Ignite the Power of Art- An evening with Gail Davitt, Dallas Museum of Art

We were privileged last week to have a visit from Gail Davitt, Chair of Learning Initiatives and Director of Education, Dallas Museum of Art (DMA) Gail's trip to Australia was organised by Museum and Gallery Servicess Queensland through funding from the Australia Council. Over a six year period the DMA undertook extensive audience research which has led them to rethink their relationships with audiences and indeed who those audiences are.

The research was undertaken over two key periods, an initial survey period from 2003-5 and a follow up in 2008. Randi Korn and Associates were engaged to undertake the research, and found that visitors could be statistically grouped into four distinct visitor groups:

Observers (26%)

• neither knowledgeable about art nor comfortable/emotionally connected to art
• interested in basic straightforward information about art
• Least comfortable explaining it to others
• 31% of this group are DMA members, 30% first time visitors

Participants ( 24%)

• want to connect with art in a variety of ways and seek interpretation through different mediums
• Acknowledge that they aren't familiar with art terminology, not comfortable talking about the meaning of a work of art to others
• 33% DMA members, 28% first time visitors

Independents (20%)

• Moderately confident viewing art
• Like to do so on their own terms without explanation and interpretation from the museum
• 32% DMA members, 28% first time visitors

Enthusiasts (30%)

• Confident, enthusuastic and emotionally & intellectually connected to works of art
• Comfortable looking at and talking about art
• Interested in all types of information about art
• Active participants in DMA programs and actively use interpretation offerings

The research has led the DMA to rethink who their audiences are, what audiences expect from the museum and how audiences engage with art.

One of the study's findings was that many visitors are interested in a variety of art forms. In response to this, the DMA has incorporated performing arts and writing into the interpretation of art through performances in exhibition spaces, the use of literary quotes in exhibition labels and inviting performing artists to respond to works. An example of this was a label in which Raphael Parry Executive and Artisitic Director Shakespeare Dallas (and Director of Texas Boumd, Arts and Letters Live at the DMA) responded to The Cloud Club a work by Matthew Barney incorporating a grand piano. The director's response provides a perspective on the work that was engaging and provided visitors with a new perspective on the work.

A further development was the inclusion of soundscapes in the recent exhibition Coastlines: Images of Land and Sea. The exhibition focused on coastal landscapes in paintings, works on paper and photographs from 1850- present. Faculty and students from the Arts and Technology department of the University of Texas created a variety of soundscapes that provided another layer to the visitor's experience of the exhibition. Similar to the way lighting is used in a gallery, some of the soundscapes washed through the space whilst others were only accessed when standing directly in front of the work.

This deeper understanding of audiences has influenced the developement of the DMA's SmARTphone app which provides users with a variety of opportunities to engage with and gain a deeper understanding of art. Introductory information provides a general understanding, for those who wish to go deeper, information is available about the artist, maker and/or cultural context of the work. This information is provided through photos, video, conversations and music. For those interested in engaging beyond the work itself, Responses uses sound design, film, visitor conversations and interactive opportunities for the audience to engage with and be inspired by the work.

One of the most interesting outcomes of the research has been the development of the Center for Creative Connections (C3). The C3 has been designed as a multigenerational space where both adults and children are invited to be creative and interact with both and exhibitions. The space includes a performance area, exemplary works from the collection and programming to encourage intergenerational activities. Audiences are invited to engage with the works on exhibitions through a range of activities such as Lick and Lather (Janine Antoni) a work involving busts of the artist in soap and chocolate. A barrier in front of the work held a series of magnetic words taken from the artist's work which visitors were invited to play with to piecing together their own reponse to the works.

Gail emphasised that the DMA spent a lot of time finnessing audience definitions. She was really honest about some of their trials that hadn't worked so well and how the DMA continues to learn from each project. The Center for Creative Connections is about to be redeveloped for the third time since it opened. This new iteration will be developed in pods/modules which will allow them to be reconfigured independantly of each other which DMA believes will be a less resource hungry approach but will also enable the C3 to be more responsive to change.

Over time the DMA's work with visitors has led to a 100% increase in audiences with more than 50% of visitors participating in educational and public programs. DMA now understand that different audiences expect different things so provide a range of experiences tailored to their various audience segments.

The DMA has published a book highlighting their approach to visitor engagement entitled Ignite the Power of Art . The book is written by Bonnie Pitman (recently retired director of the DMA and Ellen Hirzy and is available through Yale University Press

Thank you to the Australia Council for providing the funding to bring Gail to Australia and providing the venue for her talk and to M&GSQ, particularly Ann Baillie, for organising her journey in the midst of recent turmoil with Qantas.