Reinventing Your Museum:

New Audiences, Great Expectations

Martha Aldridge, Chief Relocation Officer

Julia Swan, Manager of Programs & Community Engagement

Tara McCauley, Manager of Education & Youth Programs

About Us

Museum of History & Industry in Seattle, WA

• Regional history museum of a major metropolitan city

• Currently in process of a major institutional

transformation

About Us

• Aging building

• Poor accessibility

• Remote, hard-to-find

location

Our home since 1952

About Us

• Renovated historic building

• Brand new exhibits and

teaching spaces

• Central, vibrant, up and

coming neighborhood

Our home starting December 29, 2012

Discussion

What does reinvention mean to you?

To your organization?

What does reinvention mean to MOHAI?

Reinvention is

About Vision

MOHAI will be nationally recognized as a dynamic and

innovative center for historical exploration where people

will be inspired by the past to create a better future.

Reinvention is About

Realizing the Vision

Dazzle

Reinvention is About

Realizing the Vision

Engagement

Engagement

Reinvention is About

Realizing the Vision

Fiscal Responsibility

Reinvention is About

Realizing the Vision

MISSIONMOHAI is dedicated to enriching lives by

preserving, sharing and teaching the diverse

history of Seattle, the Puget Sound region and

the nation.

VISIONMOHAI will be nationally recognized as a

dynamic and innovative center for historical

exploration where people will be inspired by

the past to create a better future.

VALUESMOHAI believes that understanding history is relevant to today’s world – it fosters pride of place, and helps individuals in our

community understand the importance of civic engagement.

MOHAI is inclusive and accessible – we respect all communities and points of view and are committed to listening to and

sharing those stories.

MOHAI believes in professional scholarship and research to inform our work.

MOHAI values mutual respect and collaboration among staff, partners and volunteers, and is committed to sharing our

resources and skills with the wider community.

MOHAI is creative and resourceful, and strives for excellence in all our programs and services.

MOHAI manages the museum’s historical, human, physical and financial resources in an ethical and responsible manner that

ensures sustainability as a public trust.

Reinvention is

About Vision

Levels of Planning

Relocation Plan

Strategic Plan

Buildings

Schematic Design

Design Development

Pricing Drawings

Value Engineering

Construction Drawings

Financing

Public Support

Strategies

Private Fund

Raising

Feasibility Study

Fund Raising Plan

Program

Exhibits

Collections

Library

Programs

Education

Operations

Business Plan

Organizational Structure

Events Policies

Visitor Services

IT/Communications

Marketing/PR

Financial Management

Reinvention is About

Realizing the Vision

Flexibility is the Key

to Implementation

Despite the message on the

fare box, it has been my

experience that more often

than not, change is not exact.

How I wish that my room had a floor.

I don’t care so much for a door,

But this floating around

Without touching the ground

Is getting to be quite a bore.

Challenges

Reinvention is About

Realizing the Vision

Mitigation of Stress

• Information

• Control

• Humor

• Eyes on the vision

Reinvention is About

Realizing the Vision

New Audiences

New Location = New Audiences

• From residential neighborhood to urban core

Demographic shift in

visitors, members, donors

• New museum projection: 80% new audience

(e.g. young urban professionals), 20% old

Reinvention is About

New Audiences

Adult Programs and

Community Engagement

Step 1:

Bring the museum outside

our walls

Benefits of Sponsorship

History Café

Adult Programs and

Community Engagement

History Walking Tours

Adult Programs and

Community Engagement

Projected Cost

Pub Trivia

Adult Programs and

Community Engagement

MOHAI Minutes

youtube.com/mohaiprograms

Adult Programs and

Community Engagement

Adult Programs and

Community Engagement

Step 2:

Think creatively about

community partnerships

• Other museums

• Other arts organizations• Film industry

• Cafes, bars

• New neighbors

• For-profit companies• Gaming industry

Adult Programs and

Community Engagement

Adult Programs and

Community Engagement

Step 3:

Target New Audiences

History Is____ Film Competition

youtube.com/mohaiprograms

Adult Programs and

Community Engagement

Movies in the Park

Adult Programs and

Community Engagement

Cheshiahud Challenge

Adult Programs and

Community Engagement

Social Media

Adult Programs and

Community Engagement

Challenges

• Build new audience without alienating our core audience

• Fundamentals of museum programming vs. experimentation with new programming

• Staying aligned with changing institutional priorities, e.g. bringing the community back into our building

Adult Programs and

Community Engagement

Re-inventing Education

& Youth Programming1. Serve expanded audiences (in terms of age), within varied learning situations (formal AND

informal), that are interdisciplinary.

2. Utilize community partnerships to design new programs

1. Advisory teams with teachers, school administrators, scholars

2. Work with universities, advocacy groups (early learning), other non profits

3. Community members – parents, local businesses, etc.

3. Involve youth to design new programs

1. Youth created program and exhibit content

2. Peer advisory committees

3. Evaluation and surveys to youth

Education and

Youth Programs

Expand Youth Audiences

Education and

Youth Programs

• MiniMOHAI

Early Learning Initiative

Education and

Youth Programs

Expanded Family Programs

• Family Lab

• Exploration Packs

Education and

Youth Programs

• MOHAI Goes

Mobile

Education and

Youth Programs

Involve Youth to Design New

Programs

Education and

Youth Programs

• Punctum/Poetry

Education and

Youth Programs

• History Is____ Film Competition

Education and

Youth Programs

• New K – 12 Programs with youth

created content and student

evaluation

Education and

Youth Programs

Challenges

• NEW EVERYTHING!– New staff, new programs, new

technology, new building, new content – nothing is a given.

• Resources still a challenge

• Using and implementing evaluation results – With such careful and elaborate

planning it is important to stay agile, to adapt, to be ready to adjust/fail/try again.

Education and

Youth Programs

Concluding Challenges

How can staff cope with transformative change?

Can dramatic reinvention begin with one small change?

How can programs balance experimentation and fundamentals?

Can dramatic reinvention succeed with limited resources?