Sharing Summertime Inspiration from Kera Collective
With summer comes travel and adventure. Take a breather with us and see what we have been reading and doing!
August Coffee Break Picks
CATHY’S PICK
Leave something to the imagination – When to Omit Audience Insights
"In this video from Museum Next’s Growing Audience Summit, Sadiya Akasha and Judith Comyn tackle a question we don’t often let ourselves consider as researchers—how can omitting audience insights actually help us develop great museum experiences? Through their work on an immersive art installation at Tate Modern, they unpack how purposely not addressing the main question that audiences asked in user research interviews ultimately led to deep emotional resonance with and playful curiosity about the art. This talk touches on the challenges of doing audience research for immersive experiences and reminds us that research is best balanced with a bit of imagination."
AMANDA’S PICK
DEAI Metrics and KPI's in the Museum Field
"Developing Diversity, Equity, Access, & Inclusion (DEAI) metrics and Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) is an important step for the museum field. In May, the Association of Zoos & Aquariums hosted the third in a series of DEAI webinars on just that topic: “Monitoring Progress toward DEAI Goals: Measuring What Matters.” The 1-hour webinar shares how AZA and their members are beginning this work. If short on time, I find this document the hosts shared a great baseline for thinking about developing your own metrics and KPIs. Thanks to the host for sharing this work in process!"
CLAIRE’S PICK
Building Salary Equity at the Bakken Museum
“This article is a great look at how one museum took it into their own hands to provide equity financially for all of its staff members. In an ever-changing culture in which many institutions are striving to be inclusive and equal, it is often hard to navigate how money plays a role in inequity. I love how the author highlights the inequity that usually affects women, especially BIPOC women, in a woman-dominated field. The outlining of the practical steps in which the Bakken Museum took to address this along with their actions to change is encouraging and offers a clear starting point for others. I appreciate their openness and honesty in an often difficult conversation!"
What’s New At Kera?
We are thrilled to announce that Hannah Heller has joined Kera Collective as a researcher! Hannah brings over 10 years of experience in inclusive qualitative research and museum education to her position as Researcher at Kera Collective. Hannah loves drawing from her background as a museum educator and strives to meet our partners where they are to ensure a collaborative approach at every step.
We are kicking off a two-year project with the Kluge-Ruhe Aboriginal Art Collection at the University of Virginia. With funding from the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH), the Kluge-Ruhe will travel Maḏayin: Eight Decades of Aboriginal Australian Bark Painting from Yirrkala to five art museums across the country, and we will evaluate its impact on audiences.
Stephanie and Amanda are attending the Association for Science and Technology Center’s annual conference in Pittsburgh September 12-15. Amanda is taking part in two sessions: one on imagination in STEM and another on designing exhibitions for individuals traditionally not welcomed in STEM. We are excited to see many friends and colleagues in person for the first time in a very long time!
Check out our July Insights on our Learning Hub. Stephanie writes about the similarities between taking a hike and visiting an exhibition, and Lina writes about the incorporation of lived history in museum spaces.
Moment of Wonder
"A complete double rainbow formed after a short, intense storm–it’s something I had never seen before; it was magical. The coolest part was watching it form and then disappear and then reappear before it left completely."
—Stephanie, Montana, Summer 2022
