Visitor research
Evaluating exhibitions
Project leader
- Stuart Frost, Head of Interpretation
Departments
- Learning, Volunteers and Audiences
- Exhibitions
Share this project
The British Museum has a varied temporary exhibition programme which uses different spaces across the site. These include the Reading Room in the Great Court which has been temporarily adapted to accommodate major exhibitions. On a different scale innovative displays of a smaller number of objects from the Museum collection have been held in Room 3 since January 2005.
The British Museum undertakes research to inform the development of its temporary exhibitions and to make improvements to the permanent galleries.
The Museum intends to publish the outcome of this process here, beginning with summative reports of smaller displays in Room 3.
Conservation in focus. Room 3, November 2008.
Evaluation process
Front-end
When work begins on developing an exhibition or display, initial concepts and ideas are explored with key audiences. Front-end evaluation establishes visitors’ prior knowledge, experience and expectations of the subject covered by the exhibition or gallery.
Formative
When ideas for specific displays and associated interpretation within an exhibition are more advanced they may be tested with visitors. This stage of the evaluation process leads to iterative improvements.
Summative
After an exhibition has opened, research is undertaken to help inform the development of future displays and to establish how successful an individual project has been in meeting its objectives.
Evaluation reports
2012
Hajj: journey to the heart of Islam
(Reading Room, 26 January– 15 April 2012)
Summative
report (pdf)
More information about this exhibition
2010
Fra Angelico to Leonardo: Italian Renaissance Drawings
(Reading Room, 22 April – 25 July 2010)
Formative
report (pdf)
Summative
report (pdf)
More information about this exhibition
2009
Revolution on paper:
Mexican prints
1910–1960 (pdf)
(Room 90, 22 October 2009 – 5 April 2010)
The power of dogu: ceramic
figures from ancient Japan (pdf)
(Room 91, 10 September – 22 November 2009)
Shah ‘Abbas: The Remaking of Iran
(Reading Room, 19 February – 14 June 2009)
Summative
report (pdf)
More information about this exhibition
2008
Statuephilia: Contemporary
Sculptors at the British Museum(pdf)
(4 October 2008 – 25 January 2009)
Church and Emperor: an Ethiopian crucifixion
(pdf)
(Room 3, 6 March – 5 May 2008)
Conservation
in Focus (pdf)
(Room 3, 11 September – 26 October 2008)
More information about these exhibitions
2007
The Caribbean before Columbus: Taíno Icons
(pdf)
(Room 3, 3 May – 17 June 2007)
Ikebana: Living
Flowers of Japan (pdf)
(Room 3, 5 July – 19 August 2007)
Crafting
Beauty in Modern Japan (pdf)
(Room 35, 19 July – 21 October 2007)
Divine Cat:
speaking with the gods in ancient Egypt
(pdf)
(Room 3, 8 November 2007 – 27 January 2008)
2006
Word into Art: Artists of the Modern Middle East
(Room 35, 18 May – 2 September 2006)
Formative report
(pdf)
Summative report
(pdf)
Michelangelo Drawings: Closer to the Master
(Room 5, March-June)
Formative
report (pdf)
Summative report (pdf)
Warren Cup: Sex and Society
in Ancient Greece (pdf)
(Room 3, 11 May – 2 July 2006)
The Royal Game
of Ur (pdf)
(Room 3, 20 July – 3 September 2006)
The Art of Peace:
paintings by the poet Tagore (pdf)
(Room 3, 14 September – 12 November 2006)
The past from above: through the lens of Georg Gerster
(pdf)
(Room 35, 16 November 2006 – 11 February 2007)
2005
Forgotten Empire: the world of Ancient Persia
(pdf)
(Room 5, 9 September 2005 – 8 January 2006
Samurai to Manga: Japan across the centuries
(pdf)
(Room 3, 15 December 2005 – 8 February 2006)
Evaluating Museum activities