Ignite the Power of Art: Advancing Visitor Engagement in Museums

The Dallas Museum of Art’s Framework for Engaging with Art (FEA) is based on a groundbreaking, seven-year study that provides understanding of the preferences and behaviors of museum visitors. The study and its findings led to fundamental changes in all aspects of the DMA’s practices and programs.

Spearheaded by DMA Director Bonnie Pitman, the research draws on five studies conducted between 2003 and 2009 by the Dallas Museum of Art and the museum planning, evaluation, and research firm Randi Korn & Associates, Inc. (RK&A). Probing beyond traditional demographic studies, the research encompassed a series of qualitative questions about how visitors prefer to engage with art in the museum setting and their comfort levels in looking at and talking about art. The research identified four related, yet distinct, “visitor clusters” or types based on these preferences—thereby enabling museums to understand their audiences and better shape their offerings to address varying visitor interests and needs.

Learn more about Framework for Engaging with Art

Purchase the book online

The Dallas Museum of Art is supported in part by the generosity of Museum members and donors and by the citizens of Dallas through the City of Dallas/Office of Cultural Affairs and the Texas Commission on the Arts.

All contents © 2012 Dallas Museum of Art. All rights reserved. Please note that any use of content downloaded or printed from this site is limited to non-commercial personal or educational use, including “fair use” as defined by U.S. copyright laws.