OMCA

Client: Oakland Museum of California (OMCA), Gallery of California History and Gallery of California Art

Role: Exhibit Evaluator

Research: With Randi Korn & Associates, we conducted summative evaluations of the completely redesigned and reinstalled Galleries. The redesign occurred with funding from the James Irvine Foundation to create “a more welcoming, comfortable and lively Gallery of California; foster intergenerational learning; attract and engage an ethnically diverse community; and foster a personal connection between art and the visitor.”

I trained timing and tracking data collectors to evaluate how museum visitors used the gallery and interactive exhibits.  I conducted in-depth interviews, observations, and surveys to measure visitor experiences in two 25k sq. ft. exhibits.

Outcome: We found exceptionally long visit times and high rate of interactive use. From the in depth interviews, we found that many pieces in the Galleries were meaningful and inspiring to visitors, though the number of exhibits can feel overwhelming.

OMCA was so excited about findings that they self-published a book about their new relationship with visitors.