“This is what white families do on a Sunday”: Investigating the visit motivations of BIPOC families in arts and culture museums

Authors:

• Victoria S. Bonebrake, Museology Graduate Program
• Chair: Jessica Luke
• Shirley Yee
• Kelly Riedinger
• Jackie Peterson

Abstract:

Although families are a core audience for museums and the share of American families that identify as Black, Indigenous, or persons of color (BIPOC) is on a steady rise, the share of literature featuring the experiences of BIPOC families is notably slim. This article describes findings from a study designed to understand what motivates BIPOC families to visit arts and culture museums. The questions this study explores are two-fold: first, what motivates BIPOC families to visit museums; and second, how do these families perceive their motivations for visiting a museum are similar to and/or different from those of white families. Data for this study were collected through facilitated intercept surveys at three mid-sized arts and culture museums across the Puget Sound region. Thirty-five families were intercepted through convenience sampling and the descriptive survey provided both qualitative and quantitative data about families’ reasons for visiting the museum. Findings emphasized the importance of learning as a motivation for both caregivers as well as their children, along with desires to connect with families’ heritage and identity, seek entertainment, and spend time with each other. Additional findings highlighted how identity could serve as a visit motivation, described a tension between BIPOC and museums’ representations of them, and pointed to a lack of access to cultural resources among BIPOC families. Findings from this study have implications for researchers and practitioners seeking to examine the inclusivity of museums’ practices and create spaces that appeal to families of color.