(We decided to end 2024 with some insightful thoughts on museum planning from Marcella Wells. Marcella’s book, Interpretive Planning for Museums, came highly recommended from our colleague Lars Wohlers. Mike read it and was impressed with its directness, its insights, and its focus on implementatin as well as planning. This is the first of two posts Marcella will be writing for us. A very happy holidays to everyone and a joyous 2025 from Bill, Mike and Lars.)
For many, Interpretive Planning is equivalent to doing math homework - easy to put off, but difficult when it’s time to take the test.
Photo Credit: Marcella Wells
In our book Interpretive Planning for Museums (Wells, Butler, and Koke. 2013), we offer a rather academic definition of interpretive planning as “a deliberate and systematic process for thinking about, deciding on, and recording in a written format or plan, education and interpretive initiatives for the purpose of facilitating meaningful and effective experiences for visitors, learning institutions, and communities.”
In plain language, the most important parts of this definition are:
· Is it written down? … think about a tangible working document
· Why are we doing this project? … think overall institutional mission and goals
· Who is it for? … think audience segments and desired experiences
· What is it about? … think objects (for museums) as well as concepts and stories
· What should we care about… think desired visitor outcomes
· How do we get there? … think logistics, fabrication, installation
· How will we know it worked?... think visitor studies
In general, there are basically two types of interpretive planning,
1. Exhibit or Program Planning which is focused and project-specific
2. Interpretive Master Planning which is broader and institution-specific
This post focuses on the former type and features a recent exhibition at the Avenir Museum of Design and Merchandising in Fort Collins, Colorado, part of Colorado State University (CSU), that exemplifies some of the features of exhibit planning. This is not meant as an exhaustive discussion of interpretive planning but rather one example of how to think about the process of interpretive planning.
Photo Credit: Website - Avenir Museum of Design & Merchandising, Front Entrance, Colorado State University, Ft. Collins, Colorado
Is it written down? (tangible working reference document)
A great deal of interpretive planning is done on the fly, jotted down on the back of a cocktail napkin, or accomplished in the lunchroom while talking with colleagues. Sometimes those intentions get translated to paper; other times perhaps not. A written plan, however, serves several purposes. First, it captures in one place the ‘group think’ about a project so there is less confusion about what has been agreed upon. Second, it records the sequencing of a project over time as ideas are added, removed, or reframed. Finally, it serves as a tangible ‘note for the record’ giving the institution an historical record of accomplishments…and serving as an administrative (and even legal) record for later reference and accountability.
Why are we doing this project? (mission and goals)
For informal learning organizations and institutions (museums, parks, nature centers, zoos, etc.) interpretive planning includes nesting the project within the mission and ensuring that it is consistent with broad institutional goals. For the Avenir, their mission is to: “tell stories of dress and textiles that inspire respectful curiosity and connection across people, places and cultures”. The Museum has three galleries and a collection of nearly 20,000 objects. Rotating exhibitions are developed throughout the year in all three galleries. In 2024, Curator Paula Alaszkiewicz, set forth an exhibit goal for the main gallery: to demonstrate the depth and breadth of the Museum’s collection of tie dye objects across techniques, places, and time. Tie dyeing is also referred to as ‘resist dyeing’ for the artistic process of using wax to resist the absorption of dyes in fiber and textile pieces.
Who is it for? (audience)
Being a university museum, the Avenir’s primary visitors are the scholars and students at CSU, but the Museum actively welcomes community and regional visitors who come as individuals, couples, and groups. Visitors are of all ages, races, genders, and affinity groups. Desired experiences for the Museum are as diverse as these audience segments. For example, college students seek opportunities to explore more about their chosen vocation and/or show others (friends, family members, guests) the unique aspects of a nationally recognized university museum. Families seek opportunities to show their children beautiful, rare, historic, and unusual fashion and textile objects. Regional visitors are often interested in a new and unique tourist adventure. The exhibit experience highlighted in this post provided all of the above and along with other objects to view, narratives to read, questions to answer, and ancillary program experiences based on the exhibit content (e.g., hands-on experience of tie dyeing, learning how to wrap a sari, and so forth).
What is it about? (objects, concepts, stories)
A number of items from the diverse collection of tie dye and resist objects in the collection were selected to meet the teaching, research, and service goals of the Museum. The exhibit was eventually titled: Resist: Tie Dye Practices from Around the World. Objects were selected to best feature stories about (a) diverse tie dye techniques (e.g. Indian Bandhani, Japanese Shibori, Uzbekistan Abr, Yoruba Adire, and Euro-American DYI), (b) tie dye as both a global endeavor and an historic record, and (c) exemplary examples of diverse artistry, creativity and construction.
What should we care about? (desired visitor outcomes)
Describing visitor outcomes during the planning process is highly desirable but all too often neglected. Outcomes state what visitors might do, think, or feel as a result of their experience in the exhibit. Several of the anticipated outcomes for the Resist Exhibit included:
· Visitors will express amazement at the incredible global diversity of tie-dye techniques throughout history.
· Visitors will spend time viewing the tie-dye/resist techniques used to create unusual patterns.
· Visitors will connect some personal relevance to today’s modern tie dye.
· Visitors will appreciate the complexity of Ikat as a specific unique form of Resist dyeing.
· Visitors will share their enthusiasm for the exhibit content and displays with others.
Developing visitor outcomes during planning is important for guiding decisions about visitor experiences, and later, for evaluating the impact, reach, and success of the exhibition.
How do we get there? (logistics)
In addressing this practical planning question, the Avenir staff tested a variety of formats and flow options using a scale model of the large open-plan gallery. This flexible model allowed staff several options for re-arranging walls and cases, and to consider a variety of display methods (slant boards, pedestals, hangings, etc.). Ultimately, a layout was selected which maximized visual appeal while also providing several paths for visitor explorations within the exhibit space.
Map Photo Credit: Avenir Museum of Design and Merchandising
For example, the curator positioned a world map at the entry of the exhibit to help visitors grasp the geographic scope of the exhibit content.
Open Gallery Exhibit Design Photo Credit: Avenir Museum of Design and Merchandising
The curator also positioned the walls and cases such that visitors would not have an “all-at-once” view of the exhibit. Rather, the overall configuration encouraged visitors to explore the space more deliberately based on personal interest. Questions posed in the introduction panel were used to intellectually pull visitors through the various zones or sections of the exhibition.
Icon Photo Credit: Avenir Museum of Design and Merchandising
As well, iconic pieces were placed strategically around the gallery so visitors might experience powerful ‘discovery’ moments. Throughout the exhibition multiple levels of interpretation were planned so that visitors could self-select their preferred method of inquiry for each of the exhibit areas. These included panel text at each major zone, in-depth text guides (printed or QR Code access), and individual object labels.
Printed Sari Photo Credit: Avenir Museum of Design and Merchandising
Finally, the curator incorporated a number of ‘bridge elements’ to link the various exhibit zones together. For example, objects in the exhibit included both dyed and printed fabric. In order to bridge these concepts, iconic objects such as the ‘printed’ Sari shown above was used to bridge from a ‘dyed’ Japanese kimono below. This strategy aimed to help the visitors make the intellectual transition from objects that were resist-dyed to those which were printed to simply resemble resist-dyed techniques.
Japanese Dyed Kimono - Shibori Technique Photo Credit: Avenir Museum of Design and Merchandising
How do we know it worked? (evaluation)
The wonderful thing about planning is that if you intentionally record your process as you go, then capturing information about impact and success is much easier. The Visitor Studies toolbox is wide and deep and so the lean staff of six worked diligently to integrate some level of visitor studies into their interpretive planning efforts. Depending on the size and scope of other exhibits, this Museum sometimes employs Timing & Tracking, simple surveys, and Post-it evaluations in the gallery.
For this exhibition, the Museum used visitor counts and recorded staff observations including frequently asked questions and average time spent in the exhibition. In the final analysis, these data indicated that visitors were “awed” at the intricacies of the bandhani and shibori dyeing techniques, they were “surprised” at the deep history and broad geography of resist dyeing techniques, and they “appreciated” the novel topic of the exhibition.
Takeaway
Planning is essential for successful, impactful, and enduring visitor experiences. Today’s museums are but one venue in the vast learning landscape and leisure time opportunities of our communities and country. If we are to be effective storytellers for the 21st century, interpretive planning at all sites should be intentional, visitor-centric, and documented (written down and preserved for future reference). I invite you to visit the diagrams, examples, and tips in our book for more ideas about integrating visitor perspectives in your decision-making. And if you are ever in Ft. Colins, please take some time to view the beautiful fabrics on display at the Avenir Museum.
(Marcella started professional life as a ballet dancer and ended as an evaluator. In between she worked as a travel agent, dance teacher and choreographer, environmental educator, interpretive planner, college professor, librarian, and polymer clay artist. Her 30-year career in visitor studies, interpretive planning, and as a college professor took her to 20+ states and three foreign countries for dozens of projects. Since 2015, Marcella has volunteered at the Avenir Museum of Design and Merchandising working in collections, guest-curating exhibits, and the Avenir Museum’s library. Her favorite spaces are libraries, thrifts stores, cemeteries, and Ponderosa pine forests. You can contact Marcella at marcellawells@comcast.net and her book is available from Taylor & Francis Group in Florida, or call 561-994-0555.)