it is not art itself that people are turning from. People are turning away “from the traditional delivery mechanisms” (Cohen, 2013)

identifying one primary audience

Faculty members have the capacity to create their own meaning and feel comfortable and enjoy making sense of the thematic arrangement of objects. Students, on the other hand, usually sought out interpretive devices, like text labels, for an explanation of how they were “supposed to feel.” Further, students did not perceive the thematic organization of the works of art as the interpretive device, whereas faculty did. While most faculty used the text labels to reinforce their own thinking and reassure them they were on the right track, most students used the text labels as their entry point to understanding and experiencing the exhibition.

Faculty and students had distinctly different experiences

RK&A believes that successful exhibitions result when staff acknowledges the perspectives, perceptions, and knowledge of their target audience.

There are two essential building blocks to creating a success project: 1) selecting an audience; and 2) articulating clear outcomes.

we promote the lifecycle approach to exhibition evaluation because we know that when evaluation procedures are built into an exhibition’s lifecycle

The presence of volunteers further added to visitors’ experiences as volunteers’ presence encouraged visitors to ask questions, look for hints when appropriate, and learn about the mathematical principles behind the exhibits.

inviting and amusing nature of the exhibition, designed to be interactive, entertaining, provocative, and challenging all at the same time

follow-up telephone interviews with visitors one month after each festival date in order to identify how visitors’ ideas about math change over time.

onsite interviews with visitors

RK&A explored the ways in which science festival visitors used the MM2GO exhibition and how the exhibition affected visitors’ ideas and attitudes about mathematics.