Visitor research

Evaluating temporary exhibitions

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.

There are three stages in this 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.

The Museum intends to publish the outcome of this process here, beginning with summative reports of smaller displays in Room 3.

Download reports

2005

Forgotten Empire: the world of Ancient Persia
(Room 5, 9 September 2005 – 8 January 2006

Samurai to Manga: Japan across the centuries
(Room 3, 15 December 2005 – 8 February 2006) 

2006

Michelangelo Drawings: Closer to the Master (Room 5, March-June)
Formative report
Summative report

Warren Cup: Sex and Society in Ancient Greece
(Room 3, 11 May – 2 July 2006)
The Royal Game of Ur
(Room 3, 20 July – 3 September 2006)
The Art of Peace: paintings by the poet Tagore
(Room 3, 14 September – 12 November 2006)
The past from above: through the lens of Georg Gerster
(Room 35, 16 November 2006 – 11 February 2007)

2007

The Caribbean before Columbus: Taíno Icons
(Room 3, 3 May – 17 June 2007)
Ikebana: Living Flowers of Japan
(Room 3, 5 July – 19 August 2007)
Crafting Beauty in Modern Japan
(Room 35, 19 July – 21 October 2007)
Divine Cat: speaking with the gods in ancient Egypt 
(Room 3, 8 November 2007 – 27 January 2008)

2008

Church and Emperor: an Ethiopian crucifixion
(Room 3, 6 March – 5 May 2008)
Conservation in Focus
(Room 3, 11 September – 26 October 2008)

More information about these exhibitions

Evaluating Museum activities

Touching History: an evaluation of Hands On desks