Tours and Talks,
Learning

Action/Abstraction
Curators Conversation at Schingoethe

Micro talks held at the opening reception for the "Action/Abstraction" exhibition featured curators Tatiana Lomahaftewa-Singer and Manuela Well-Off-Man with artist Linda Lomahaftewa.

Photos Courtesy of Schingoethe Center of Aurora University

Funding Categories

Honoraria
Transportation
Travel
Marketing & Outreach

partner

Schingoethe Center of Aurora University

location

Aurora, IL

About

For this event, the Schingoethe Center brought in two curators of "Action/Abstraction Redefined" to deliver the keynote lecture and give micro talks at the opening reception alongside artist Linda Lomahaftewa. The Schingoethe Center hoped these speakers would appeal to the greater Aurora community and funded bus transportation for attendees traveling from local community centers to the museum.

Photos courtesy of the Schingoethe Center Of Aurora University

Intended Outcome

To increase attendance at public programs among the Aurora University community by 30% and among visitors outside of the Aurora University community by 100-200 people.

Actual Outcome

Overall, the opening reception and keynote lecture were high-quality events that greatly benefited the museum’s audiences. All three speakers were charismatic and engaged attendees during their micro talks and individual conversations. Visitors enjoyed the in-gallery learning opportunities that the micro talks provided, and one surveyed attendee commented that the reception was “well-organized, informative, and enlightening.” Students also mentioned how meaningful it was to engage with an exceptional artist like Lomahaftewa and accomplished museum professionals like Lomahaftewa-Singer and Well-Off-Man. Compared to the reception for the museum’s fall 2022 exhibition, the opening reception for "Action/Abstraction Redefined" saw a 22% increase in attendance. However, the bus transportation was underutilized as a result of another major community event taking place on the same day.

Advice Post Project

In retrospect, the museum noticed that attendance at evening events has been slowly declining and believes it is likely because most of the university community is made up of commuter students who prefer programs that take place during the school day. For future exhibitions, the museum plans to host midday lectures and talks to attract the largest number of attendees possible. Other university galleries with similar student demographics may want to consider shifting to this strategy as well.