The Influence of Aesthetic Preference on Visitor Itineraries in Encyclopedic Art Museums:

A Case Study at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York

Annissa Gultom

Museum Communication

University of The Arts,

May, 2010

A thesis submitted to the University of the Arts in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Master of the Arts degree in Museum Communication

©Annissa Gultom, 2010  

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~~Erratum~~

06/04/10 PAGE ii It says that Robert Vosburgh was to committee chair, but Steven Yalowitz was the committee chair.

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~~Abstract~~ The effect of “aesthetic preference” may be particularly important in shaping a

visitor’s itinerary in encyclopedic art museums because the size of such collections,

among other factors, forces visitors to make decisions about what they will and will not

see. This kind of museum houses a wide scope of collections, which fill spacious

galleries. Aesthetic preference can heavily influence visitors’ itinerary in an encyclopedic

art museum, and it could play a dominant role in competing with other influential factors

or constraints.

This research is based upon a case study designed to see how far visitors’

aesthetic preferences influenced their itineraries in an encyclopedic art museum. The

study used visitor interviews conducted at The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York

during the month of April 2010.

The investigation of the influence of aesthetic preference on the visitor’s itinerary

in an encyclopedic art museum is somewhat similar to museum audience studies that has

been done by Falk and Bourdieu, but different in its objectives and outcomes. Like both

of their studies, this research is trying to investigate a certain kind of pattern that is

formed from identity-based elements. Bourdieu investigated visitors’ taste patterns by

correlating them with their class-identity; Falk investigated visitors’ experience patterns

by correlating them with their identity-related visit motivations; and this research

investigates museum visit itinerary patterns by correlating them with a preference that

was shaped by visitor identity: aesthetic preference.

This study elaborates on the concept of the hypothesis that “aesthetic preference”

is a significant factor in determining a visitor’s itinerary in an encyclopedic art museum.

It was established to achieve a few goals: (1) to investigate visitors itinerary plan; (2)

analyze correlation between visitors itinerary plan and their aesthetic preference; and (3)

to suggests possible strategies that could be adopted by museums to accommodate their

audience.

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~~Acknowledgements~~ For the constant guidance throughout the whole process, thanks to: Robert Vosburgh, Jr., Esq. Director of Museum Communication, University of the Arts Helen Shannon, PhD, Director of Museum Education, University of the Arts Steven Yallowitz, PhD, Senior Research Associate, Institute for Learning Innovation

For the timely help on establishing the case study, thanks to: Karin Grafstrom, Market Research Manager, Visitor Services Department, The Metropolitan Museum of Art Naqiya Hussain, Associate Market Research Analyst, Visitor Services Department, The Metropolitan Museum of Art Angel Figueroa, Associate Manager of Admissions & Administration, Visitor Services Department, The Metropolitan Museum of Art

For the clearest tutoring sessions I ever experienced, thanks to: Christy Blanca Gonzalez, Director, Academic Support Services, University of the Arts For peer reviews and your friendship throughout the program, thanks to: Museum Communication program year 2008-2010, University of the Arts For all of your support and encouragements, thanks to: All of the friends that I have been fortunate enough to know from the last two years, from the Fulbright network, University of The Arts, University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology, Indonesian Community of Greater Philadelphia, and also residents of 1706 Naudain St., Philadelphia.             

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~~Dedication~~ I want to dedicate this thesis to:

mom and dad, the coolest parents ever; my dearest brother, a life long best friend, and to all the quiet galleries in encyclopedic art museums, even though my work intends to bring visitor flow, I wish that you will always remain that quiet spots where I enjoy your serenity.

Table of Contents

I. Introduction 1

Aesthetic Preference 2

The Role of Aesthetic Preference in Constructing Itineraries in an Encyclopedic Art Museum 5

II. Art Museums’ Visitor Studies 10

Encyclopedic Art Museums and Visitor Studies 10

Studies On Motivation-Based Museum Visits 12

III. Purpose of Study 18

IV. Case Study at The Metropolitan Museum of Art 19

Psychographic Study Approach 19

Limitations of Study 22

1. Time 22

2. Study Participants 22

3. Research Tool 23

4. Method 23

Data Collection 25

Data Analysis 26

a. Pre-visit Group 27

b. Post-visit Group 29

c. Additional Group 32

d. No-Specific Destination Group 33

V. Conclusion 34

VI. Implication and Further Study 37

Implication 37

Further Study 47

Bibliography 48

 

 

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I. Introduction

Many factors influence peoples’ plans to visit art museums. One factor, “aesthetic

preference,” is the focus of this study. A person’s aesthetic preference may be conscious or

subconscious, and is one of several factors that influence the planning process for a visit. In

some cases, a person’s aesthetic preference may be the most important factor informing his or

her plans to visit an art museum. Furthermore, a person’s aesthetic preference may shape a

visitor’s itinerary once he or she arrives at a museum. This is particularly so in large

“encyclopedic art museums” that exhibit collections from a broad range of time periods, cultures,

and locales.

The effect of “aesthetic preference” may be particularly important in shaping a visitor’s

itinerary in encyclopedic art museums because the size of such collections, among other factors,

forces visitors to make decisions about what they will and will not see. This kind of museum

houses a wide scope of collections filling their spacious galleries. Considering the size of many

encyclopedic museums, time and fatigue constraints come to mind as factors that require visitors

to make decisions. Depending on visitor group types and characteristics, other concerns might

follow. With all of these constraints and concerns, “aesthetic preference” may be one of the most

important factors that visitors rely on when constructing their desired itineraries. 1

This research is based upon a case study designed to see how far visitors’ aesthetic

preferences influenced their itineraries in an encyclopedic art museum. It is based on a week of

visitor interviews conducted at The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York that took place

during the month of April 2010. Interviews serve as the basis for this research because the

required information about visitor motivations is best acquired through one-on-one conversation

with visitors.                                                         1 A planned route or journey, in this context, a planned route or journey in a museum visit.

 

 

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This study elaborates on the concept of the hypothesis that “aesthetic preference” is a

significant factor in determining a visitor’s itinerary in an encyclopedic art museum. The first

part of this thesis defines the concept of aesthetic preference. The literature review examines

previous visitor studies with respect to motivation-based visitor studies and suggests that the

particular question of “aesthetic preference” has not been examined in the relevant literature.

The study concludes with a case study report complete with the data analysis and conclusion.

Aesthetic Preference

The word “aesthetic” is connected with beauty or something pleasant that gives pleasure

to our senses. According to David Fenner, “aesthetic” is used as a modifier of property, object,

experience, attitude and attention.2 Fenner further theorizes that there is a sort of hierarchy of the

nouns that aesthetic might modify. They are “aesthetic attention, ” “aesthetic objects, ” “aesthetic

attitude” and “aesthetic experience.” Aesthetic attention is an attention directed toward aesthetic

objects, events or properties. Aesthetic objects clearly are objects with aesthetic properties; these

are the content of the aesthetic experience. Aesthetic attitude allows us to have an aesthetic

experience. In understanding the aesthetic attitude, Fenner agrees with Jerome Stolnitz.3 Stolnitz

begins his account of the aesthetic attitude by focusing on the nature of attention:

It is the attitude we take which determines how we perceive the work. An attitude

is a way of directing and controlling our perception….an attitude organizes and

directs our awareness of the world.4

                                                        2 David E. W. Fenner, Art in Context: Understanding Aesthetic Value (Athens: Swallow Press / Ohio University Press, 2008), 18. 3 American philosopher, last known position is as a Professor of Philosophy at Lehman College of CUNY (1968-92). 4 Jerome Stolnitz, Aesthetics: Problems in the Philosophy of Criticism (New York: Houghton Mifflin, 1960).

 

 

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The attitude that one adopts in order to have an aesthetic experience is informed by a

number of “contexts.” These “contexts” form a part of the aesthetic experience that reflects

viewer’s identity and background.5 Fenner grouped the contexts in three categories: social, moral

and “taste.”6 Furthermore Fenner elaborates aspects from each category. The category of social

contexts includes ethnic and racial, class, gender, national or cultural, and political contexts.

Moral contexts include religious, sexual, and violence contexts. The category of “Taste”

includes the contexts of “good taste” and “my taste.” In his theory, Fenner argues that these

various contexts are those that we bring as categories in dealing with aesthetic objects and

experiencing them. In experiencing the art, the viewer brings her own contexts and conflicts

them with the contexts of the objects. In the engagement process, these contexts for the viewer

can be either a barrier or an advantage in having an aesthetic experience. These contexts also

could be the reasoning in making a decision in constructing our aesthetic experience. Referring

to Stolnitz’s focus on the nature of attention, an aesthetic attitude is an act of making decisions in

dealing with aesthetic objects. By making these decisions, some people could not reach beyond

their context to have a pleasurable connection with the art. For example, some people might not

be able to experience the aesthetic properties of Andres Serrano’s photograph Piss Christ, which

portrays a crucifix suspended in a jar of urine. Or some express their aesthetic preference in a

phrase that we often hear --“that is not my taste, that is just not my cup of tea.”

The context of taste is the main focus of this research, based on the logic that an

individual’s aesthetic preference should be sourced from his/her taste. According to Fenner’s

theory, there are two kinds of taste contexts: “good taste” and “my taste.” In explaining “good

                                                        5 We are all individually involved in identities of various kinds in disparate contexts, in our own respective lives arising from our background, or associations, or social activities (Amartya Sen, Identity and Violence: The Illusion of Destiny (New York: W. W. Norton & Company, 2006), p.23). 6 Fenner, 2008: 33-36.

 

 

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taste” Fenner connects it with Richard Shusterman’s argument about art censorship,7 so more or

less he is stating that “good taste” is based on a general standard of taste that is agreed upon by a

limited group of patrons. These patrons are individuals or institutions who have the credentials

(such as high-profile art critics, art associations and art museums) to define which art is

considered in “good taste.” While the context of “my taste” is individual taste, which varies, it is

connected with human aesthetic sensibility that is varied: some people like Mozart, some like

John Lennon.8

The concept of “my taste” is an acknowledgment of an individual aesthetic preference.

Preference means a greater liking for one alternative over another, which informs the process of

making choices. So an individual aesthetic preference (or expression of “my taste”) is an

individual act of choosing the kind of art that one likes.

The aesthetic preference could (consciously or not) lead individuals to set aside other

factors that are not related to the experience’s objective, such as purchasing a car because of its

slick design rather than its comfort level. As I have encountered in everyday life, this inclination

is not limited only in having aesthetic experience; individuals in one way or another consider

their aesthetic preferences in their life choices. These choices may have an impact either in their

small everyday life activities or immense life-changing matters, from choosing wallpaper to

choosing means of transportation, or even purchasing a house.

Aesthetic preference is related to identity contexts that play a part in the formation of

aesthetic experiences. Sturken and Cartwright stated that forming the aesthetic experience is not

just a matter of individual interpretation; it is informed by experiences relating to one’s class,

                                                        7 Richard Shusterman, "Aesthetic Censorship: Censoring Art for Art's Sake," Journal of Aesthetics and Art Criticism 43.2 (1984): 171-80. 8 David E. W. Fenner, "Aesthetic Experience and Aesthetic Analysis," Journal of Aesthetic Education 37.1 (2003): 40-53. p. 49.

 

 

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cultural background, education, and other contexts of identity.9 In my opinion, the contexts that

shape aesthetic preference also interact with practical considerations when an individual chooses

which kind of art he or she would like to experience. These contexts can conflict with individual

or group interests that are given expression by social values associated with objects. For instance,

a viewer with a certain religious ideology that was formed centuries ago can be offended by

current social values attached to particular objects.

As an example, in one interview conducted for this research at The Metropolitan Museum

(The Metropolitan) in New York, a Jehovah’s Witness church member said, “I do not like and I

do not want to visit the [Middle Ages Christian] religious art, because it does not portray the

right part of the scripture.” This statement comes from a person who does not include visiting

museums as a leisure activity, and does not have any formal education in art. Although

presumably she had a general understanding of art, she has never seen The Metropolitan’s

religious collection before. As a side note, when asked her aesthetic preference, she claimed that

she likes landscape paintings but she could not explain further. For this visit, she only came to

the museum with her church group to see specific archaeological collections that “prove” their

belief. In this case, the religious context is a major factor in shaping her aesthetic preference,

and furthermore it shaped both her itinerary and her whole aesthetic experience.

The Role of Aesthetic Preference in Constructing Itineraries in an Encyclopedic Art

Museum

An encyclopedic museum is a museum that has collections with a vast scope of time and

geographical origin. The art works were developed over a long length of time, from different

                                                        9 Marita Sturken and Lisa Cartwright, Practices of Looking: An Introduction to Visual Culture, Oxford University Press, 2001, 48-49

 

 

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kinds of schools, and convey all types and styles. The word “encyclopedic” shows that the

museum can be an encyclopedia come to life. Examples of this kind of museum are The

Metropolitan Museum of Art; Philadelphia Museum of Art; Boston Museum of Fine Art, Dallas

Museum of Art and Baltimore Museum of Art.

Encyclopedic art museums provide a vast range of collections from different eras and

parts of the world; no visitor could possibly see the entirety of such a collection in one day. The

time that a visitor spends in a museum is not only limited by public hours (an average seven to

eight hours a day), but also other factors. These factors include physical exhaustion and the

ability to facilitate cognitive processing and environmental factors (exhibit design). All of these

factors are also the possible cause of “museum fatigue.”10

Encyclopedic art museums categorized their collections with their own taxonomy, but

visitors are not required to follow their set in constructing their itinerary visit. Visitors can group

works of art based on schools; types; depicted subjects; colors; chronology; geography; or other

specific themes that could thread different galleries together. With their own aesthetic

preferences, they could construct their own itinerary so they could achieve their desired aesthetic

experience in their visits. By practicing their aesthetic preferences they will set their priorities

while not eliminating other options on their visits. In the subject of visitor’s preference in a

museum visit, preliminary studies of visitor’s visit motivation and other factors that influence

their itinerary should be discussed.

There are many factors that can shape or influence a visitor’s itinerary in an encyclopedic

art museum; some are related to aesthetic preferences, others are not. External factors may

inform a visitor’s particular choices during a visit, e.g. closed galleries, weather, complicated

                                                        10 Museum fatigue is a concept resulting from researches in the 1920s and 1930s that revealed how museum visitor interest towards exhibits decreased as visits progressed. (Gareth Davey, "What is Museum Fatigue?," Visitor Studies Today 8.3 (2005): 17-21.

 

 

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signage, etc. Group dynamics may play a part, as individual autonomy may give way to group

pressures. Other constraints, such as satisfying a school assignment as the primary purpose,

could also drive the visit. However, for visitors who come with a purpose of having a pure

disinterested11 aesthetic experience, they are more likely to make an itinerary based on their

aesthetic preferences. Also, they will possibly spend more time and focus on subjects limited by

their aesthetic preferences. But this does not mean that visitors with different or opposite

motivation in their visit purpose will not show the same behavior.

Aesthetic preference is a preference that can heavily influence an itinerary in an

encyclopedic art museum, and it could play a dominant role in competing with other influential

factors or constraints. Because of its immense scope of collections, to experience the entire

collection in an encyclopedic museum visit is practically impossible. Some visitors can just walk

about in the museum until they run out of time and energy, and some will have to make choices

to visit a limited number of areas of the museum’s collections so they can get a more satisfactory

visit. These choices can be influenced by different factors, motivations or some kind of

preferences, but aesthetic preference can be the only or one of the few dominant factors that

compliment each other.

Aesthetic preference’s role in achieving aesthetic satisfaction is interesting to investigate,

but there has not been any research focusing solely on that subject. Art museum visitor studies

were started in the 1980s by a series of groundbreaking investigations of visitor and non-visitor

                                                        11 According to Santayana (1896), being disinterest to the knowledge of an artwork and its artist can give a different aesthetic experience. “The aesthetic experience has long been described as one of ‘disinterested interest’, or one in which the viewer experiences pleasure. This experience contrasts with those to other visual objects that might give pleasure by appealing to basic drives such as the desire for food or sex. Aesthetic objects presumably give pleasure without evoking additional desires, although the boundaries between the two emotional experiences may not always be clear. The process by which humans react to stimuli and engage neural circuits that respond to pleasing or rewarding stimuli may offer a probe into the neural basis for “liking without wanting.” (Santayana, G. The Sense of Beauty: being an Outline of Aesthetic Theory (New York: Dover Publications Inc.1896))

 

 

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motivations for visiting museums conducted by Marilyn Hood.12 After Hood, a few other

visitors’ motivation research studies in art museums followed; these studies showed visitors’

motivations, their impressions and perceptions towards the museum.13 Other visitor studies in art

museums have looked at other factors, such as their traffic patterns and exhibit design;14 and also

art teaching model experiment in a museum,15 but none of them discussed the possible relation

between aesthetic preference and a visit itinerary.

Although there is no study focusing on aesthetic preference, the question of “taste” has

been asked before. The audience research conducted in Museum of Fine Arts (MFA), Boston, in

1974 tried to question this particular subject. The MFA research team was interested in what is

best summarized as “taste.” The two main points of their research were first, the responsibility of

the museum includes public education, and it is important to know what parts of the MFA

collection that are valuable and rewarding but “undervalued” by the public, or not being

appreciated as expected; second, they wanted to know what programs consistent with

professional standards can be expected to increase attendance and support. This research tried to

probe the visitors’ “taste” so they would know how much the public really appreciated their

highly valued art, and from that data, they would design an interesting program consistent with

professional standards. This “taste” data (except as it can be inferred from behavior) are

                                                        12 M. Hood, Leisure Criteria of Family Participation and Non-Participation in Museums, Technical Report (Colombus: Hood Associates, 1981); M. Hood, "Staying away: Why people choose not to visit museum," Museum News 1983: 50-57. 13 Bigley et al in the late 1980s; Mousourri's doctoral research in the UK and USA in 1997; Bourgeon-Renault (2000); Longhurst in 2004 and Rentschler and Anne-Marie Hede in 2007 (Ruth Rentschler and Anne-Marie Hede, Museum Marketing: Competing in the Global Marketplace, illustrated (Oxford: Butterworth-Heinemann, 2007).p, 93); also Slater et al in 2007 (Falk and Dierking, 2000: 54-55). 14 Abler, T.S. (1964). Traffic Pattern and Exhibit Design: A Study of Learning in the Museum. M. A. thesis. University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. 15 E. Bourdon Caston, "A model for teaching in a museum setting," N. Berry and S Mayer, Museum Education History, Theory and Practice (Reston: The National Art Education Association, 1989) 90-108.

 

 

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notoriously difficult to assemble in reliable form.16 The “taste” data from MFA research were

presented with a notice that it should be used with caution by anyone not familiar with the

Boston Museum, since the visitor’s evaluation is an integration not only of his appreciation of

the objects themselves as a class, but also of the relative quality of the Boston collection in that

area, its presentation and lighting, and other factors contingent on the circumstances at the

Museum of Fine Arts in early 1973.17

                                                        16 O'Hare, Michael. "The Audience of the Museum of Fine Arts." in Nichols, Susan K. and Roxana Adams. Visitor Surveys, A User's Manual. Washington DC: American Association of Museums, 1999. 89-121. 1999 : 100 17 O’Hare, Visitor, 101.

 

 

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II. Art Museums’ Visitor Studies

Encyclopedic Art Museum and Visitor Studies

Encyclopedic art museums seem to have a peculiar case with their audience compared to

other kind of museums. Art museums probably are the kind of museum that might intimidate

audiences who are less familiar with art. But along with the shift of museums into a more

accessible public area, the museums consciousness in widening their audience base emerged and

has gone through advance development. This consciousness was realized in a form of museum

audience research development.

The art museum’s audience research development has been developed from small scale

internal studies conducted by museum professionals, to large scale “conversations” with museum

audiences such as the focus group experiments held by the Getty Foundation in 1991.18 Before

Getty’s studies, the field had gone through its third phase of development. The first phase was a

self-confident distribution of museum consciousness; the second was dominated by

environmental impact studies focusing on making the museum visit more efficient and effective;

and the third was a phase of audience investigation that was absorbed with issues of reputation,

promotion, and the accommodation of multicultural constituencies. After 1970 almost 300

audience studies were completed for museums and performing arts institutions, however

marketing needs drove most of the audience researches.19

At first, in its inception, the American art museum was a place founded in order to

establish institutions of high culture, and thus it became limited to people of a certain social class

or status. In a study of the founding of the Boston Museum of Fine Arts and the Boston

                                                        18 In this research, eleven art museums participated with five to six focus groups conducted for each of the museums. 19 The J. Paul Getty Museum, "The Focus Group Experiment in a Historical Context," Insights, Museums, Visitors, Attitudes, Expectation: a focus group experiment, ed. Amy Walsh (Los Angeles: The J. Paul Getty Trust, 1991) 69-79. p. 75

 

 

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Symphony Orchestra, the sociologist Paul DiMaggio suggests that three interlocking factors had

to be present in order to establish institutions of high culture in Boston (and, by implication,

elsewhere in the United States).20 There had to be, first, elite entrepreneurship: the creation of

organizational forms that the elite group or faction could totally control (these organizational

forms were invariably corporate and nonprofit, thus insulating them from the market and to an

extent from the state). Following up second is classification: the erection of strong and clearly

defined boundaries between art and entertainment with the former appropriated by the elite as its

own cultural property, and, crucially, "the acknowledgment of that classification's legitimacy by

other classes and the state.” And the third is framing: the creation of "a new etiquette of

appropriation, a new relationship between the audience and the work of art".21 Such restrictions

disintegrated in the 1970s when museums became dedicated public institutions and interested in

sociological data of their visitors. This interest continued throughout the 1980s and extended

over to theories of learning and perception. These developments were an attempt to discover the

educational impact of exhibitions and what kinds of presentations make the strongest

impression.22

The Metropolitan Museum in New York was probably among the first to commission a

visitor study in 1973. Characteristically, the questions focused on reputation rather than process,

on the esteem in which visitors held the museum, the cultivation of relatively well-to-do

attendees, and the growth of tourism. But the data collected are viewed as superficial, result-

oriented and served as an enthusiastic endorsement of institutional greatness.23 Within three

                                                        20 Alan Wallach, Exhibiting Contradiction : Essays On the Art Museum in the United States (Massachusettes: University of Massachusetts Press, 1998).p,10-11 21 Wallach, Exhibiting, 11. 22 Joshua C Taylor. On Understanding Art Museums,, ed. Sherman E.Lee. Englewood Cliffs: American Assembly, Columbia University, Prentice Hall, Inc., 1975. p. 76. 23 Getty Foundation, Insights, 75

 

 

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years of The Metropolitan Museum’s study, Leo Burnett for The Art Institute of Chicago

prepared a similar visitor survey and focus group study. The focus of the study was to explain

how visitors differed from non-visitors, but then the data served to highlight issues of community

representation. These issues were articulated in administrative change and exhibition

programming as well as in promotional campaigns aimed at broadening the socioeconomic base

of visitation. 24

Studies on Motivation-Based Museum Visits

In studying visitors with specific preference(s) in their visit agenda, the research field of

motivation-based museum visits provides a list of related studies and findings. There is a long

list of possible visitor’s motivation to visit the museum, but art museums’ studies of visitors’

motivation is quite limited. These researches show that although visitors come to museums with

distinctive motivations, the motivations can change, increasing or decreasing during the course

of a tour. In most cases the entrance motivation sets up the stance toward the exhibition that

echoes throughout in the visitors' conversations and subsequently influences what is learned or

extracted from the visit.25

For more than twenty years, researchers have been conducting studies of visitor

motivations. Hood's (1983) seminal study at the Toledo Art Museum and the surrounding area

explored attributes of leisure participation among a small group of frequent visitors and larger

groups of occasional and non-visitors. Frequent visitors valued all of Hood's criteria in terms of

particular learning; the challenge of new experiences; and doing something worthwhile. In

comparison, occasional and non-visitors had similar characteristics to each other and valued the

                                                        24 Getty Foundation, Insights, 75 25 Gaea Leinhardt and Karen Knutson, Listening in on Museum Conversations, (Lanham: Rowman Altamira, 2004).p. 62.

 

 

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same three criteria: being with people; participating actively; and feeling at ease in their

surroundings. The occasional visitors went to museums when there were special exhibitions,

events or if they had friends or relatives visiting, and Hood suggested that they are relating

“leisure” with “relaxation” compared to the frequent visitors who were motivated by learning in

spending their leisure time. Miles (1986) also identified a small group who saw their visit as

educational and were highly committed to learn.26

Since the 1980s, after Hood research, a few other visitors’ motivation research studies

followed. Falk and Dierking mentioned a research by Longhurst in 200427 that examined the use

of museums by middle-class arts audiences in their everyday lives, how this audience saw, used

and valued museum. The findings support a number of theories arguing that people take part in

leisure activities they value and which they know will fulfill their psychological needs. Other

academic studies of visitor motivations have revealed similar findings that people visit in a

variety of social groups for education, fun, social interaction and to escape from the daily

routine.28 Falk and Dierking also mentioned Mousourri's doctoral research in the UK and USA in

1997 that found visitors did not perceive education and entertainment as mutually exclusive but

as complementary aspects of a single, complex leisure experience and are looking for “a

learning-orientated entertainment experience.”29 In the same vein, Rentschler and Hede agree

with Bourgeon-Renault’s (2000) argument that visitors have multiple motivations including

socializing, consumption, relaxation and escapism as individuals have complex identities

influenced by their different roles, for example their roles as a parents or a colleagues. Richards

                                                        26 Ruth Rentschler and Anne-Marie Hede, Museum Marketing: Competing in the Global Marketplace, illustrated (Oxford: Butterworth-Heinemann, 2007).p. 93 27 J.H. Falk and L.D. Dierking, The Museum Experience (Washington DC: Whalesback Books, 1992). 28 Graburn in 1977; Falk and Dierking in 1992; Jansen-Verbeke and Van Redom in 1996; Slater in 2007. 29 In J. H. Falk and L D Dierking, Learning From Museum (Walnut Creek: AltaMira Press, 2000).

 

 

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found that younger, highly educated tourists see modern art galleries as a leisure experience and

are seeking relaxation and entertainment.30

Motivation as a part of individual or socio-cultural context of the visitor is important in

museum learning. Falk and Dierking in the discussion of the contextual model of learning,

suggested a holistic model that included aspects of visitor background and expectations (the

personal context), the impact of the museum environment (the physical context), and mediation

within social groups (the social-cultural context).

Motivation studies are also important in developing an engaging museum. To reach out to

different visitors with various motivations, a suitable method in segmenting this group of visitors

is needed. Graham Black stated that in order to engage visitors and encourage them to get

involved, museums should focus on key segments that reflect visitors’ needs and expectations.31

Slater et al in 2007 stated that motivations are complicated, and it would appear from

recent research that people generally have multiple motivations, and that while many likely visit

with the intent of learning something; education is not necessarily the “core” factor.32 This is a

contradiction with research result by Bigley et al in the late 1980s.33 Their research derived a set

of seven categories that Bigley et al called “motivational sub-dimensions.” They believed that

this set helped explain the motivations of museum members, which conversely revealed that in

every equation in the set, the education component was never really absent (at least among the

museum’s most frequent visitors).34 Other visitor studies in art museums have also been done,

                                                        30 Ruth Rentschler and Anne-Marie Hede, Museum Marketing: Competing in the Global Marketplace, illustrated (Oxford: Butterworth-Heinemann, 2007).p, 93 31 Black, The Engaging Museum, 86. 32 Rentschler, Museum Marketing, 93-94. 33 They were using Maslow’s theory of the hierarchy of needs and the recreational motivation theories of B. L. Driver. 34 Falk and Dierking, 2000: 54-55

 

 

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but none of them discussed the possible relation between aesthetic preference and visit itinerary

plan and construction.

Falk in his latest publication Identity and the Museum Visitor Experience35 proposed a set

of roles that visitor able to play in their visit, which is based on their identity-related visit

motivations. He found from his and others’ motivation studies throughout the years that the roles

are:

1) Explorer, visitors who actually care about the content of the museum, but they care in

generic, not in specific terms. This is a group that is most likely to be attracted to visit

because of a new exhibition, primarily because it appeals to their exploring needs.36

2) Facilitator, visitors who are visiting in order to satisfy the needs and desires of someone

they care about rather than just themselves. This group tends to come in two broad sub-

groupings, Facilitating Parents and Facilitating Socializers. In all cases, the primary

objective of this group is to ensure that their companion is satisfied.37

3) Experience seeker, this group is often tourists who typically are motivated to visit

primarily in order to “collect” an experience, so that they can feel like they have “been

there, done that”. Most of visitors from this group are also socially motivated visitors, a

large part of their visit motivation relates to having a good day out with friends and/or

relatives. They are generally not strongly motivated by the specific topic of the museum;

they are more motivated by the idea of being in a culturally important place.38

4) Professional/Hobbyist, individuals from this group typically represent the smallest

category of visitors to most museums, but they are often disproportionately influential.

                                                        35 Falk, J. H. Identity and The Museum Visitor Experience. Walnut Creek: Left Coast Press, 2009. 36 Falk, Identity ,191. 37 Falk, Identity ,192-193. 38 Falk, Identity ,196-197.

 

 

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Subject-matter curators want to make sure that people with content expertise will judge

the content to be accurate. This group is generally not visiting in order to see a new

exhibition; in fact if they can, they may avoid visiting because of the crowds. Social

interaction is not what motivates them to visit. They have the clearest, least ambiguous,

and most conscious motivations for their visit. They cannot be reached by mass

marketing strategies; they will find what they need in a museum by themselves, and these

are the ultimate micro-niche audience. 39

5) Recharger, these are individuals who visit in order to reflect, rejuvenate, or generally just

bask in the wonder of the place. These individuals express awe or reverence for the

subject matter or setting. They would be the kind of person who would consciously seek

to fill their daily life with a strong sensual aesthetic in every aspect. The vast majority of

Rechargers see museums as places that allowed them an opportunity to avoid, if only

briefly, the chaos of the world. They visit museum with rest and relief from the stresses

of everyday life as reasons for visiting.40

In creating this set of roles, Falk tried to combine the attributes of the visitor leisure-

related motivations discovered by himself and others into a new, and what he believes to be a

more conceptually-consistent set of identity-related categories. Falk continues by stating that

none of these categories are totally “pure” in the sense that many museum visitors perceive

museums to afford most, if not all, of these attributes. 41 It is because our identity is a reflection

and reaction of both the social and physical world we consciously perceive in the moment, but

identity is also influenced by the vast unconscious set of family, cultural, and personal history

                                                        39 Falk, Identity, 199-202. 40 Falk, Identity, 203-205. 41 Falk, Identity, 64-65.

 

 

17 

influences each of us carries within us.42 The set shows roles that visitors can perform in their

visit. Visitors are not limited to a specific role in a visit, which means visitors can perform one or

more roles in one visit.

Far before Falk, Pierre Bourdieu established a study of art museum visitor market

research at the end of the 1960s. Bordieu’s study may reflect the museum’s audience market at

that time, but after forty years, it may have changed. The development of technology, especially

after the Internet became an important part as means of communication, has provided more

channels to access the art from museums all over the word. Cultural, social and economic

changes also influence how the art came to us. Art reproduction for instance, in the 19th century

had been achieved through lithography, but now reproductions of art can be seen on various

kinds of materials and daily objects, such as Van Gogh’s self portrait on a yogurt cover.43 Its

distribution has also reached the public in almost any possible way; today we can see Van Gogh

reproductions on calendars, notepads or mugs.

The investigation of the influence of aesthetic preference on the visitor’s itinerary in an

encyclopedic art museum is somewhat similar to what Falk and Bourdieu have done, but

different in its objectives and outcomes. Like both of their studies, this research is trying to

investigate a certain kind of pattern that is formed from their identity-based elements. Bourdieu

investigated visitors’ taste patterns by correlating them with their class-identity; Falk investigates

visitors’ experience patterns by correlating them with their identity-related visit motivations; and

                                                        42 Falk, Identity, 72. 43 “Van Goghgurt” is one of the ads from the National Arts Education Public Awareness Campaign. It is part of “The Arts. Ask for More” which is a national arts education public awareness campaign brought by American for the Arts, The Ad Council, the NAMM Foundation and hundreds of local, state, and national official campaign partners. (American fr the Arts, http://www.americansforthearts.org/public_awareness/default.asp, 2009, 6 5 2010 <http://www.americansforthearts.org/public_awareness/default.asp>).

 

 

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this research investigates museum visit itinerary patterns by correlating them with a preference

that was shaped by visitor identity: aesthetic preference.

III. Purpose of Study

The objective of this thesis research is to investigate how aesthetic preference influences a

visitor’s itinerary during a visit to an encyclopedic art museum. The investigation included

answering the following questions:

1. Do visitors limit their itineraries exclusively to art consistent with their aesthetic

preferences?

2. If they don’t limit themselves to viewing art that is consistent with their aesthetic

preferences, what other factors attract or dissuade visitors from engaging with other

types of art for which they did not have a pre-existing preference?

3. How do visitors who consciously use aesthetic preference in formulating an itinerary

structure their visits?

This research is expected to broaden our knowledge about museum visitors’ characteristics

and behavior patterns by answering these questions. This knowledge will be valuable for

museums in developing programs and activities that would meet visitors’ needs and

expectations.

The data resulted from this research could be an information base for museums to create

personalized visits based on visitors’ aesthetic preferences. This personalized visit can be in the a

form of recommendation(s) based on taste, as we see in Amazon.com or on Netflix.com. Both

websites provide books and movies recommendations for users based on items that users have

already browsed, used or purchased.

 

 

19 

IV. Case Study at The Metropolitan Museum of Art

This research is a case study, consisting of semi-structured interviews, at The

Metropolitan Museum of Art (The Metropolitan) in New York. A visitor study was conducted at

The Metropolitan Museum of Art to investigate how a visitor’s aesthetic taste influences

preferences in forming their visit itinerary. The Metropolitan Museum of Art as an encyclopedic

museum provides a vast choice of areas in art that visitors can explore. This massive resource is

not likely to be seen by the visitor in one day, so this encourages them to make choices in their

itinerary. Certainly different factors and motives influence their constructing an itinerary, and

aesthetic preference is presumably one such influence. This research is attempting to investigate

how far their aesthetic preference influences their decision-making, so we will gain more

information in visitor behavior patterns based on aesthetic preference.

Psychographic Study Approach

A psychographic study approach is considered the most appropriate for this research due

to the complexity of an aesthetic preference. The complexity was formed by a person’s identity

contexts. One context can influence others, or it can dominate other contexts in forming an

aesthetic preference.

In comparison to demographic studies, psychographic studies result in more in-depth

information about individuals and identify trends and patterns based on different criteria than

most demographic analysis. Demographic data do such a poor job of segmenting individuals

because its form of categorization is both too general and too divorced from specific realities to

be predictive.44 Psychographic studies seek to classify people according to their attitudes,

                                                        44Falk, Identity, 74

 

 

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aspirations, and other psychological criteria, especially in market research.45 Psychographic

studies can explain people’s identity needs, which are very important to them and only expressed

in the appropriate time and context; demographics cannot show this.

Individual identities are not well articulated by association with particular demographic

criteria. For example, Martina Navratilova objected to the press’s preoccupation with her sexual

preference as a lesbian by stating, “But I am also a daughter, a sister, dog lover, a good skier,

interested in art, literature and music, a vegetarian and so on.”46 In this case, Navratilova

expressed that she is more than just an aggregate of a demographic based on sexual preference.

Simple demographics do not reflect aspects of her identity; they make her nothing more than just

a number. If there is market research targeting a segment that features Navratilova as its

aggregate, by only using demographic aspects, the data will lack in-depth information that could

help develop the market. But if we treat the segment, by acknowledging and understanding other

aspects of her identity, there will be more ways to access and develop the market to which she

belongs.

Studying aesthetic preference requires using a psychographic study to tell us about the

visitor and how they act and react in a museum. Aesthetic preference is a complex mix of factors

that cannot be shown by demographic data only. According to Stephen S. Yalowitz in his lecture

“Conducting Marketing Research in Museums,” psychographics are more powerful than                                                         45 Psychographics specific definitions: - Also known as Enriching Characteristics (sponsorship, market research) Information that characterizes an audience based on attitudes, interest, behavior, and preferences. Used to profile and give life to data such as demographics. (American for The Arts, http://www.artsmarketing.org/glossary/P, 2008, 19 4 2010 <http://www.artsmarketing.org/glossary/P>.) - Any characteristics or qualities used to denote the life style(s) or attitude(s) of customers or prospective customers. Canadian Marketing Association, http://www.the-cma.org/public, 2010, 19 4 2010 <http://www.the-cma.org/public.asp?WCE=C=47|K=225549#P>.) - It identifies personality characteristics and attitudes that affect a person’s lifestyle and decision-making process behavior. In a market segmentation sense, psychographics are used to segment the market by lifestyle; classifying peoples’ wants, aspirations and values (Graeme Pietersz, "moneyterms P-R," 2006-2009, http://moneyterms.co.uk/, 3 May 2009 <http://moneyterms.co.uk/p/>.) 46Was Macht eigentlich Martina Natratilova? (1996), Stern, 44, 250; translated by B. Simon (2004) 74.

 

 

21 

demographics.47 Psychographic studies can help us to understand something about a person’s

identity-related motivations, such as their prior knowledge and interests. Such studies provide an

extremely useful framework with which to unravel the complexities of the visitor experience.48

As in the case of acknowledging Navratilova’s complex and multifaceted identity, using

psychographic study in museum market research will be more fruitful. In-depth information

about visitor identity will help to shape the museum visitor experience to be at most satisfactory.

Pierre Bourdieu conducted the early use of psychographic study in museums research set

in 1969. He was a sociologist focusing on people’s aesthetic taste in their social lives. Sturken

and Cartwright reiterates Bourdieu’s conclusion and explain that the study indicated ways in

which all aspects of life are interconnected through social webs in a kind of habitus—our taste in

art is related to our taste in choosing other aspects of our life, and is in turn related to our

profession, class status, and educational level.49

Furthermore, Bourdieu’s study shows that different groups from different social classes

reflected their own taste in art. In this research, Bourdieu found that people from the “lower

class” would favor artwork that was made from a basic form of daily objects that they are most

familiar with, such as furniture that is highly decorated (what he described as “low art”). At the

other end of the spectrum, people from the “higher class” appreciate objects that go beyond their

functional aspects, such as painting or sculpture. In the 1960s, arguably, members of the “higher

class” had more access to such non-utilitarian objects and thus became more familiar with those

kinds of objects that Bourdieu characterized as “high art”. 50 Bourdieu’s study has some value,

                                                        47Stephen S. Yalowitz, "Conducting Marketing Research in Museums," AAM Annual Meeting (Philadelphia: Institute of Learning Innovation-AAM Annual Meeting & Museum Expo 2009, 2009). 48 Falk, Identity, 95 49Falk, Identity, 49-50 50 Pierre Bourdieu, Alain Darbel and Dominique Schnapper, The Love of Art: European Art Museums and Their Public, trans. Caroline Beattie and Nick Merriman (Oxford : Polity Press, 1992).

 

 

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but society has changed in the past forty years. Maybe art museum visitors have changed as

well.

Limitations of Study

1. Time

Due to a limited time to administer a case study for this thesis research the only available

window was the week of April 6, 2010. The pilot test was held to test the questions and their

effectiveness in gaining answers. A one-day pilot test was held with nine visitors, and the

questions proved successful enough to proceed without revision. A total of nineteen interviews

were held within three days after the pilot test.

On the week that The Metropolitan assigned, I was able to have a consultation meeting

on April 5, and I conducted a pilot test the following day on Tuesday April 6. The data were

collected on Wednesday, April 7; Friday, April 9; and Saturday, April 10. The consultation with

The Metropolitan’s Visitor Services Department was held in order to go over the research tools

and prepare it for a pilot test the next day. Interviews were held from 11 am to 4 pm. The time

slot was chosen under the estimation of the earliest and latest time visitors would finish their visit

with two hours time of visit estimation.

2. Study Participants

Since the research is focusing on how an individual’s preference influenced decision-

making, the targeted visitors would be visitors whose preferences could dominate the decision-

making process. This target group consisted of adults between 20 and over 50 years old who

were not in a group or in a small group (consists of two or three person), without children and

 

 

23 

unaccompanied by a tour guide. This restriction was made under the assumption that children

and tour guides can be a dominant influence that can restrain adults from doing what they desire.

3. Research Tool

The research tool of this research was designed to distribute a questionnaire survey form,

but then after a consultation with The Metropolitan’s Visitor Services Department, it was

concluded that an interview would be more appropriate. According to the department’s director

and research associate based on their prior visitor studies at The Metropolitan, an interview was

the best tool to answer the research questions because the research is trying to attain in-depth

information, which is less likely to emerge by means of questionnaire survey form. Furthermore,

they believed by engaging visitors with in-depth interviews, visitors will be able to provide more

in-depth information, which could be missed in a questionnaire survey form. Both questionnaire

draft and interview questions are attached as appendices.

4. Method

The interviews were held in the secondary entrance of The Metropolitan at the Uris

Education Centre entrance (Image 1-2). Upon the advice of The Metropolitan Visitor Service

department, the main entrance was not considered conducive to administer research as it can stall

the heavy visitor flow that is already slowed down by the security checking. Fortunately, the Uris

Centre, was perfect for the thesis research because it was not as crowded or as well known as the

main entrance, and visitors who entered this way were presumably people who are well informed

about the comfortability of this entrance. This entrance provided a comfort in that it has a shorter

 

 

24 

security check; shorter lines for coat and bag check; comfortable seating; and direct access to the

education centre. This entrance is also used by school groups prior to and after their visit.

Image 1. The Metropolitan Floor Plan

 

Image 2. Uris Centre Floor Plan: Data Collection Location 

 

 

25 

To find participants during the pilot test, I moved around between three rooms: the coat

check area near the entrance, the Carson Family Hall and the Diane Burke Hall. All of these

areas have benches which people utilize before, during or after their visit to the galleries. The

Carson Family Hall is especially accommodating, as it is a wide area with only benches and coat

check for groups, mostly school groups. After the pilot test, I came to the conclusion that the best

spot to wait for a visitor is in the Diane Burke Hall. Because during that week it was sunny

everyday, there were no lines on the coat check, the benches were most of the time empty or

occupied by visitors who were just about to start their visit. Using the benches in the Diane

Burke Hall was a strategic decision, because that area allows for comfortable access in

monitoring visitor traffic (which is in contrast with the traffic in the Great Hall) and space to

identify prospective visitors. This area is also comfortable for visitors to rest during or after the

visit; it has easy access to restrooms; it is also complete with an information centre and is a

strategic meeting point. Based on this observation at the pilot test, I decided to target visitors

who sat on three benches that are located in the Diane Burke Hall.

Data Collection

The plan was to administer exit surveys after the visitors finished their visit, but it was

not easy at first to identify which visitors had already finished their visits. But under this

circumstance, the data that originate from visitors who had not started their visit are still valuable

and have not been discarded. The interview questions are easily adapted to accommodate

interviews with visitors in their pre-visit. This pre-visit data are valuable in the context of

investigating visitors’ aesthetic preference in their itinerary plan prior to the visit, while post-visit

data will show visitors’ plan and their itinerary.

 

 

26 

The pilot testing on Tuesday, April 6 resulted in nine interviews with four of them just

about to start their visit, four of them had finished their visit and one of them was just resting in

the middle of her visit. I interviewed four males and five females with ages ranging from 22 to

80 years old; their education demographic was as follows: one high school graduate, five college

graduates and the rest were graduate/professional school graduates. As a result of the pilot

testing, only the order of the questions was changed so it would lead the flow of the interview

better. None of the questions were modified.

After the pilot test, nineteen interviews were acquired in the next three days of data

collection, with an average interview time per person of 30 to 45 minutes. The interviews ranged

from ten minutes to one and a half hours. From the total of 19 interviews conducted, 12 of them

interviewed after their visit, six before they started their visit and only one of them interviewed

in the middle of her visit. Ten respondents were male, eight respondents were female and one

interview was conducted to a pair of female and male. Their education backgrounds ranged from

some high school education to graduate/professional education: eight have a graduate or

professional degree; two have some graduate education; five have college degrees; two are still

in college and the remaining have a high school diploma or some high school education.

Data Analysis

The data analysis began by categorizing respondents into pre-visit, post-visit and

additional groups. The categories were organized based on the assumption that groups will

provide different data depending on the state of their visit. The pre-visit group will stated their

intended itinerary plan, while the post-visit groups described their visit plan and how they

eventually executed their plan (itinerary). The “additional group,” on the other hand, is a group

 

 

27 

consisting of respondents who were interviewed during their visit break, and one respondent who

was interviewed prior the visit and encountered on his way back after his visit.

From each group, the data were divided into the following: respondents who came with a

specific exhibit destination, and the ones who did not. From the group who come with specific

destinations in mind, their itinerary track will be compared and it will show their pattern’s

similarities and differences. The primary data are visitors who came with specific destination(s);

so only those data are reported in this section. But the data from visitors who did not come with

specific destination(s) will not be overlooked; they will be analyzed and compared with the

primary data. The complete raw data are provided as an appendix.

In this research, the aesthetic preference question is represented by the question of

respondents’ art interest. This variable will be interrelated with their visit destination(s). It is

expected that this correlation could show how their aesthetic preference influences their itinerary

plan and construction.

From 28 respondents (pilot test data included), there are ten pre-visit respondents; two

mid-visit respondents; 16 post-visit respondents; and one respondent whom I encountered both

pre and post visit. The data that were acquired in the pilot test is included because there was no

change made to the interview questions.

a. Pre-visit Group

From the pre-visit group, there are three respondents out of ten who came with specific

destination(s), below are their intended itineraries plan connected with their art interests and their

demographics (Table 1).

 

 

28 

Table. 1. Pre-visit Group with Specific Destination(s) Visit

#  Itinerary  Art interest 

Age/ Gender/ Education level/Usually visit

museum of

Itinerary Pattern 

1 

Came to see “The Drawings of Bronzino” and the “The Art of Illumination”. Wanted to see both and show them to a family member that they are waiting. He is spouse of #2 and more interested in Bronzino.  

Medieval and Renaissance Art 

58/M/College Graduate/ Art

 

TE1 TE2 home  

2 

Came to see “The Drawings of Bronzino” and the illumination. Wanted to see and show them to a family member that they are waiting. She worked for The Metropolitan before for 30 years. She is spouse of #1 and more interested in “The Art of Illumination” 

Medieval Art, German Expressionist art, and Japanese Prints 

80/F/ Post Graduate Degree

/Art 

TE1 TE2 home  

15 

Came only to see “The Drawings of Bronzino”, because it was going to close in a week. When she was asked whether she wanted to see other part, she stated, “I doubt it”. 

Greek and Roman painting and sculpture, Asian art 

81/F/ College Graduate / Art

 

1TE home  

In this group not all intended to visit exhibit(s) that are related to their aesthetic

preference. Two out of three came with a plan to see temporary exhibits such as “The Drawings

Key:

TE = Temporary exhibits

TE1 / TE 2 = First temporary exhibit / second temporary exhibit

1TE = One temporary exhibit

 

 

 

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of Bronzino” and “The Art of Illumination” that were related to their aesthetic preference. The

last respondent (#15) planned to visit “The Drawings of Bronzino” which is not in her list of

aesthetic preference, but she added that the works in the collections in the exhibit had never been

on view before and was going to be closed in a week. Also, she only planned to see Bronzino’s

exhibit and nothing else, but she was planning to go back that weekend for another event held by

the museum.

The background of respondents is typically the same. They are seniors, with high levels

of education and are frequent users of the art museum. All of them claimed that their plan for the

day was the same with their general visit behavior. They always have one or two specific areas

of interest in mind for their visit and if that destination cannot be visited due to different reasons,

they will revisit their other favorite kinds of art. They utilize the “on view” sheet on the

information desk and the “on view” slide show on the reception wall to determine their plan.

b. Post-visit Group

From the post-visit group, there are seven respondents out of 16 respondents who came

with specific destination(s). Below are their itineraries connected with their art interests and their

demographics (Table 2).

 

 

30 

Table. 2. Post-visit Group with Specific Destination(s) Visit

#  Itinerary  Art interest 

Age/ Gender/

Education level/Usually visit

museum of

Itinerary Pattern 

8 

Went straight to French Impressionist, saw the Greek pottery and sculpture after that because it was on the way and some collections were intriguing; and then end the visit.  

French Impressionist 

70/F/ College Degree/Art

 

1 PG home  

9 

Went straight to the American miniature paintings, and then end the visit.  

Modern art, European school painting 

80/M/ College Degree /Art

 

1 PG stroll away home  

17 

Went straight to “Bronzino” (a temporary exhibit), then French Impressionist, and then end the visit. 

French Impressionist,Europe Fine Art Master 

75/F/Graduate Degree /Art

 

PG1 PG2 home  

18 

Was going to go to Picasso (a temporary exhibit), but it wasn’t open yet, went to Roman art and Andy Warhol instead, and then end the visit. 

All but abstract 

58/M/ College Degree/ historical

and art  

Cancelled 1TE PG1 PG2 home  

20 

Went straight to French Impressionist and then went to Greek and French sculpture because his daughter has interest with sculpture, and then end the visit. 

French Impressionist 

61/M/Graduate Degree /Art

 

Group plan Got away to PG1 PG2 home  

21 

Was here with a group, and the group has their own itinerary plan which is moving their way down from the second floor, but he went straight to his own area of interest (middle eastern and

Middle Eastern, Armenian art 

54/M/High school graduate /not a museum user

 

School Assignment PG1 PG2 home  

 

 

31 

Armenian art) and separated himself with his group.  

28 

Stroll around from the main entrance to the special themed exhibit “Playing with Picture: The Art of Victorian Photo Collage” to see and compare the imagery of Madam Bovary with the one that he read from the novel “Madam Bovary.”51 The novel is a part of his advanced English class. After that he went to his area of interest (Byzantium and Cypriot art), claimed to spent most of his visit time there, end the visit.

Byzantium and Cypriot art 

28/M/Some Graduate Work/ -  

1TE 1PG home

 

The post visit data set shows visiting permanent galleries (PG) always occurs in the

itineraries, and all of them housed their favorite kind of art. This shows that they may

consistently plan and construct their itinerary based on their aesthetic preference. Visiting the

permanent galleries occurs whether it is the only destination, the “plan B,” or a secondary

destination. Even when people are obligated to visit galleries not of their choosing or temporary

exhibits, they claimed to end up in a permanent gallery of their preferences by the end of their

visit. This pattern occurs despite the fact that The Metropolitan provided 15 special exhibits that

                                                        51 Gustave Flaubert, Madame Bovary (Paris: Revue de Paris, 1856).

Key:

PG = Permanent gallery

PG1 / PG2 = First permanent gallery / second permanent gallery

1PG = One permanent gallery

TE = Temporary exhibits

1TE = One temporary exhibit

 

 

 

32 

did not require additional fees to visit them. This pattern may occur because they wish to revisit

artworks of their favorite that are permanently on view and most possibly accessible.

Other important information is that a few of these respondents claimed that they spent

most of their visit time in galleries of their favorite kind of art. This occurrence may show an

indication of visitors who only revisits their favorite parts of the museum, and might not enjoy

exposed to other parts of the museum.

Their backgrounds show that most of them are in their older years, except one respondent

who was 28 and came for a school-related motivation. Almost all of them went to college and a

few of them have some graduate work; only one respondent has only a high school diploma

(#18). Respondent #18 is interesting because his mother was an artist (a few of her works are on

display at the Brooklyn Art Museum); he never studied art, nor is he a museum user. He was also

constrained by his group itinerary plan. But all of those factors did not stop him from seeing the

art the he wanted to see. He eventually separated himself from his group, and at the end of his

visit he was satisfied and planned to go back.

As a side note, the question of whether it was their first visit or not was asked to this

group of visitors almost all of them claimed that it was not their first visit, except for respondent

#18.

d. Additional Group

Besides Pre and Post visit group, there are two other kind of visitors: respondents whom I

encountered during their visit break (mid-visit group), and a respondent whom I met pre and post

visit. The research did not encounter any mid-visit group visitors who came with specific

destinations. In contrast, the pre-post visit respondent came with a specific destination and only

 

 

33 

came to see that specific destination. This pre/post-visit respondent only came to see one

temporary exhibit (The Ramayana Illustration) that is related to his area of interest and related

with his work as an illustrator. In his previous visit he was unable to spend enough time in this

particular exhibit and he wanted to revisit it. After about one and a half to two hours I met him

on his way back from the exhibit. He is respondent #12, 55 years old, has a bachelor degree in

Fine Art and is a frequent user of art museums.

e. No-Specific Destination Groups

From 28 respondents, there are 18 respondents who came without any specific

destination(s). Unlike visitors who came with specific destination(s), visitors’ itinerary in this

group was in the form of a general visit. They are more likely to wander around. A few of them

can retrace their itinerary, but they stated that they had no specific destination, and did not have a

specific aesthetic preference.

Considering that most of the data population came without any specific destination, the

museum should plan a way to accommodate them to be able to construct their itinerary on site

before they start their visit. The Metropolitan provides numerous brochures; programs bulletin;

additional “on view” sheets for temporary exhibits; slide show on walls and screens informing

current exhibits, but the aesthetic related information is limited for the extensive scope of the

collections. There are a few respondents whom I encountered, needed quite some time to digest

the brochure and looks troubled, not only that, even one of them was mistaken the museum floor

plan brochure with the temporary exhibit “on view” sheet. It should be known that the museum

plan

 

 

34 

It is not a simple task to create an itinerary plan on site based on “limited information on

numerous brochure,” because the complexity of aesthetic preference. But museums can provide

an on site kiosk, or a “yes” and “no” simple flow chart that could lead to a recommendation of

galleries that they would likely enjoy. This suggestion will be discussed in depth in the

implication section.

V. Conclusion

The case study showed how encyclopedic art museum visitors utilized their aesthetic

preference as a dominant reasoning for decision-making in their itinerary plan after other

restrictions. Restrictions such as time, physical endurance, competing preferences of group

members, could influence visitors to maximize their visit quality. But the data suggests that most

visitors who come with clear motivation-based itinerary plan based on their aesthetic preference

will execute their plans to achieve their desired visit. However, there were a few who opened

themselves to other possibilities and were intrigued by collections they encountered along the

way.

The post-visit group primary data answered the first research question, which is: “Do

visitors with aesthetic preferences limit their itineraries exclusively to art consistent with their

aesthetic preferences?” The answer is yes. The data suggested that visitors’ aesthetic preference

has a major role in determining their itinerary and it limits their visit to only visiting their

favorite kind of art. This major role is shown in the itinerary of visitors who intended to and

only visited their favorite kind of art; visitors who already planned to visit their favorite(s) art in

the permanent galleries after they complied with their obligation(s) and/or restriction(s); and

 

 

35 

visitors who went to their favorite kind of art in the permanent galleries after they visited a

temporary special exhibit that had no direct connection with their favorite kind of art.

The post-visit group respondents with aesthetic preferences dominating their itinerary

construction have similar background. All of them are frequent museum visitors, and most of

them have a high level of education. Most of them have the same fondness towards European art,

followed by Middle Eastern art. These similarities might just show that this group is a segment

with similar background and behavior patterns. But there is another fact that this data reflected

and it may be a fact that the museum should be concerned with. Compared to other parts of the

museum, the European arts galleries received more attention from visitors who would spend

most or the whole time of their visit there. In relation to this, on numerous occasions of my visits

to The Metropolitan, the visitor traffic in the European art galleries appeared heavier than other

galleries such as Asian Art galleries.

It is important to note that The Metropolitan has a “pay as you wish” policy for the

admission, so without membership, being a frequent user of the museum would not be an

economic burden. Visitors have the freedom to come as often as they wish and to choose any

galleries that they would like to visit and revisit. But it becomes a concern if visitors only come

numerous times to the same galleries of the museum without any encouragement to visit other

galleries. The museum should ameliorate this trend in some way to attract visitors to areas in

which they might not normally be interested. It is the museum’s responsibility to distribute the

knowledge from all of their collection to their visitors, so the visitors would not only enjoy the

areas that they already know but they will also be introduced to a wider span of knowledge and

enjoyment.

 

 

36 

The second research question is that if they do not limit themselves to viewing art that is

consistent with their aesthetic preferences, what other factors attract or dissuade visitors from

engaging with other types of art for which they did not have a pre-existing preference? One of

the respondents who came with a specific destination stated that after he visited his destination,

he stopped by another gallery on his way exiting the museum. The gallery that he unexpectedly

visited does not house his specific favorite kind of art. His reasoning was that the work intrigued

him and made him willing to spend some time to contemplate it. This is the only respondent who

went to another area of art that was not in his aesthetic preference. His “diversion” happened

accidently because it was on his way. When asked more specifically concerning what did really

attracted him, he answered with the same, “The collection was intriguing, I would not be

interested if it was not intriguing.”

The last research question asked how visitors who consciously use aesthetic preference in

formulating an itinerary structure their visits. There are a few patterns that are shown by the data.

They either went straight to their destination then ended the visit, or they went straight to their

destination, then strolled away and made a few unplanned “diversions” on their way out. Or they

concluded their obligation and restriction, and then went straight to the destination and then

ended the visit.

In contrast to the post-visit group, the pre-visit group shows their itinerary plan was only

to see the temporary exhibit(s) and had no intent to see the permanent galleries; one of them even

stated “I doubt it.” The demographic of this group is similar with the dominant demographic in

the post-visit group, but oddly enough they choose a different pattern. Also it may be important

to point out that they all came to see the temporary special exhibit that shows Bronzino’s work.

 

 

37 

The collection in this special exhibit was on view for the first time and it was closed in the

second week of April 2010.

One respondent (respondent #12) whom I encountered on his pre and post visit is

interesting because of his “touch and go” approach to his visit and his favorite kind of art. He

had one specific exhibit in mind that he wanted to see because according to him it is his favorite

kind of art (Illustration), and he did not get the chance to experience the whole exhibit in his

prior visit. But, it is possible that his motivation was not only base on his aesthetic preference

because he works as an artist specializing in the same kind of art of that exhibit. Another

interesting point about this respondent is the theme of his aesthetic preference: “illustration.” He

is an illustrator and interested in any kind of visual arts that he would consider “illustration.” An

itinerary based on a thread such as “illustration” surely did not limit him in terms of the arts

origin (either geographically or chronologically). This visitor could be the inspiration for

museums to come up with a program that would connect different galleries in the museum.

VI. Implication and Further Study

Implication

The information provided by the data reflected two things: this art museum visitor’s

segment consists of people who are fixed on what they want to see, and the usage of the museum

is not evenly distributed. As the data suggest, the group of people who came to see specific

destination(s) are frequent visitors, and they usually visit only particular areas of the museum

that favor their aesthetic preferences. Coincidently, most of them favor European arts more than

other areas of the arts, and as I suggest prior in the conclusion, this is definitely supported by the

 

 

38 

fact that the traffic in the European art galleries is heavy and in contrast with non-European

galleries.

There are a few actions that the museum can take with these implications. The museum

can improve their European art galleries to accommodate more visitor traffic, and they can

develop more programs to maintain this large customer base. Or the museum can attract the same

portion of the heavy traffic to other galleries by providing a theme or thread that can connect

different galleries. This second action can be inspired by the way the Illustrator (respondent #?)

planned his itinerary, by basing it on a type of art, which allowed him a cross-gallery experience.

This kind of strategy is similar to the marketing strategy used by Amazon.com, Facebook.com

and Netflix.com.

Amazon.com provides recommendations for individuals based on products that the

individual has browsed or purchased. The idea is to provide similar kinds of items, and Amazon

defines that similarity between their products.

 

 

39 

Image 3. Amazon.com Product Recommendation Webpage52

Facebook.com is a cyber social network that not only provides free profiles for

individuals, but also they provide “Pages,” which allows companies, institution, public figures

and other entities to advertise themselves and promote their programs to subscribing profiles.

Facebook recommends pages to individuals based on their profiles and the pages they already

“like;” or pages that their online “friends” “like”; or current popular pages with a similar thread

(Image 4.). To click “like” on the page is a simple way to subscribe to the page. By “liking” the

pages, the profiles will receive information and messages that the entities generate and distribute.

                                                        52 Amazon.com, Inc., https://www.amazon.com/gp/yourstore/, 1996-2010, 2010 <https://www.amazon.com/gp/yourstore/home?ie=UTF8&ref_=topnav_ys>.

 

 

40 

Image 4. Facebook.com Page Recommendation Feature53

Like two other websites, Netflix also provide recommendation at their homepage based on

the movie that users has seen or browsed (Image 5.), but they also provide a feature that allows

the users to construct a highly individualized and multifaceted movie taste preferences. Netflix

provides a long questionnaire that users can use to define their own preferences (Image 6.). This

questionnaire not only ask simple questions about movie genres, but also asks how often users

watch certain kind of movies and what kinds of storylines they like and so on.

                                                        53 Facebook, http://www.facebook.com/, 2010, 2010 <http://www.facebook.com/>.

 

 

41 

Image 5. Netflix Movie Recommendation Based On Users’ Previous Interest54

Image 6. Netflix Questionnaire Feature55

                                                        54 Netflix, inc., http://www.netflix.com/WiHome, 2010, 2010 <http://www.netflix.com/WiHome>. 55 Netflix, Inc., http://www.netflix.com/TastePreferences, 2010, 2010 <http://www.netflix.com/TastePreferences>.

 

 

42 

Museum can adopt strategy from all of these websites to reach out to visitors who came

without a specific destination. This kind of recommendation feature can be applied on an on site

kiosk or in a form of flow chart (Image 7.). Flow chart would ask questions that could help

visitors to plan their itinerary on site, and as a flow chart below demonstrates, it could provide

recommendation on which part of the museum that visitors could likely enjoy.

Image 7. A Flow Chart Recommendation Example 56

                                                        56 Scott Jacobson and Hallie Haglund, "The Decider: Religion," Maxim January 2008: 120.

 

 

43 

Museums can also adapt this strategy on their website. A few major art museums already

started developing individual profiles on their website where users can develop virtual galleries,

such as on the Philadelphia Museum of Art (PMA) website (Image 8-10). This feature also

allows users to take notes on museum’s calendar events.

Image 8. “My Museum” Feature in Philadelphia Museum of Art Website57

                                                        57 Philadelphia Museum of Art, http://www.philamuseum.org/myMuseum/, 2010, 2010 <http://www.philamuseum.org/myMuseum/>.

 

 

44 

Image 9. “My Museum” Feature: Building Virtual Galleries58

Image 10. “My Museum” Feature: Incorporating Museum’s Events on “My Calendar”59

                                                        58 Philadelphia Museum of Art, http://www.philamuseum.org/MyMuseum/gallery, 2010, 2010 <http://www.philamuseum.org/MyMuseum/gallery.html>. 59 Philadelphia Museum of Art, http://www.philamuseum.org/MyMuseum/mycalendar, 2010, 2010 <http://www.philamuseum.org/MyMuseum/mycalendar.html>.

 

 

45 

The Metropolitan’s website provides a webpage that provides useful information in

planning a visit, which is the “While You Are Here” page (Image 11). But unfortunately the

webpage informs more about what visitors cannot do instead of what they could do. The

webpage only contains list of items that visitors not allowed to bring inside the museum and

actions that are not allowed (such as flash photography), also attached below the list is the

Museum Policy concerning the restriction. The Metropolitan could incorporate more information

that would allow visitors to construct their itinerary plan in relation with this webpage, or

featured it in their own “My Museum” feature that as PMA’s “My Museum” only provide access

to create “My Gallery” and “My Calendar Event” (Image 12-13).

Image 11. The Metropolitan’s “Plan Your Visit: While You Are Here” Webpage60

 

                                                        60 The Metropolitan Museum of Art, http://www.metmuseum.org/visit/while_here/, 2000-2010, 2010 <http://www.metmuseum.org/visit/while_here/>.

 

 

46 

Image 12. The Metropolitan’s “My Met Gallery” Feature61

Image 13. The Metropolitan’s “My Met Gallery” Feature62

                                                        61 The Metropolitan Museum of Art, http://www.metmuseum.org/works_of_art/gallery.asp?dep=16&OID=160000167&action=1, 2000-2010, 2010 <http://www.metmuseum.org/works_of_art/gallery />. 62 The Metropolitan Museum of Art, https://www.metmuseum.org/mymetmuseum/my_calendar.asp, 2000-2010, 2010 http://www.metmuseum.org/mymetmuseum/my_calendar.asp.

 

 

47 

Further Study

This research suggests that there are a segment of visitors who plan and construct their

itinerary with their aesthetic preferences. This group claimed to spend most or ultimately their

whole visit time in galleries that only housed the kind of arts that they liked. But this is just a

preliminary study and the subject will need further study to really grasp the whole characteristic

of this group, or even the population of this group among The Metropolitan’s visitors total

population.

This preliminary study was conducted to assess how this group of visitors implements

their itinerary plan. In the future it is hoped that this kind of study can be established with more

depth. It could be in the form of deeper investigation on itinerary, such as the length of time they

spent in their visit destination(s). Or do they exit the museum right after the end of the visit, or

do they make a few stops to ancillary places such as the museum’s library, gift shop or café.

Studying aesthetic preference’s influence on an encyclopedic art museum visit can open

doors to knowledge on how to reach audiences with specific interests, especially their aesthetic

interests. To have the knowledge of visitors interests would give the museum more ability to

accommodate them in achieving their desired experience, therefore cultivating loyal costumers.

 

 

48 

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Appendix  

1

Legend:

Respondent # 1 2 3 4Pre/Post/middle

vist Pre pre post post

Gender M F F MAge 58 80 22 59

Education Post Graduate Degree Post Graduate Degree Some College College Degree

1st interest in art Mother interested deeply in art

Father and Uncles did some art and introduce it to her

Usually to go to museums

Brought to museum since he was 5 and continously become a Type of art

usually enjoyMedieval art, Rennaisance

Medieval art, German expressionist art and also japanese prints

any european painting, great european sculptures

Type of museum usually visit

art museum Art Museum art museum art museum, science only to take his kid

Any guided/audio tour

no yes, because I can't read all the text

no no

First visit no no yes noSpecific themed exhibit as visit reason

yes yes no no

which? branzino and the illumination

branzino and the illumination

N/A N/A

Raw Data

: primary pre visit data: primary post visit data: pre-post visit data

2

Specific exhibit/artwork in the permanent galleries

N/A no no no

which? N/A N/A N/A N/A

why? N/A N/A N/A N/A

Go directly to that specific art?

N/A N/A N/A N/A

Did you go to another exhibit before that?

N/A N/A N/A N/A

which? N/A N/A N/A N/ADid you go to another exhibit after that?

N/A N/A N/A N/A

which? N/A N/A N/A N/AAble to show visit itinerary

N/A no yes N/A

Notes N/A worked for the Met french tourist, she can remember all the place she went through

he was there with his daughter and her friends

3

Respondent # 5 6 7 8Pre/Post/middle

vist pre post middle post

Gender M F F FAge 24 50 30 70

Education High school Graduate Post Graduate Degree College Degree College Degree

1st interest in art no not really, came because of a friend's suggestion

just trying to experience some culture

Father brought her to galleries since she was a child

Type of art usually enjoy

- no any French impressionist

Type of museum usually visit

any natural history or science museum

art museum art museum

Any guided/audio tour

N/A no no no

First visit yes yes yes yesSpecific themed exhibit as visit reason

N/A no no no

which? N/A N/A N/ASpecific exhibit/artwork in the permanent galleries

N/A no no yes

which? N/A N/A N/A french impressionistwhy? N/A N/A N/A I like itGo directly to that specific art?

N/A N/A no yes

4

Did you go to another exhibit before that?

N/A N/A no yes

which? N/A N/A greek pottery and sculpture, it's on the way

Did you go to another exhibit after that?

N/A N/A no no

which? N/A N/A N/AAble to show visit itinerary

N/A no yes

Notes he came with his wife and sister in law, drove from LA to experience NYC, typical experience seeker tourist

spent the whole interview expressing which parts of the museum that they like

was taking a break in her visit, confused about the map (mistaken by another brochure), feel "saved" by the city pass

too tired after the main reason

5

Respondent # 9 10 11 12Pre/Post/middle

vist post post post pre and post

Gender M M F MAge 80 72 28 55

Education College Degree Post Graduate Degree College Degree College Degree

1st interest in art always interested, work as an artist

a friend who has an art education background (PAFA) introduced him

she's a writer and likes everything that is related with the creative process

an educated artist, have a degree (BFA)

Type of art usually enjoy

Modern art; European school painting

impressionist, renaissance, definitely not contemporary

any illustration (he's an illustrator)

Type of museum usually visit

art museum art and historical museum

art museum art museum

Any guided/audio tour

no no no, was with a friend and talked with friend during the visit, that's the way she enjoy her visit

no

First visit no N/A no N/ASpecific themed exhibit as visit reason

no no no N/A

which? N/A N/A N/ASpecific exhibit/artwork in the permanent galleries

yes N/A no yes

6

which? The miniature painting

N/A N/A ramayana illustration

why? how meticulus it was made is impressive

N/A N/A was here before and did not had enough time to see it so he just came to revisit ramayana only

Go directly to that specific art?

yes N/A N/A yes

Did you go to another exhibit before that?

no N/A N/A N/A

which? N/A N/A N/A N/ADid you go to another exhibit after that?

no N/A N/A N/A

which? N/A N/A N/AAble to show visit itinerary

no need N/A yes no

Notes daughter goes to school in Uarts when it still called as a college

came for a lecture. Always come in through Uris centre, comes for specific interest but always a little stumble upon with greek and roman because they are on the way. But he likes any kind that could intrigued him. For him, if it's not intriguing it's not interesting.

N/A he really only went to that one exhibit only, and saw him left about 1.5 hours later

7

Respondent # 13 14 15 16Pre/Post/middle

vist pre post pre pre

Gender F/M F F FAge 75/80 22 81 82

Education Post Graduate Degree Some College Post Graduate Degree Post Graduate Degree

1st interest in art always been N/A N/A N/A

Type of art usually enjoy

any N/A Classic painting and sculpture (Greek and Roman), Asian Art

Modern art, French impressionist, espescially Picasso, also contemporary art (gonna visit MoMA the next day). No religious artwork at all.

Type of museum usually visit

art museum, and prefer old and quiet one

art museum Art museum Art Museum (espescially Met and MoMA)

Any guided/audio tour

no yes, to get more detail

Never, and no yes gonna

First visit no yes no noSpecific themed exhibit as visit reason

no no Bronzino (gonna close in a week)

Picasso (but not open yet), so looking at the "on view" sheet to decide the next best thing

which? N/A N/A N/A N/A

8

Specific exhibit/artwork in the permanent galleries

no N/A N/A N/A

which? N/A N/A N/A N/Awhy? N/A N/A N/A N/AGo directly to that specific art?

N/A N/A yes N/A

Did you go to another exhibit before that?

N/A N/A N/A N/A

which? N/A N/A N/A N/ADid you go to another exhibit after that?

N/A N/A no ("I doubt it") N/A

which? N/A N/A N/A N/AAble to show visit itinerary

no N/A N/A N/A

Notes they drove from albany and drove down here just to see the art, but with no specific part that they want to see, they come, see the program and then choose one. Always only enjoy one exhibit per time. Enjoying more than one is too exhausting.

general visit, went to every gallery, but spent the longest at the egyptian collection, she loves their hieroglif

Only come here to see specific part of the museum. She came with her husband, just started the visit, live nearby, came here a lot, a member and gonna come back for met on Sunday.

first came to see the new store at the Uris centre entrance. She loves to come to the Met because everytime she visits she always found a new hidden place that she never saw before ("you will walk and always see something you never saw before")

9

Respondent # 17 18 19 20Pre/Post/middle

vist post post post post

Gender F M F MAge 75 58 47 61

Education Post Graduate Degree Post Graduate Degree College Degree Post Graduate Degree

1st interest in art her life is full of art, mother was an artist, kids in touch deeply with art

always being interested in art

I like classical music, painting, influence came from school and family

N/A

Type of art usually enjoy

Fine art, Aurope master, French Impressionist

all kinds except abstract art ( he doesn't get it)

Expressionism, Renaissance, Greek & Roman

French Impressionist

Type of museum usually visit

N/A historical and art museum

art museums

Any guided/audio tour

no (I prefer to use my own interpretation of the art)

N/A no, the collection is too much

yes

First visit no (live nearby) no yes (tourist from argentina)

no

Specific themed exhibit as visit reason

N/A no no, general visit no

which? N/A N/A N/A N/ASpecific exhibit/artwork in the permanent galleries

Branzino Roman art, Warholl no, general visit yes

which? N/A N/A N/A french impressionistwhy? N/A N/A N/A

10

Go directly to that specific art?

yes N/A N/A yes

Did you go to another exhibit before that?

N/A N/A N/A no

which? N/A N/A N/A N/ADid you go to another exhibit after that?

french impressionist, then uris centre, then lunch

N/A N/A yes

which? N/A N/A N/A greek sculpture, french sculpture (because daughter interested in sculpture)

Able to show visit itinerary

yes yes, was walking directly to the two specific themed exhibits, was gonna see the Picasso but it's not open yet.

no yes, french impressionist -> greek sculpture --> french sculpture

Notes N/A N/A N/A N/A

11

Respondent # 21 22 23 24Pre/Post/middle

vist post pre middle pre

Gender M M F FAge 54 63 23 67

Education high school ?? Some College Some College1st interest in art mother is a fine artist,

some of her work are donated and on show on Brookyn Botanical Garden

N/A inspired in the young age at a quaker camp

N/A

Type of art usually enjoy

art in general, but espescially middle eastern, armenian art

asian art, classical art (greek and roman)

photography painting, scenery

Type of museum usually visit

not visiting museum because too busy to do that

art museum art museum (I would not visit other museums than art museums)

no time to visit museum

Any guided/audio tour

no no no yes, from the Jehovah Witness church group

First visit yes N/A yes yesSpecific themed exhibit as visit reason

no The illumination no N/A

which? N/A N/A N/A N/ASpecific exhibit/artwork in the permanent galleries

middle eastern, armenian art

usually visit other part in the permanent collection, specifically greek and roman

N/A N/A

12

which? N/A N/A N/A N/Awhy? N/A N/A N/A N/AGo directly to that specific art?

N/A N/A N/A N/A

Did you go to another exhibit before that?

N/A N/A N/A N/A

which? N/A N/A N/A N/ADid you go to another exhibit after that?

N/A N/A N/A N/A

which? N/A N/A N/A N/AAble to show visit itinerary

yes no no N/A

Notes N/A N/A N/A N/A

13

Respondent # 25 26 27 28Pre/Post/middle

vist post post post post

Gender M M M MAge 74 52 65 21

Education Some High School Post Graduate Degree College Degree Some Graduate Work

1st interest in art I think a friend brought me here

like to do art such as drawing, to paint, and father very artistic

from school, family but mostly from school

N/A

Type of art usually enjoy

asian art, american art, but not too interested in paintings

Paintings of Rembrandt, Van Gogh

Impressionist, Modern art, usually painting, Rodin sculpture, greek art

Byzentium, Cypriot art

Type of museum usually visit

art, often go to the met, the old MoMA, not interested with the new MoMA

art museums art museums and galleries

N/A

Any guided/audio tour

no, followed the guided tour one time and walked away out of boredom

no and also not using the on view sheet

no N/A

First visit no yes yes N/ASpecific themed exhibit as visit reason

no no no N/A

which? N/ASpecific exhibit/artwork in the permanent galleries

no no no N/A

which? N/A N/A N/A N/A

14

why? N/A N/A N/A N/AGo directly to that specific art?

N/A N/A N/A N/A

Did you go to another exhibit before that?

N/A N/A N/A N/A

which? N/A N/A N/A N/ADid you go to another exhibit after that?

N/A N/A N/A N/A

which? N/A N/A N/A N/AAble to show visit itinerary

no no no yes, stroll around on the way to and from the madam imagery but only interntionally went to Byzentine and cypriot art then through european paintings from the 18th and 19th century

Notes N/A N/A N/A N/A