Pre conference workshops 2011 Zagreb, Croatia, 16-09-2011 During the CECA 2011 conference in Zagreb two workshops took place on Friday September 16., led by Georgia-Gina Koutsika and Susan Nichols. Both workshop leaders sent an intake form to all participants before the conference. The input they received through these forms was used to adjust the workshop to the needs of the participants. They also collected feedback from the participants after the workshop and wrote a short reflection themselves. Workshop 1 “Evaluation: Getting Started” 10,00 -13,00 Pre-conference Workshops- Museum Mimara by Georgia-Gina Koutsika, Imperial War Museum, UK Number of participants: 17 from 11 countries Short description of the workshop: The first part was an overview of visitors’ studies, audience research and evaluation including their importance and use, clarification around the different terms and an introduction to the audience research cycle. The second part was an opportunity for participants to design an evaluation study for an actual learning programme/digital output or exhibition in their institution. Throughout the workshop participants had a chance to break in smaller groups of three or four to share experiences, discuss issues and agree on approaches. From Gina’s reflection: “The workshop went really well because I had a great group. Most of the participants had sent me information of their expectations and interests in advance so I targeted the workshop to their needs. They also brought real projects to work on during the workshop which, I think, is more interesting than inventing imaginary scenarios. Even though the workshop was designed for novices, the group was of mixed experiences and this in fact added to its success. Participants shared their knowledge, useful tips and we were all able to learn from each other. Everyone enthusiastically engaged with the activities and each other. I was surprised that they decided not to have a break but go on for three hours. Despite that, we run out of time. If I were to do the workshop again, I would have five hours so that there is more time for group discussions and an opportunity for each group to report back. The only difficulty was the space, which was an atrium rather than a room with difficult acoustics /echo. As a result of the space, we had to talk very loudly or some of us had to shout. A smaller room would have improved communication.” Impression from the participants evaluation forms: Many participants found the time too short, some too long. A lot of participants complain about the location, with its bad acoustics. Very positive feedback about Gina’s presentation qualities. A selection of the remarks (between […] are additions by Arja]: When I look back at what I wrote on the first [intake] sheet, I got more comfortable with it [evaluation] in a way that, even it remains complex, the way you presented it, it can be fun and useful. Thank you very much. It was very rich. And thank you for sharing all that knowledge with all that enthusiasm. Perhaps too much presentation and insufficient work shopping. Gave me more information for evaluation practice. For me (my museum) it is very instructive because we don’t practically evaluate yet. Enjoyed working in a group – many new ideas! More than expected (I would say now) because it provided a perfect mixture of theoretical frame working, personal experience and food for thought in general. Very well. I learned something more about principles and methodology of evaluation. The most important for me was sharing experience with colleagues from different parts of the world.
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Workshop 2 “Art a la Carte, Our Hands-on Program for Families” 14,00 -17,00 Pre-conference Workshops – Ethnographic Museum, (Trg Mažuranića 14) by Susan Nichols, Smithsonian American Art Museum and Renwick Gallery, USA Number of participants: 19 from 13 countries (16 of those also attended Gina’s workshop) Short description of the workshop: The Smithsonian American Art Museum's Art a la Cart program has successfully adapted the handson carts program to an in-gallery program for all Museum visitors with a focus on families with children, ages 7-12. Their eight, theme-based carts are located throughout the Museum with a range of objects and activities to help visitors to learn about our collections in appropriate tactile ways. The workshop introduced colleagues to development, testing and revision, implementation of Art a la Cart. The Zagreb Ethnographic Museum collection was used as a laboratory for the workshop participants. From Susan’s reflection: “As a warm up, I asked each participant to introduce themselves using a personal item. For those who brought things, I felt that was a valuable first step to learning from objects. Presenting a workshop far from home is a challenge. I probably brought too much and in hindsight would have brought additional items. Demonstrating one of my cart themes would have modelled presentation skills, questions, adaptive strategies for various audiences. My reference resources hold valuable information, but there was insufficient time to review their value with the workshop participants. While a bibliography would have been easier, nothing replaces the “real thing,” even for reference materials. We just needed more time to review what I brought with those who were interested in learning about additional resources. Before I arrived, I proposed to participants and organizers that our workshop be an Angel Project, meaning our work would be intentional for the host museum. For the participants and me, we left the Ethnographic Museum Zagreb with several ideas for hands-on learning in their main costume exhibition—from containers to activities. Each group had a pre-assigned “audience” to program for; that simple step was an “aha” for some who came to better understand “audience.” Three hours was a lot of time to fill, but I discovered, if I’d had more energy and more time, I could have demonstrated one of my cart themes and we could have made mock-ups for our Angel Project, in addition to notes and debriefing” Impression from the participants evaluation forms: For me, the workshop offered insightful ways of using "cultural material" in museums for learning-through doing with inexpensive means and some imagination and creativity, so, yes, it was a good value. I thought of your workshop as an excellent starting point for me, regarding hands-on projects. I didn't think about it much before, because in my Museum we have a limited space for exhibitions and educational activities as well. Not to mention the problems with staff members. But, after (and during) the workshop I started to realize that some projects I had are a kind of hands-on activities, which means that if I put some extra effort, I could prepare some real hands-on projects in the future. Even within the limitations I now face. So, that would be the most valuable information (idea) for me to take away, along with excellent examples and information you and other colleagues shared in the workshop. The workshop was a good introduction to the Conference and an opportunity to meet people in a more intimate environment. The workshop was intense in terms of participation of all of us, but also relaxed in a way, which I enjoyed. Even prior to the workshop I believed in the hands on approach to learning in museums and I used it in my workshops. The Hands on cart workshop confirmed this and I gained new knowledge of how to actually do it and in this process the group activity was very helpful, in particular the later part – the presentation of the potential hands on activities. I appreciated the attention to details, e.g. the storage device. It made me think who REALLY are my target group. So the workshop assignments that segmented the target groups was a good way to start thinking about this matter. Arja van Veldhuizen 23 07 12
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