Poster Session
Fox Commons
In these sessions (generally about 45 minutes), authors have the opportunity to display or exhibit their work and engage in informal discussion with other delegates throughout the session. Displays may be posters (maximum 121.92 x 91.44 centimeters/4x3 feet), digital/computer displays, artwork, or other visual media. Space for the poster or exhibit will be provided at the conference, however all materials must be organized by the presenter, including posters, displays, handouts or other appropriate materials. We cannot guarantee a dedicated power source for each presenter.
Partnerships as Pathways to Accessibility : Creating a More Sensory-friendly Museum Experience for Individuals with Special Needs View Digital Media
Poster Session Andrea Tyszka, Laura Westmoreland, Fern Silverman
This session describes a collaboration between art museum educators and occupational therapy (OT) university faculty members to improve the experiences of museum-goers with sensory-processing disabilities. Their connection was initiated through a grant-funded project to support inclusion of families with children with autism. This initiative began by forming an advisory board composed of museum staff, university faculty, and representatives from the autism community. The board drove the creation of sensory-friendly programming which included special early access hours for crowd control, therapeutic tools for sensory self-regulation, hands-on art projects, and specially trained volunteers. Program evaluation data, taken from January 2019 until January 2022, allowed museum staff and university faculty to analyze trends related to sensory-friendly programming and the COVID-19 pandemic. The overall experience was rated as “wonderful” by 57% to 91% of participants over a two-year period. Of all the supports provided, participants consistently rated the specially trained volunteers as most beneficial, however they noted additional training as an area for improvement to understand the variability inherent in the autism community. Overall, this sensory-friendly programming made an impact in the community and the museum’s culture by broadening the visitor base to more fully welcome families with children with autism, along with other visitors with special needs. This collaboration enhanced museum access along with visitor diversity. This study provides a detailed program development description and highlights from longitudinal program evaluation data, in hopes that similar programming can be initiated in other museum settings to enhance visitor diversity.
What Is the Reach of Your Red Carpet?: Improving Visitor Satisfaction and Revenue in Museums through Access Communication and Hospitality Services View Digital Media
Poster Session Johan Kaspers
More satisfied visitors, higher turnover in cafés and shops, less visitors in traffic jams and extra income from travel services. These are some of the aims of a mobility program in The Netherlands set up to help museums and leisure locations enhance the hospitality of their access. By extending their red carpet, mobility management becomes enjoyable and rewarding. In the smart travel program ‘Hospitality Accessibility’ simple solutions are collected and shared among participating organisations. The central theme is the fact that the success of the organisations involved suffers from dissatisfaction caused by insufficient information, bad accessibility, and other mobility issues. Focus is set on mobility information, access to public transport, signage towards and inside the museum and many other transport and hospitality issues. Improvements lead to higher general visitor satisfaction, more time to enjoy the museum and spend money, higher numbers of returning visitors, better word-of-mouth advertising and more positive social media reviews. Among the participants were organizations like Holland Open Air Museum Arnhem, Dutch Design Week, Ontdekfabriek Eindhoven and museum Catharijneconvent Utrecht. We show examples and best practices that can be applied immediately so attendees can roll out the red carpet of their museum.
Featured Mors Publicae Artis: The Death of Public Art
Poster Session Julie Goodman, Heather McLaughlin
A city's collection of public art functions as a de facto outdoor museum. Recent removals of numerous works of public art, including monuments, from public spaces worldwide raises questions about the death of public art, and how society is rethinking the outside museum. Though many scholars suggest frameworks for the creation of public art, and for consideration of the public in the commissioning of public art, not as much attention has been paid to the removal, decommissioning, or death of public art. What does it mean for public art to die? How do decisions to remove public art from public spaces occur? What factors influence these choices? What happens to public art when it is removed? This research examines what has happened to works of public art that have been removed from public spaces in the city of Philadelphia, examining why they were removed and what happened to them next. Using data from one of America’s oldest cities and largest collections of public art as a foundation, the study seeks to develop a foundational understanding of what happens to public art at the end of its public life. In doing so, it is part of a growing body of research exploring the value and practice of public art.
