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Attracting Teens to Art Museums:
What Museums Have and Can Do for This Audience
Amy Herzel
Western Illinois University
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Art Museums began, like any other types of museums, as collections of objects displayed
to the public by wealthy and influential owners. The first wealthy family to display its collection
of art to the public was the Medici family in the 1500s. What began as a natural human
inclination to collect, eventually developed into a desire to share with others the prestige and
importance of owning certain objects (Alexander & Alexander, 2008). The first art museums in
the world did not possess the security or collection management practices or business plans that
current museums have to keep them running as institutions available to the public. They also did
not possess the programming, events, visitor studies, and marketing techniques that current
museums do to make them attractive to the public. They were simply collections of art works
arranged in any way the owner so chose to show off to select visitors. Owners of rare and
exquisite art works, prior to the late 1900s, did not wish to attract a wider audience or encourage
any other attitude toward art or art museums other than interest or reverence.
During the 1800s, museums expanded into larger buildings to include collections of the
wealthy as well as other individuals in possession of rare or interesting artworks (Alexander &
Alexander, 2008). Yet art museums still catered to a more wealthy or reverently dedicated
audience rather than the entire population. As Kenneth Hudson (1998) wrote,
The old-style museum felt itself under no such obligation. It existed, it had a
building, it had collections and a staff to look after them. It was reasonably
adequately financed, and its visitors, usually not numerous, came to look, to
wonder and to admire what was set before them. They were in no sense partners
in the enterprise. The museum’s prime responsibility was to its collections, not
its visitors.
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This seemed to be a common opinion about museums, particularly art museums until the
late 1900s when new practices were introduced and the purpose of museums became debatable.
The majority of people viewed art museums as quiet, awe-inspiring, rather sacred places; as
Benjamin Ives Gilman emphasized, “ a museum of art is in essence a temple” (Alexander &
Alexander, 2008).This went along with the school of thought that art was meant to be
aesthetically pleasing.
Bonnie Pitman also discusses this view of museums in general and art museums
specifically in her article “Muses, Museums, and Memories”. Art museums were organized by
the wealthy for the wealthy (Pitman, 1999). Stephen Weil (1999), who quotes the 1968 Belmont
Report by AAM in his article “From Being about Something to Being for Somebody: The
Ongoing Transformation of the American Museum”, also presents the common viewpoint that
art museums were meant to be aesthetically pleasing and play to people’s emotions rather than
their brains. The Belmont Report (1968) stated, “ It is assumed that a majority of the people who
come regularly to art museum s come to be delighted, not to be taught, or preached at, or
‘improved’ except by the works of art themselves. An art museum, especially, is – or ought to be
– a place where one goes to get refreshed”.
Although some people may still hold this viewpoint about art museums, or museums in
general, museums have undergone considerable changes in the last century, as Weil (1999)
writes, from being less about the objects themselves to being more about the people who come to
see the objects. Art museums place a stronger focus on education and visitor studies in the 21st
century then when such ideas were introduced in the late 1900s. Since embracing an atmosphere
of learning and a desire for a wider audience, many art museums now present less of a “temple”
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atmosphere and more of a “forum” atmosphere (Alexander & Alexander, 2008; Henry, 2010;
Pitman, 1999; Weil, 1999).
Art museums have also evolved with the changes in the art world in general. The
definition of art has expanded to include nearly anything if created by anyone calling him or her
self an artist. Art museums have had to embrace these changes to exist in the 21st century. As art
has opened itself to a broader audience, no more simply for the wealthy or sophisticated, art
museums have as well. Visitors come not only to see works of art depicting peaceful landscapes
and holy figures but also animals in formaldehyde, dung on a canvas, candy in a pile, and solid
color paintings.
Some art museums may choose not to exhibit or may not have access to some of the more
radical or strange modern and contemporary collections of art works. Regardless, they still have
to evolve with the changes in museum practices taking place in the 21st century to survive, as
Graham Black (2012) discusses in his book Transforming Museums in the Twenty-first Century.
Black (2012) states, “Unless museums change can keep pace with the needs and expectations of
their publics, they are lost”. Museums exist through their visitors. They have to learn to make
their collections, programs, amenities and brand, relevant to their visitors, and learn to study their
visitors and non-visitors to find out what is and can be relevant to them (Black, 2012; HooperGreenhill, 1994).
Visitor studies has become an important part of museum literature and practice, as
museums in the 21st century evolve and search for new ways to encourage visitation and
participation. Museums need to discover how visitors view them and why, who visits and doesn’t
visit and why, and how to attract various audiences and why. Once museums obtain such
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information, they are better able to develop strategies for marketing themselves to their visitors
and broaden their audiences (Black, 2012; Henry, 2010; Hooper-Greenhill, 1994).
One of the most challenging audiences for museums to study and attract is teenagers.
First, they are difficult to study due to the fact they are minors and researchers typically only
perform surveys, interviews, and observations with adults, unless given permission from an IRB
and consent from individuals and their parents. Second, they are challenging to attract due to
their specific needs.
Fewer and fewer teenagers in the 21st century grow up taking art classes due to the
exclusion of the arts in many schools for monetary reasons. Teenagers have less of an
appreciation for the arts and more exposure to science and technology in recent years. They also
require more involvement and stimulation to be attracted then some other audiences might.
In their article “The teen commandments”, Roberts & Scott (2009) create ten points for
marketing museums to teens, based on a study of individuals between the ages of 15-21. These
points are based on the broad ideas that teens like to be social and have a voice, need things they
can relate to, want to make their own decisions, like to experiment, want something to trust in,
like to mix and match, and want sex appeal (Roberts & Scott, 2009).
Simon (2009) also shares some general ideas about teens in her blog article, “Why Are
So Many Participatory Experiences Focused on Teens?”. She also states that teens want to have a
voice and share that voice with others, as well as share through social media and technology.
Teens are also attracted to ideas that are novel or “sexy” (Simon, 2009). In another blog article,
“Teenagers and Social Participation”, Simon (2009) reiterates the idea that teenagers are social
creatures but also emphasizes that they are more social with close friends and tend to be less
social with strangers. In a study performed by the Surdna Foundation with teachers and teenagers
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about developing better art programs for teens, they also found a need from teenagers for selfexpression (Surdna, 2002). The themes of self-expression and individuality and well as a need to
be social along with an interest in media and technology and what is “new” and “sexy” are
reoccurring.
Several articles and blog spots have taken these themes along with a desire to attract
teens and a knowledge of marketing techniques and shared ideas and brainstorming sessions for
how exactly to attract this fascinating yet challenging audience ( Peter, 2010; Ray, 2009; Roberts
& Scott, 2009; Schulten, 2011; Simon, 2009). Although every museum is unique and situated in
a specific population comprised of individuals, general ideas can still provide helpful jumping
off points or ideas that can be shared among museums.
Peter (2010) emphasizes the idea that rather than planning one event directed toward
teens and hoping this one event will draw them into participating in other events not directed to
them, to plan several events directed toward teens specifically. Having a series of different types
of programming directed toward teens throughout the year can give teens variety, allow
museums to see what works and what doesn’t, and let teens feel like they are a part of the
museum in multiple ways.
Peter (2010) addresses the challenge of combining marketing to teens with marketing to
other audiences and suggests an entirely different brand exclusively for teen programming
separate but still related to the museum’s main brand. Many museums have done this
successfully such as the Walker Art Center and the MOMA. The Walker Art Center even has a
separate website connected to their main site targeted at teens with a look that is more teenfriendly, more “hip” and “sexy”. The MOMA also has a separate website, its Red Studio site
exclusively for teens. These are only two examples of museums who have successfully
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developed teen programs and brands connected to their main museums but individualized to
teens as well.
Another example of suggestions for museums wishing to attract teens comes from Nina
Simon (2009) in her blog article “Teenagers and Social Participation”. She takes the ideas that
teens are social and want to share their voice as well as curious and interested in
experimentation, to outline possibilities for using museums as a safe place for teens to share and
experiment (Simon, 2009). Encouraging fun sharing and experimentation can be difficult for
museums, art museums in particular who wish to keep their spaces quiet and controlled.
However, providing specific spaces for teens to share such as message kiosks or social media
boards with topics relating to specific exhibits or museums provide a safe and fun environment
for such sharing.
Other articles and blogs present different ideas for how to encourage teens to participate
such as through collaboration with schools developing job skils or participation in a teen docent
program, teen curated show, or teen-planned programming (Anderson, 2011; Cox-Peterson &
Ramirez, n.d.; Ray, 2009; Schulten, 2011). These types of participation allow teens not only to
visit the museum but to become involved in the workings of the museum. They provide the
students with responsibility as well as fun. They allow teens an inside look into what goes on
behind the scenes in museums and what keeps them running.
Numerous museums have successful teen programs including teen docent programs, teen
classes, teen events, teen councils, teen panels, museum studies programs, after-school programs,
and teen art centers ( Dobrzynski, 2009; Schwartz, 2005). Even a quick internet search for
museums and teens reveals a multitude of websites connected to individual museums specifically
for teens. Museums such as the Palm Springs Art Museum, Wexner Center for the Arts,
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University of Virginia Art Museum, Indianapolis Museum of Art and the Danforth Museum of
Art, to name a few, all provide established teen docent programs for students, some paid, some
not. All provide the opportunity for teens to experience an inner look at the museum and its
education programming as well as aspects of curatorial and collections. They give teens
responsibility and a chance to meet and socialize with other teens. They provide teens with
valuable experience, and often opportunities to take classes for free and become involved in
other aspects of the museum. It also presents them with communication and education skills
useful in later life.
Other art museums offer additional or alternative ways for teens to be in leadership
positions, such as participating in teen councils, at museums such as at the Walters Art Museum,
Akron Art Museum, and the Contemporary Art Museum Houston. These programs give teens the
opportunity to actively plan programming specifically related to their own audience. This is an
excellent way to target teens as it is motivated by the very people who understand teens best –
teens. Teen councils also provide teens with opportunities to attend classes and workshops they
might not otherwise be able to attend.
For teens who aren’t interested in simply walking into an art museum and wandering
around looking at art, museum teen leadership programs, teen events, and teen workshops or
classes are excellent ways to get teens involved at museums. For those teens who would rather
not be in leadership positions, numerous opportunities to attend events and classes still remain.
In addition, museums can include participatory exhibits such as message kiosks and social media
boards that encourage teens to interact with the museum and its exhibits.
The possibilities for attracting any type of audience are endless, while still remaining in
the museum’s allotted budget and maintaining its brand. Some art museums who wish to attract
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teens may need to add a program or event or exhibit directed toward teens that is a little different
from their normal programming or exhibitions. To attract this special audience, they may need to
get out of their comfort zones and be willing to be open to the possibilities.The success stories of
teen programs at art museums are readily available and museums are even willing to share tips
on how to create successful teen programs such as the Walker Art Center’s “A Teen Programs
How-To Kit” available on their website.
In order to attract teens an art museum needs to decide first, if it wants to attract more
teens and why this could be important. Second, the museum needs to study this audience,
understand what attracts teens and what doesn’t and how that fits into the museum’s mission and
brand, as well as compromises the museum is willing to make. Then, the museum needs to take a
look at other successful teen programs at other museums and determine what might be helpful to
learn from the other programs. Finally the museum needs to implement the program or event or
class they choose with a means of evaluating the success of the program, event, class, or such to
continuously improve their interactions with this audience.
Constant evaluation and willingness to evolve with change is a must for an art museum to
successfully continue attracting teens. Just as museums in general, and art museums specifically
have changed and adapted with time, teen programs must do the same. Teenagers are most often
the individuals who are most aware of new and novel ideas and need these ideas to stay
interested. Art museums need to be aware of this fact and be willing to change and adapt with
time and technology to cater to the needs and interests of teens if they wish to continue to attract
this audience.