One of the key challenges for the museums and galleries sector is to meet the increasingly complex needs and interests of arts audiences. With strong competition for people’s time and mounting expectations of the services cultural organisations provide, M&G NSW recognises that effective audience development strategies are crucial to the sustainability of galleries and museums.

 

M&G NSW has committed to a dynamic and responsive Audience Development Study as one of its key priorities for the next 3 years. The study will undertake strategic visitor research and develop and manage a centralised collection of comprehensive, reliable and current arts audience data which can be accessed by galleries and museums to help realise their aims and objectives. The study, which is funded by the Australia Council, sets a new benchmark in visitor research for the sector and is the first to be undertaken on this scale in NSW.

 

The findings from Year 2 of the study were released 12 August 2009 in the Guess Who’s Going to the Gallery? report. Findings from Year 1 are available below.

 

Year 1: 2007 – 2008 [Completed]

  • Involved 12 galleries and museums in the Western Sydney and Central Coast/Hunter regions in partnership with M&G NSW
  • Delivered training and support for gallery and museum staff and volunteers to survey visitors onsite
  • Collected more than 2000 visitor questionnaires
  • The report, Guess Who’s Going to the Gallery, details the results online.

Year 2:  2008 – 2009 [Completed]

  • A full report for Year 2 results,Guess Who’s Going to the Gallery, is now available online.
  • To stay informed about this project, sign up for M&G NSW Alert!

Year 3:  2009 – 2010  The NSW State Report

  • In 2009-2010, M&G NSW extended the visitor research project into other galleries in regional NSW, and sought to expand the program into other Australian states and territories.

 

Project Team and Volunteers

More info about the people who make the Audience Evaluation and Development study happen, from the M&G NSW team, to the volunteers on the ground who distribute surveys and donate their invaluable time and effort. 

 

Individual research projects and consultancy

M&G NSW is able to offer consultancy services to selected arts organisations on key areas of audience development and visitor research.

 

Recent Projects

In 2008, M&G NSW undertook a comprehensive visitor research study for the Biennale of Sydney.

In 2008, M&G NSW consulted with Top End Arts Marketing on an annual research study for the Museum and Gallery of the Northern Territory.

 

For more information about our audience development and visitor research projects and services, please contact:

 

Michael Huxley

General Manager, Finance and Administration

+612 9339 9912

finance@mgnsw.org.au

 

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