This week we look back at the research of 2016-2017 Museum Education Fellow Midrene Lamy. Midrene worked as a School, Youth and Family Fellow and taught drawing and animation classes for the Museum's Gallery/Studio Program. She also worked closely with teen staff and focused her research on the experiences of Black self-guided visitors at the Museum. Midrene’s research asks us to consider how Black visitors navigate and relate to the Brooklyn Museum. Here Midrene outlines her research and findings.
First let me start off by saying, I really really love the Brooklyn Museum. After working as a Museum Education Fellow and walking through the galleries each day, I became less interested in the artwork and more interested in the visitors. I observed that self-guided visitors were predominantly white and began to ask myself, "Where are all the Black people?"
When I started my Fellowship the exhibition Beverly Buchanan - Ruins and Rituals was on view. As a black female artist, this exhibition was very personal to me as I saw myself in Buchanan’s work. I wanted to know how Black visitors to the Brooklyn Museum identified with the art on view and how important it was to them that both the Museum’s art and staff reflect their culture and identity.
For my research, I consulted results from a Museum-wide 2008-2011 cultural identity survey as well as interviewed staff from the Education and Visitor Services departments. I also created my own entrance and exit surveys and collected data from 106 self-guided visitors. 31% of whom self-identified as Black. One of my survey questions asked, “Do you care if the Brooklyn Museum’s OVERALL (staff, other visitors, etc) is reflective of your identity and culture?” Overwhelming, Black self-guided visitors indicated that this was an area they cared a lot about. 83% of Black visitors answered “I care a lot” while 11% of self-identified white visitors answered, “I care a lot”.
After reviewing survey responses, I recommend that Museum Educators and Museum Guides teach from at least one art object in the Egyptian Arts galleries for an African Arts and Black History themed guided visit or lessons. In addition, I encourage the Brooklyn Museum to re-imagine it’s Museum Guide program as a racially diverse program that offers opportunities to college-aged students. It is important to note that although Black visitors noted that at times they did not see themselves reflected in the space, they did feel welcome at the Museum and indicated that they would return.I advise the Brooklyn Museum to imagine ways it can further embrace Black audiences.
Posted by Katherin Kusiak-Carey and Midrene Lamy