Full Description
What does the transformation to a visitor-centered approach do for a museum? How are museums made relevant to a broad range of visitors of varying ages, identities, and social classes? Does appealing to a larger audience force museums to "dumb down" their work? What internal changes are required? Based on a multi-year, Kress Foundation-sponsored study of ten innovative American and European collections based museums recognized by their peers to be visitor centered, Peter Samis and Mimi Michaelson answer these key questions for the field. The book:
• describes key institutions that have opened the doors to a wider range of visitors;
• addresses the internal struggles to reorganize and democratize these institutions;
• uses case studies, interviews of key personnel, Key Takeaways, and additional resources to help museum professionals implement a visitor-centered approach in collections-based institutions.
Contents
Preface Introduction Part 1: Moving Toward the Visitor-Centered Museum Chapter 1: Considering the Visitor Chapter 2: Contours of Change Chapter 3: Creating Change Part 2: Spaces of Engagement Chapter 6: City Museum, St. Louis, MO Chapter 7: Minnesota History Center, St. Paul, MN Chapter 8: Ruhr Museum, Essen, Germany Chapter 9: Detroit Institute of Arts Chapter 10: Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum, Glasgow, U.K. Chapter 11: Oakland Museum of California Chapter 12: Denver Art Museum Chapter 13: Columbus Museum of Art Chapter 14: Van Abbe Museum, Eindhoven, NL Chapter 15: Museum of Contemporary Art, Denver Part 3: Lessons Learned Chapter 16: Complexities, Outcomes and Aftermaths Chapter 17: Conclusion: Lessons Learned Notes References Index About the Authors
