Supplies
Printing
Marketing & Outreach
Honoraria
Boise Art Museum
Boise, ID
The Boise Art Museum collaborated with three mental health practitioners to create Mindfulness Moments at the Museum, a program that included five sessions — two for general audiences and three paired with existing senior programming. The practitioners helped shape the format of each offering, with sessions spotlighting different wellness practices, such as chair yoga, sound baths, and group mantra chanting.
As this project took place in early 2022 in the immediate post-COVID period, the Boise Art Museum specifically wanted to recover its senior audience attendance. The museum found that seniors had been the most reluctant demographic to return to on-site visitation. Overall, it hoped to reach 570 visitors through this program.
Certain Mindfulness Moments at the Museum sessions were paired with the museum’s dedicated senior days. With the addition of wellness-focused offerings, regular senior day attendance nearly doubled. The museum welcomed 432 visitors to these programs, with most attendees being seniors, people with disabilities, or existing clients of the mental health practitioners facilitating the sessions.
For senior audiences, a participatory program with a recurring format is crucial to re-establishing the museum as a safe learning environment. When creating a program for a specific demographic, consider how much time is needed for outreach and to build attendance. For this project, the Boise Art Museum conducted a broad survey of 80 local mental health practitioners before selecting three to lead the wellness-focused programs at the museum. This dedicated outreach ensured best alignment for specific community needs and helped the museum recover attendance among its target audience.
Jordan Munson, professor of Music Technology at Herron School of Art and Design, worked closely with museum staff, local performers, and musicians to activate Felix Gonzalez-Torres’ “Untitled” (L.A) through immersive in-gallery experiences.
Drawing inspiration from the "Silver Linings: Celebrating the Spelman Art Collection" exhibition, Boise Art Museum created programs for seniors to work directly with artists and learn about art, artists, art history, and the museum.
Jordan Munson, professor of Music Technology at Herron School of Art and Design, worked closely with museum staff, local performers, and musicians to activate Felix Gonzalez-Torres’ “Untitled” (L.A) through immersive in-gallery experiences.
Drawing inspiration from the "Silver Linings: Celebrating the Spelman Art Collection" exhibition, Boise Art Museum created programs for seniors to work directly with artists and learn about art, artists, art history, and the museum.
