I worked for several years at the Ball State University Art Museum, which
was located inside the art building. Their major problem was that there was
no direct access into the museum from the street side of the building--just
from the quad side--so people just driving by didn't know that the building
housed a very good museum. (they are just about to open a renovation that
provides a more prominent entrance on the street side and a better, more
direct path through the building into the museum itself) We had good
visitation from art students and faculty and very little other visitation,
especially from the public.

Visitation from other students resulted from collaborations with departments
outside the art department:  for example, an exhibition of 17th c. Spanish
and Portuguese prints partially curated by one of the instructors in the
history department (this was after I left, so the details are a bit hazy)
resulted in history and language students being assigned papers requiring
seeing the exhibition.

Julia Muney Moore
Director of Exhibitions and Artist Services
Indianapolis Art Center
820 E. 67th St.
Indianapolis, IN  46220
(317) 255-2464 x233
FAX (317) 254-0486
email <[log in to unmask]>


-----Original Message-----
From: Robyne Miles [mailto:[log in to unmask]]
Sent: Monday, April 15, 2002 11:32 AM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: Question from Museum Studies Student


I think people have hit upon obstacles very well.

As a graduate of Indiana, I can tell you what I think worked for them.  The
IU Art Museum is an amazing building designed by I.M. Pei.  The design alone
made students want to check it out.  Secondly, it is centered in a major
thoroughfare with front and back doors, so students were constantly cutting
through it, especially on freezing winter days!  To add to that, there was a
wonderful coffee stand in the atrium that provided a great place for
studying or meeting between classes.  They of course had many special events
and programs to draw people in as well.

In thinking on all that, I'd say poor planning and lack of University
support are huge obstacles.  Indiana planned well and designed a space that
would naturally draw people in, and once students came in to avoid the
elements or get some coffee, I know many of them explored the galleries as
well.  As I recall, the museum enjoys a great deal of faculty support; many
teachers assign projects involving the museum.

I no longer remember the attendance figures from my days interning there,
but I do remember that the museum was rarely empty when class was in
session.

Robyne
--
PLEASE NOTE:  MY NEW EMAIL ADDRESS IS [log in to unmask]
--
"Reserve your right to think, for even to think wrongly is better than not
to think at all." - Hypatia
--
Robyne Miles
Director of Operations & Volunteers
The Science Factory
www.sciencefactory.org
phone: 541-682-7882  fax: 541-484-9027
reply to: [log in to unmask]



> From: Lori Allen <[log in to unmask]>
> Reply-To: Museum discussion list <[log in to unmask]>
> Date: Mon, 15 Apr 2002 10:57:02 -0500
> To: [log in to unmask]
> Subject: Re: Question from Museum Studies Student
>
> Actually, I think you are right!  Whenever we had a gallery opening with
> free food, the business school kids walked over.  Another big draw was to
> have a music major play and that brought all the musicians over.  Never
did
> get the education majors over....have no idea what motivates those.
(Maybe
> screaming kids in the foyer?)  Mostly nobody has time and when they do,
> they want something COMPLETELY recreational which means off campus, booz
> and no thinking involved.
>
> Lori Allen,
> Graduate Student, UMSL
>
> "Well behaved women rarely make history."
> - Anonymous
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Museum discussion list [mailto:[log in to unmask]]On
> Behalf Of Ron Fellows
> Sent: Sunday, April 14, 2002 2:34 PM
> To: [log in to unmask]
> Subject: Re: Question from Museum Studies Student
>
>
> No free beer.
>
> Ron
>
>
>> What do you consider to be the top obstacles in getting students to
>> visit college/university museums?
>> Katie Jarmer
>>
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