Audience Research for the British Galleries Project

Audience Research for the British Galleries Project Silver Gallery Discovery Area Part 3: Main Findings of Qualitative Research

Audience Research for the British Galleries Project

Silvery Gallery Discovery Area

Part 3 (of 3): Main Findings of Qualitative Research

Contract Reference: VA/CON/50/97

6 March 1998

Prepared for:

The British Galleries Project Team of the Victoria & Albert Museum

Prepared by:

Creative Research

11/12 The Green

London W5 5DA

: 0181 567 6974

Fax: 0181 567 6979

Table of Contents

Page

PART 3: Main Findings of Qualitative Research

10. GROUP COMPOSITION AND PATTERN OF MUSEUM VISITING...... 75

11. ATTITUDES TOWARDS INTERPRETATION IN MUSEUMS...... 80

11.1 INTRODUCTION...... 80

11.2 FINDINGS OF THE INITIAL INTERPRETATION QUESTIONNAIRE...... 80

11.3 PERCEIVED CHILD FRIENDLINESS OF THE V&A...... 81

11.4 ATTITUDES TOWARDS INTERPRETATION BASED ON EXPERIENCES IN MUSEUMS AND VISITOR ATTRACTIONS...... 84

11.5 CHANGES IN ATTITUDES TO INTERPRETATION AFTER EXPOSURE TO THE DISCOVERY AREA...... 95

12. ATTITUDES TO LEARNING...... 97

12.1 INTRODUCTION...... 97

12.2 LEARNING IN MUSEUMS...... 97

12.3 THE ROLE OF THE DISCOVERY AREA IN HELPING VISITORS TO LEARN...... 100

13. RESPONSE TO THE DISCOVERY AREA...... 104

13.1 INTRODUCTION...... 104

13.2 ATTRACTION OF THE DISCOVERY AREA VIS À VIS THE MAIN GALLERY...... 104

13.3 EVALUATION OF THE MAIN GALLERY...... 105

13.4 PERCEPTIONS OF THE ROLE OF THE DISCOVERY AREA AND WHO IT IS AIMED AT...... 107

13.5 RESPONSE TO THE DISCOVERY AREA AS A PHYSICAL SPACE...... 111

13.6 EVALUATION OF THE INTERPRETIVE DEVICES...... 115

13.7 LEARNING STYLE AND INTERPRETATION PREFERENCE...... 123

14. FUTURE INTERPRETATION AT THE V&A: LESSONS TO BE APPLIED TO OTHER GALLERIES...... 124

14.1 INTRODUCTION...... 124

14.2 ORIENTATION TO CHILDREN AS AN INTEGRAL PART OF THE GALLERIES...... 124

14.3 MORE DISCOVERY AREAS...... 125

14.4 LINKING OF DISCOVERY AREAS...... 126

14.5 TOURS...... 126

14.6 PRESENTATION OF THE WRITTEN WORD...... 127

14.7 PERSONAL ENGAGEMENT...... 128

14.8 PUTTING OBJECTS IN CONTEXT...... 129

14.9 DIRECT INTERACTION WITH OBJECTS...... 130

14.10 GREATER ATTENTION TO ERGONOMICS...... 130

APPENDIX II………………………………………………………………………………………………...134

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Although not a primary objective for the research, an understanding of the type of person taking part in the discussion and their museum visiting experience is useful in order to place many of the findings in context.

In the three following charts we provide, for each group, a breakdown of the participants by gender, occupation, learning style preference, frequency of visiting museums (where provided), type of museum visited and experience of the V&A Museum. For the Family Visitors, we also provide the ages of their children.

While each group member represents, for the purposes of this research, a certain target audience, the research confirms that there is significant overlap across the various target groups. Thus, at least one of the Specialists would also have ‘qualified’ as a family visitor and half of the Independent Learners were, on occasions, visiting the V&A to inform their professional work. There is also a fine dividing line between what constitutes the amateur and professional specialist.

It was clear that in the groups some members switched between roles when discussing certain issues. We would suggest therefore, that while categories such as Independent Learners can be useful in providing a broad-brush segmentation of target audiences, within any one category, individuals may adopt a variety of roles for example, on one issue, putting personal needs uppermost, on another, thinking about what is needed to help them in their work.

10. GROUP COMPOSITION AND PATTERN OF MUSEUM VISITING

FAMILY VISITORS

Gender / Age ofChildren / Occupation / Learning Style / Frequency of Museum Visiting / Museums Visited / History of Visiting the V&A
M / 4,6,8 / Architectural IronmongeryCompany Director / Assimilator/ analytical / Approx. every 2 years, though twice in last month (bought year ticket for Science Museum) / Science Museum (sports exhibit), NHM / Never visited
M / 7 / House Husband / Accomodator/experiential / ‘occasionally’ / Science Museum,Museum of London / Visited by himself 10 years ago
F / 5,8 / Dispute ResolutionProgramme Co-ordinator / Converger/ common-sense / Several times a year / Science Museum, NHM, / 3 Years ago with one older child, then 5
F / 4,6 / Personnel Officer / Diverger/imaginative / At least once a month (has South Ken. Museums pass) / Science Museum, NHM, Geffrye Museum / About once a month
F / 4,6 / Media Buyer / Diverger/imaginative / Up to once a month (has South Ken. Museums pass) / Science Museum, NHM, Nottingham Castle museums on holiday / 8-9 times over past year
F / 4,7 / Part-time Illustrator / Diverger/imaginative / ‘sporadically’ / Science Museum,Imperial War Museum / Years ago before children

INDEPENDENT LEARNERS

Gender / Occupation / Learning Style / Frequency of Museum Visiting / Museums Visited / History of Visiting the V&A
M / Teacher of autistic children / Diverger/ imaginative / 2-3 times a year / Specialist exhibitions at London museums and galleries; while on holiday (e.g. Van Gogh Museum) / Been to Larsson exhibit
M / Graphic Designer / Assimilator/analytical / 2-3 times a month / National Gallery, Tate, Bradford National Photographic & Film Museum, MOMI / ‘Rarely visit’ though had visited the Larsson exhibit 2 weeks previously; visited more often when a student
M / Economic Intelligence Officer / Converger/ common-sense / 3-4 times a month / Galleries more than museums; South Bank, Tate / Once this year
F / Teacher / Converger/common-sense / About 6 times a year / Science Museum, NHM, National Gallery / About twice a year
F / Part-time art consultant / Accomodator/ experiential / 7-10 times a year / London museums and galleries + locally around Farnham, Museum of Mankind / Once in last year
F / Landscape designer / Questionnaireincorrectly completed / 1-2 times a month / Tate / In last 2 years

SPECIALISTS

Gender / Occupation / Learning Style / Frequency of Museum Visiting / Museums Visited / History of Visiting the V&A
M / Ceramics Consultant (ex- Christies) / Diverger/ imaginative / Sir John Soane Museum, Ashmolean, Fitzwilliam, Cecil Higgins Museum / Visited over 20-30 years to view ceramics collection
F / Silversmith / Assimilator/analytical / 2-3 times a year / Science Museum, NHM / Among those visited occasionally
F / Lecturer in decorative arts / Assimilator/ analytical / National Gallery, BM, Museums in Paris and Florence / In professional capacity as a panel lecturer and ‘popping in’ to look at particular things
M / Architect and Islamic Art Specialist / Accomodator/ experiential / Ashmolean / Regular visitorwithfamily (4,7,9 with season ticket) When student, did research at V&A
F / Design College Lecturer/ fashion buyer / Accomodator/ experiential / Pitt Rivers, Sir John Soane, Museum of Mankind / Occasionally

SPECIALISTS (continued)

Gender / Occupation / Learning Style / Frequency of Museum Visiting / Museums Visited / History of Visiting the V&A
F / Food stylist / Converger/common-sense / When children younger every month; trying to visit by self every month or 2 / Museums relating to fashion, Imperial War Museum, Science Museum / In last 2 years
F / Music teacher & amateur furniture collector/upholsterer / Questionnaire incorrectly completed / Stately homes & historic houses, Sir John Soane / Quite often, including lectures. Venue for meeting friends

11. ATTITUDES TOWARDS INTERPRETATION IN MUSEUMS

11.1 Introduction

This chapter of the report addresses 5.4.2 of the brief, the type of interpretation that visitors consider appropriate for the Museum and whether exposure to the Discovery Area leads to a less conservative view about interpretation.

Group members were confronted at the outset of the discussion with a questionnaire asking for their level of agreement or disagreement with various statements about methods of display and interpretation at the V&A. The statements were derived from a slightly longer list developed during the earlier British Galleries research.

The completion of this questionnaire clearly prompted people to consider certain types of interpretation styles when this aspect was later discussed.

In the next sections, we look at group members’ attitudes expressed through the questionnaire, spontaneous comments made about the V&A as a venue for family visiting, and the main points of an open discussion about interpretation in museums. While these points are not specifically oriented to what is deemed appropriate for the V&A Museum, there is a high level of commonality with the views expressed later regarding ideas for future interpretation at the Museum (chapter 5).

11.2 Findings of the Initial Interpretation Questionnaire

Of the three groups, the Family Visitors were most positive and homogeneous in their views on interpretation at the V&A. All agreed or agreed strongly with the vast majority of statements indicating that they felt that a range of interpretation methods would be appropriate to the Museum.

Independent Learners and Specialists also agreed with the statements for the most part, although there was a greater range of opinion.

Across the three groups, the statements with which participants were less likely to agree or to neither agree or disagree were as follows: