Eiteljorg Museum of American Indians and Western Art

The Eiteljorg Museum of American Indians and Western Art in Indianapolis will build institutional capacity to carry out evaluation work that will provide evidence-based information to optimize visitor experiences. The museum will hire a full-time manager of institutional evaluation to develop an integrated institutional approach to audience research. The museum also will provide staff with professional development training in evaluation methods. The museum will roll out the evaluation project, which will inform all of the museum’s future programming, in conjunction with the opening of the museum’s newly reimagined and reinstalled Native American gallery. The COVID-19 pandemic caused drastic changes in visitation. Through this project, the museum will learn about new visitation trends while developing a new focus on audience research and a visitor-centered approach to exhibits, programs, and experiences through a museum-wide commitment to audience research.