occurred in other countries, such as in Hungary. But even in Canada, which seems to be being impacted by some of these developments in the US, is seeing new contention around books in schools and libraries.

At the end of the day, this is about people understanding that we live in a global world where what is potentially going to be advanced in the United States can have its roots or its template in other authoritarian countries. So, there is a need to benefit from being aware of what’s happening in the broader world, and how it mirrors or in this case has appeared to foreshadow tactics of censorship.

Thanks are very much owed to James and the Tronvig team, who both provided the organizational structure to the project and devoted the project management and other support needed to carry it, translate it into Spanish, and host the website for it. Thanks are also owed to the museum professionals who helped discuss and debate the nuanced definitions of each of the words that make up the glossary. In this Q&A, I speak with several of these project team members, who each come from the marketing, communications, and audience engagement space.

Joining me in the conversation are Joyce Kwon, the glossary project manager and General Manager at the Tronvig Group; Elke Dehner, Director of Marketing and Communications at the Rubin Museum; Allison Peck, Director of External Affairs and Partnerships, Smithsonian’s Arts and Industries Building; Jo Tiongson-Perez, Chief Marketing and Communications Officer at the Penn Museum; and Kristin Prestegaard, Chief Audience Officer, Minneapolis Institute of the Arts. (These titles reflect the team’s positions at the time of writing of the glossary, which may have since changed in some cases.)

The following are excerpts from our conversations.

Adam Rozan: What’s the Museum Glossary?

Elke Dehner: It’s a glossary for museum marketing, communications, and engagement professionals.

Joyce Kwon: The museum marketing, communications, and audience engagement glossary is an evolving, group-sourced collection of definitions of terms often used in our field. It is a collaborative effort fueled by debate between colleagues with respect and adoration for each other.

AR: As marketing, communications, and audience engagement professionals, why write a glossary of museum terms and words?

Allison Peck: In our jobs, we think constantly about who we’re talking to and what we want to say, and often we don’t focus enough on some of the most influential people we want to reach: our colleagues! A shared understanding across the museum helps us work even more closely together to bring the power of art and culture to the broadest possible audiences.

Jo Tiongson-Perez: Reaching, engaging, and communicating with the public have been traditionally perceived as responsibilities exclusive to marketing and communications roles.

But if we accept that museums exist to serve audiences, then centering audiences across all types of museum work supports that rationale. This mindset can have a radical impact on an organization’s operating infrastructure as well as culture.

In terms of infrastructure, institutions that adopt an audience-centric approach make engaging with and creating for audiences the shared responsibility of every person involved in museum work. From developing inclusive experiences across exhibitions and programming to designing accessible wayfinding across museum spaces and greeting someone at the front desk, imagine how museums can shape every touch point that tells a visitor: you matter, you belong.

AR: How can a shared definition support audience engagement, marketing, and communications teams?

Kristin Prestegaard: The shared definitions can support audience teams to succeed in their work. It can help all museum professionals be successful in their work. Like most things, a shared understanding (agreed upon or not) is the best place to start for successful outcomes.

Allison Peck: As the field has advanced over the past few decades, it’s become increasingly professionalized and nuanced. Marketing, communications, publicity, audience engagement, community outreach, and thought leadership—all these areas have professional language. Building our collective knowledge lets us create strategies that are smarter and more effective, with clear impact.

AR: Why are each of the terms written with audiences in mind? 

Allison Peck: Museums are increasingly transforming from bastions of traditional preservation to being open, dynamic, and community-centered. It’s vital for our survival—and more vitally, for the good of the people we serve. All of our work should be centered around audiences.

Kristin Prestegaard: We, all museum professionals and volunteers, are here, doing this work to serve the people who visit and engage with us—our audience. That can and will look different for each organization. But it is necessary to keep the audience in the forefront of our minds—for our mission and success.

AR: Why does the museum field need a museum-based glossary of terms?

Jo Tiongson-Perez: This glossary was created as a resource for the community of museum professionals.

Because we believe museums exist to serve audiences, we incorporate an audience-centric and museum-specific lens in each definition. We hope this will contribute to the museum field’s continued development.

Elke Dehner: “Words are but the vague shadows of the volumes we mean.” – Theodore Dreiser. Words get thrown around, and people often mean or associate different things without being aware of them, and that can cause friction and lack of effectiveness in the immediate and long term.

AR: What’s your favorite word that we’ve defined?

Elke Dehner: Community. Because it’s a term often discussed in museums, yet there’s an underlying complexity worth shining a light on, e.g., communities can’t be defined from the outside; there’s no such thing as an “Asian community in NYC,” etc.

Joyce Kwon: Purpose statement! I’m constantly interrogating why things exist and what purpose they serve. Once that’s clear, we can identify the mission, vision, and values—which we’ve included in the purpose statement definition. I think purpose is one of the most fundamental words. While there are and will be words that come and go with the times (e.g., “influencers”), the purpose statement is something you need from day one and throughout the lifespan of a museum, whether in 2023, 1823, or 2323.

Jo Tiongson-Perez: Analytics. Transitioning from a corporation to an art museum ten years ago, I observed a gap in how museums, especially in marketing and communications work, would tell the story of their incredible social impact: It needed more data. And I don’t mean visitation numbers or earned and contributed revenue figures. I refer to measuring the impact of a department’s work that contributes to those mission and monetary goals. For example, ROI in marketing spend. E-commerce data in Google Analytics. Audience engagement through a CRM system. Visitor demographics to track a museum’s progress in being more reflective of the city population it serves.

AR: Most misunderstood word or phrase in museums?

Jo Tiongson-Perez: Audience. Internally, this tends to be described creatively or loosely instead of strategically tied to data such as behavior or demographics. Worse, entire museum experiences or initiatives will be developed with no clear audience goal.

Elke Dehner: Audience. It’s what’s at the core of our work as nonprofits because resources are finite, and we need to be clear about who to prioritize, and because departments often think about audiences in different ways and need language as a bridge to develop impactful initiatives.

Eventually, this led to a group call with leaders from the museum marketing, communications, and audience engagement spaces, where we agreed to begin a monthly, multi-year collaboration to produce the now-published (and, as of recently, bilingual) Museum Marketing, Communications, & Audience Engagement Glossary. The following is part one of a two-part blog post in which I interview James, followed by several of the writing team members.

In my conversation with James, we chatted about the role of marketing and communications at museums, the importance of centering museum work on audiences, and how the glossary aims to break down silos in the field.

Adam Rozan: Hello, James. Can you please introduce yourself and share what you do?

James Heaton: I’m the founder and lead strategist at Tronvig, a brand strategy and advertising agency with a longstanding soft spot for museums.

AR: Can you share more about Tronvig’s museum work with me?

JH: We help cultural organizations through brand strategy, organizational alignment, and advertising. Those services are sometimes a sequence and sometimes à la carte.

AR: How did you start working with museums, and what prompted this?  

JH: We caught the museum bug in 2010 with the New-York Historical Society. We won an open RFP and were subsequently closely involved with them for several years.

AR: At its essence, is marketing and branding work really about the organization’s self-reflection to better see themselves and understand their value proposition and relationship with customers and audiences?

JH: Branding work involves a lot of self-reflection, but marketing is really about understanding the customer (I use this term generically, and it includes the audience/visitor/patron). The core brand questions are “Who are we?” and “What is our differentiated promise to the customer?” The core marketing questions are “Who is our customer?” and “What do they value?”

AR: Given your background and experience working with museums, can you share your perspective on the museum field’s unhappy relationship with marketing? I’ve never met anyone who didn’t want their work promoted. Despite the critical work that marketing does in our field, the work itself is often pushed to the margins. Why is that, and what can be done about this?

JH: Part of the problem is structural. Marketing is a core business function, and museums are nonprofit businesses. Still, museums often break apart marketing functions like digital communications and audience research and put them outside of marketing. Museums often think of marketing in terms of communications/PR and I have often seen marketing treated as a service (e.g., “Please go promote this exhibition and get some press coverage.”) This unsophisticated understanding of the role that marketing plays is, I suspect, a holdover from a time when museums were more protected academic and public institutions that could safely devote nearly all of their time and energy to product development, never having to worry much about marketing or the customer.

There is also a problem of credential asymmetry. Curators have advanced academic degrees and often become museum directors. Marketers don’t typically have PhDs and aren’t in line for director positions, so their discipline often gets little respect or operational autonomy, which in turn makes it harder for museums to recruit top talent. It’s very frustrating for a marketer to be in an organization that does not understand marketing.

I once ran a workshop with marketing and curatorial teams from a museum client, and we did an exercise that had each group attempt to explain what the other did. Marketing was able to generate an answer that satisfied the curatorial team. Still, the curators had only the vaguest notions about what was required to get people through the doors to see and appreciate their work.

What can be done? Marketing is gradually being professionalized within the sector. This will be accelerated as leadership recognizes marketing as a strategic function that should not be balkanized and should be staffed and funded as a core function. Marketing also needs to be acknowledged as the voice of the customer and, as such, given a place at the table in product development. These steps would move museums much closer to best practices.

AR: Given this, can you share your pitch to museums and the museum field about why marketing and communications are essential functions and tools for engaging and educating the public?

JH: If mission matters, and if serving the customer (audience/visitor/patron) is critical to fulfilling the mission, then marketing is the one core function whose primary responsibility it is to understand the customer and make sure they, in turn, understand the value the museum brings. If we exist to serve the public and not just ourselves, marketing is the vital link that connects the museum to that public.

AR: Before we start talking about the Museum Glossary, I would love to hear your thoughts on the health of the museum field and where you think the museum field needs to evolve.

JH: The museum field faces an existential crisis.

Is the museum an outmoded post-colonial artifact, or is it a vital instigator and inspirer of new ideas and deeper understanding of essential things that cannot be accessed or thoroughly enjoyed by any other means? Where the past is no guide, what must a museum now do to stay relevant in a society that is in constant rapid transition and always in the throes of one calamity or another? This is a serious project.

What is the museum’s purpose? Why does it exist, and what will it do that matters to its customer and society so that both will see fit to support its continued existence and ask that it stay in their lives and the lives of the communities we share?

AR: Can you touch upon DEI work and its importance for museums? And can you elaborate on how you think museums can do this work internally for their staff and externally for their audiences?

JH: Genuine, meaningful representation is job number one, as I see it. This is for staff, leadership, and the audiences. The comfortable isolation of “the academy” is now a danger to the long-term sustainability of museums. I would suggest that you find and break the many written and unwritten rules that insulate and preserve current power structures and find ways to actively undermine the tenacious staying power of the status quo. The pandemic was a dress rehearsal for the rest of the century. Get comfortable with more dissonance and disagreement inside, so you will be better prepared to weather the storms brewing outside but coming inevitably and inexorably in.

This probably sounds excessively dramatic to most ears. Is it really that dire? Demographics are a relentless force, and you can only ignore them at significant risk.

AR: What’s the Museum Glossary, and why is this needed?

JH: It’s a shot in the dark. An attempt to devise a resource to help raise the level of discourse around the professional marketing discipline in museums. Perhaps better museum-specific definitions for crucial terminology will yield less talking past one another and stimulate more cross-functional understanding within museums. Maybe, from these few seeds, a more fruitful kind of collaboration will grow.

AR: You wrote about the origins of the Museum Glossary, in which, over a phone call, we discussed the need for a shared language and how it might better enable staff and teams to work better together and in better support of the public. How, then, does a shared language and definitions do that?

JH: As you know, the glossary was envisioned as a level-set between functional units within the museum. It becomes challenging to collaborate effectively if we disagree on what X is, how it will be used, and why it matters. Collaboration is far more than a nice-to-have. The museum does not need a marketing team, a development team, and a curatorial team working at cross-purposes. The stakes are too high for this. The museum must be one team with professional units that each contribute their specialized expertise to achieve shared goals. This is the only way museums will thrive in the challenging times ahead.

AR: Last question: what’s next for this project?

JH: We launched in Spanish thanks to ICOM-MPR and ICOM Mexico. We continue to add definitions, if slowly. So, the most important thing is for people to know it exists and to use it.

Last spring, my interest in this topic led me to connect with Anni Rodgers and Carole Fleck of ADDitude, a magazine in its twenty-sixth year that focuses on ADD and ADHD and other neurodiversity topics for adults, children, teens, and families. After our conversation, they decided to survey their subscribers to learn whether they felt museums were serving audiences with ADD and ADHD well or not, eventually publishing the findings in their fall issue last year. The following Q&A includes excerpts from their survey, along with their recommendations for museums and cultural organizations to serve neurodivergent audiences better.

Adam Rozan: To start, can you please introduce yourselves and ADDitude magazine?

Anni Rodgers: Thank you. It is a great honor and responsibility to usher ADDitude into its twenty-sixth year. My name is Anni Rodgers, and I am the General Manager of ADDitude. I first joined the ADDitude team back in 2006, and I’m amazed by how much we’ve learned about ADHD and neurodiversity, more broadly, since then.

Carole Fleck: I’m Carole Fleck, Editor-in-Chief at ADDitude magazine, and I’m amazed at how our readers have such trust in ADDitude and in our ability to help them that they share their most pressing problems with us.

AR: How do you describe neurodiversity, and are neurodivergent audiences only those individuals with ADD and ADHD?

Rodgers: Neurodivergent individuals may be visual thinkers or tactile learners; they may have autism or dyscalculia, or they may have ADHD or dyslexia. The diagnosis does not matter; many neurodivergent thinkers may not even have one. Neurodiversity is not associated in any way with IQ or potential for success. Neurodivergent individuals only sometimes learn best in a traditional classroom setting where information is shared through book-reading and auditory lectures.

ADDitude recently interviewed autism advocate and animal systems engineer Temple Grandin about her neurodiversity and how her visual-spatial mind sees connections and solutions that neurotypical minds do not. She credits her thinking style with her success. She cautions that an education system designed to accommodate only one type of learning discourages and devalues the minds that may be best suited to solve our nation’s infrastructure and transportation problems, for example. In her writings, Dr. Grandin points to Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak—a visual design thinker and an engineering systems thinker—as neurodivergent thinkers who revolutionized their industry by breaking its rules and devising better solutions to consumers’ problems.

AR: Let’s discuss the survey featured in ADDitude’s Fall 2023 issue, how it was conducted, and what you learned.

Rodgers: We fielded the survey in June 2023 to ADDitude readers, 199 of whom answered our questions. We learned that 89 percent of respondents said they enjoy visiting museums and cultural spaces, especially those with interactive, hands-on experiences, outdoor exhibits, and self-guided tours. However, half of the respondents also said they generally don’t feel their neurodivergent needs are met at museums and cultural spaces. The most significant barriers include crowds, noise, being overwhelmed, and a lack of understanding among staff about their neurodivergent visitors’ struggles. More than half (53 percent) said their kids get overstimulated at museums, while 47 percent said exhibits left their kids understimulated (i.e., bored).

AR: How should museums interpret these findings, and in what areas are museums getting it right and wrong for neurodiverse audiences?

Fleck: Museums that consider the unique needs of neurodivergent visitors, perhaps by training and educating staff, hiring advisors who specialize in these issues, and by fielding surveys to target audiences, have a much better chance of getting it right. Considerations should include what appeals to neurodivergent audiences, such as interactive exhibits or multimedia experiences, to make exhibits more interesting and accessible. Also important: making it easier to move about physical spaces by offering downloadable maps of museums and by making it easy for visitors to move freely to get from one exhibit to another—without having to stand in line or trudge through exhibits that aren’t interesting.

Museums that get it right have staff members who understand that some children get excited in stimulating environments and have trouble controlling themselves. So museums with staffers who approach children gently and respectfully to ask them to refrain from running or keep their voices down without making them feel admonished get it right. Museums that offer noise-canceling headphones; quiet, dimly lit sensory rooms where families can go to help children and adults feel calm; and “quiet hours” for visitors sensitive to loud noises, bright lights, and crowds get it right.

AR: From the survey, the magazine pulled together a fun feature titled ADHD Goes to the Museum. Can you share some of the quotes that you heard from respondents?

Fleck: Readers shared their insights into why and how museums draw them in:

• “As an artist, I find inspiration from being immersed in arts and culture. I have learnt however, that it’s better for me to visit these places on my own so that I can lose myself in the experience and not worry about someone waiting for me.”
• “Museums and exhibits appeal to neurodivergents because they often center on specific topics or niches such as musical instruments, photography, or history, each of which may be someone’s special interest or current hyperfixation.”

They also shared their biggest challenges and frustrations with visits to cultural spaces:

• “Interactive, very hands-on. Outdoors is best. There is no way I can get my ADHD son to ‘look without touching.’ Sensory exhibits are great for him; he loves touch.”
• “Wanting to see everything in a museum can be overwhelming, and following maps can be difficult.”
• “I don’t like when you have to walk through one exhibit in order to get to another. What if the first one doesn’t interest me?”
• “We had to leave Vatican City. It was too crowded, and my kids were having more fun sitting on the floor playing a game they made up than seeing amazing works of art.”

And they shared their homegrown solutions to some of these challenges:

• “Let your child wear headphones to listen to something they find soothing. Don’t pull their headphones off and say, ‘Hey, are you paying attention?’ They will pay attention to what interests them. It’s a family trip, not a boot camp.”
• “Keep the visit to their attention span.”
• “Make sure to pack food.”
• “Download a map and organize anything you need to bring before you go. Start talking about the outing with your kids a week before the big day, so that the excitement is not discharged all at once! Get them to practice waiting and not just expect instant gratification.”

AR: Almost half of the survey’s respondents felt that museums did an excellent job for neurodivergent visitors, while the other half reported that museums were not equipped to serve them, and an additional 47 percent of parents shared that their kids were bored visiting museums.

This isn’t a particularly good report card; what would you say to museums reading this, and what advice would you have for them?

Rodgers: In addition to making exhibits, buildings, and services accessible and hiring experts who can help museum staff and volunteers understand neurodivergent people and their sensitivities and triggers, museums might consider:

• Offering special hours with limited visitors, dimmed lights, and less noise.
• Suggesting specific exhibits for children of different ages and estimating the time needed to enjoy each.
• Including on museums’ websites the hours and days that tend to be less busy; and making available downloadable maps of exhibits and sensory rooms.
• Offering programs in spaces that are more inclusive for neurodivergent visitors.
• Scheduling programs for quiet hours.
• Using emerging technology such as extended reality (XR) to augment exhibits.
• Providing virtual experiences to prepare neurodivergent people before visiting a museum.
• Offering exhibits by neurodivergent artists and explaining their background.
• Providing more seating and marked quiet rooms.
• Offering audio guides, noise-cancelling headphones (some museums offer headphones, fidget toys, and weighted lap pads in sensory kits or backpacks that are free but require a deposit).
• Offering personal tour guides just for neurodivergent visitors.
• Improving education among staff about neurodivergent sensitivities.

AR: You also made a list of museum recommendations based on feedback from readers. What are the commonalities among each of the museums that were listed?

Fleck: Here are the museums cited by ADDitude readers as their favorites, with some quotes regarding why they are so beloved. The connective tissue between most of them is opportunities for hands-on learning and exploring:

• “OMSI in Portland Oregon has lots of wonderful hands-on exhibits! They also have a wonderful security system in place. I had to call a code blue on a missing student, but we found him!”
• “The Indianapolis Art Museum has an immersive experience in their LUME exhibit that takes classic artists like Van Gogh and Monet and projects their art on the walls and floors of the gallery, so you literally feel like you’re IN the art. There is soft music that plays to the experience and a large, open floor plan which allows plenty of room to sit on the floor and watch or even walk different rooms. It’s an incredibly unique experience I recently discovered that completely changed the way I would like to experience art exhibits.”
• “The Indianapolis Children’s Museum is the largest children’s museum in the world, and I can see why it was my favorite place growing up. There are so many fun and interactive exhibits that pop up there from Barbie to LEGOs and Jurassic Park. It’s always been a wonderland of cultural, historical, and childhood memories and I remember a lot of the things I learned from those exhibits growing up still today.”

You can read the full list on ADDitude’s Museum List here.

AR: You also provided several recommendations; can you share those recommendations here and how each supports neurodivergent audiences?

Fleck: ADDitude readers suggested the following accommodations to improve the museum-going experience of visitors with ADHD and other neurodivergent guests:

• Provide quiet rooms close to big exhibitions to reduce overwhelm.
• Allow people to bring fidget toys.
• Set aside time slots for people and groups needing a quieter and less crowded environment.
• Consider outdoor presentations.
• Provide clear signage and maps.

Here are their suggestions in their own words:

• “Establish scavenger hunts or trivia games to keep competitive, restless kids engaged and motivated.”
• “Provide reduced trigger days with lower lighting, sound, and crowds.”
• “Quiet rooms close to big exhibitions for reducing overwhelm.”
• “A calm down/timeout/soundproof/break room that a behavior professional may monitor provides family-friendly, accessible areas and sensory-soothing tools (e.g., quiet regions, low lights, weighted/tactile blankets, cubbies in the wall children can crawl into, and places to spin and jump).”
• “It is okay if some exhibits are the typical look and read format, but the kinesthetic side of things where I can touch, feel, experience, and truly interact with what is in front of me is such an important part of keeping me engaged and interested that the idea of going through an entire museum or display without those elements can seem quite daunting to undertake.”
• “Museums should provide etiquette guidelines AND explain why patrons shouldn’t talk on their phones, stand in front of others, etc…”
• “Educate parents regarding a realistic time frame to get through each exhibit and identify quick exits if needed.”
• “Entry shortcuts to popular neurodivergent displays (dinosaurs, trains, and anime); divide pathways into fast-track and slower-paced areas.”
• “Clear maps that help neurodiverse people access all the visits more easily (using colors and clearly identifying rooms, etc.)”

AR: Can you say more about sensory-friendly hours? Would you recommend museums offer them?

Rodgers: Yes, one of our readers is the Director of Customer Experience at the Sydney Theatre Company, and they noted that “The Australian Museum has a semi-regular sensory night that caters to adults: lighting is great; noise is at a regulated level; it’s easy to attend; no discrimination; ND staff in attendance, etc.”

They also made the following recommendations:

• “Eliminate unnecessary sensory barriers. Provide simple visual stories to arrive at a venue including parking. Provide clear literal written (and verbal) instructions throughout the experience. By clear and literal I mean clear from adjectival marketing embellishment. Making things jazzy and fun are not a replacement for accuracy. Keep distractions to a minimum during any transactional pathway. Be intentional in the messaging.”
• “Beware the ADHD (and disability) tax. This is very important. Provide reminders for ticketed dates and times, e.g.: including calendar files. Make cancelation and exchanges easy.”
• “Include neurodivergent professionals in the constructing of these. There are some horrible examples of neurotypicals trying to do the right thing. I know they are trying but please ask.”

AR: How can museums as employers better support their neurodiverse staff and volunteers?

Fleck: A good start:

• Adopt inclusive hiring practices.
• Provide reasonable accommodations.
• Have sensory-friendly rooms or designated quiet areas.
• Offer workspaces with soft lighting and noise-cancelling headphones.
• Offer flexible scheduling.
• Offer support groups for neurodivergent staff.
• Offer inclusive social events.
• Ask staff what would help them to feel more comfortable and productive at work.
• Provide ADDitude magazine subscriptions to staff members.

AR: How can readers learn more about ADDitude magazine?

Rodgers: Visit www.additudemag.com to sign up for ADDitude magazine. You can also sign up for free newsletters that meet your needs, and register to attend one (or more!) of our free webinars with an ADHD expert. ADDitude has published more than nine thousand pieces of content on every ADHD-related topic imaginable. You can begin exploring online and subscribe to our quarterly print magazine to make sure you receive the latest information on ADHD research, insights, and strategies.

Adam Rozan: Please introduce yourself and share what you do.

Wolfgang Bergmann: My name is Wolfgang Bergmann, and I am proud to be managing CFO or Chief Financial Officer at the Austrian Gallery Belvedere in Vienna since 2017. Our museum celebrated its three hundredth anniversary in 2023 and is one of the first publicly opened museums in the world, showcasing well-known artworks from the Middle Ages to contemporary art. We are a non-profit institution wholly owned and partly (one-third of the budget) funded by the Republic of Austria.

AR: This conversation is ultimately about the NFT that Belvedere developed of Gustav Klimt’s The Kiss painting; it’s also about innovative museum practice, new ways to think about digital work, and fundraising.

To start, can you share what is an NFT?

WB: A non-fungible token is primarily a digital certificate of ownership written in the blockchain. An NFT is unique instead of fungible tokens (e.g., blockchain currencies like Bitcoin) and could take on various use cases (such as art, collectibles, etc.).

AR: Okay, Belvedere’s Kiss NFT is, therefore, a digital copy of the painting broken up into ten thousand purchasable digital tiles. Is that correct?

WB: We created a digital copy of The Kiss composed of ten thousand tiles, each representing a unique image. It’s a playful way to engage with the artwork and has attracted a new global audience to art and museums. It’s a positive step toward embracing new technological interactions.

AR: Headlines today are proclaiming that the NFT craze or phase is over, but before we talk about your take on where NFTs are today, can you share how the Kiss NFT was received and how many NFTs the museum has sold to date?

WB: As one of the first museums [to release an NFT] worldwide, we dropped The Kiss NFT on Valentine’s Day 2022. The media response was excellent and international. When we decided to work with this new technology, we knew we would use the most famous masterpiece of our Gustav Klimt collection, The Kiss. With more than 4.4 million dollars in revenue, it’s the most successful project of (its kind) for a museum.

AR: That’s impressive. An initial ten thousand tiles were offered, and you have how many remaining?

WB: 2,600 NFTs have been sold so far, and 7,400 are still available—among them some of the most coveted parts of the painting, e.g., the lips or signature of Gustav Klimt.

AR: Let’s take a step back to the drawing board to discuss how this idea took off at the museum, and if you can, please share some of the process as well.

WB: [To start] we looked at various opportunities and perspectives to use blockchain technology and decided to start with an NFT. Coming out of a pandemic with multiple closures and travel restrictions, we sought a way to engage global audiences with a Belvedere project, and an NFT effort met all those criteria.

AR: Let’s dive a little deeper here: Who’s around the table for these discussions, and if I understand correctly, this is a standing meeting?

WB: We’ve set up an internal work group with colleagues from the marketing, online, PR, legal, merchandise, and accounting departments.

When we settled on doing an NFT, we partnered with Arteq, an established company in Vienna, as our technical partner and worked with a legal agency.

AR: Were there any dissenting opinions or concerns among the staff at the Belvedere regarding this project?

WB: We were convinced that pursuing The Kiss painting was right for this project. The Belvedere’s board supported it, and we engaged in discussions with relevant authorities to ensure a smooth process. While the idea was straightforward, executing it was a significant undertaking.

AR: What’s next for this team and the work you all are doing together? How do you build on the success of the NFT, or is the success here intimidating the group?

WB: We are currently using “Crypto-Winter” to improve our platform, making onboarding new customers easier. We’re also collaborating with the Korean fashion designer Lie Sang Bong on a fashion line and jewelry that features digital tiles, [alongside] Austrian producer CIRO.

AR: You shared that the audience here differs from the traditional Belvedere-goer. How’s that?

WB: Due to the nature of blockchain, we only have limited information on the origin of our NFT holders from data. We only have the wallet IDs and email addresses of our holders. However, through the available information and personal encounters at live events at the museum, we see a very diverse audience. Among them are many younger art enthusiasts and buyers from around the world. Because of the enormous media response in Europe, particularly our home market, many of our holders also reside in Austria. We witnessed that most NFT holders are emotionally tied to the artwork, the museum, or Vienna. That’s why many NFT holders have also dedicated their NFT to their loved ones and do not want to trade their unique collectible.

AR: Do you see the sales of the NFT picking up for the museum in the future?

WB: We see many opportunities in blockchain technology in the future. Digital art and NFTs are only starting to impact the global art scene. The Kiss NFT was our first project in this direction, with which we benefitted greatly. We are all currently learning about web3 and all its implications, challenges, and offerings for our daily lives. The technological development will lead to more straightforward and customer-friendly solutions, increasing the adoption of blockchain-related services.

AR: At the start of our conversation, I said I would ask for your opinion on the NFT market. Is there a future here, or has this trend run its course?

WB: The Belvedere is an institution with a long history, experiencing many political and economic ups and downs. There have been upheavals in the past that simply do not compare to the problems we encounter these days. Still the Belvedere has stood the test of time. This project too will accompany the Belvedere permanently. Winter is followed by spring—and that will hold true for “Crypto-Winter” as well.

AR: Final question: What should readers who want to purchase a tile do?

WB: Log on to www.thekiss.art, browse our www.thekissnft.medium.com blog, and familiarize yourself with our project. And if you want to give a special once-in-a-lifetime gift, you should declare your love with The Kiss NFT and dedicate it on our website.

Valentine’s Day is just around the corner!