Two Mia employees look at an interactive TV screen.

Mia Reports

At Mia, evaluation and research is an ongoing, embedded, and institution-wide endeavor. Final reports on audience research, programs, and exhibitions are compiled here.

Audience Reports

Mia conducts audience reports to track key visitor information, including demographics, behaviors, and attitudes. The reports cover a broad spectrum of ways in which visitors can engage with Mia, from in-gallery visits to website interaction. Collecting demographic information serves to identify under-represented demographic groups in order to grow and diversify the museum’s adult visitor base. In 2018, Mia began conducting audience surveys year-round in order to track demographic and experience shifts as well as seasonality. 

Mia Audience Report 2018

An overview of visitor surveys conducted at Mia in 2018. Annual tracking documents Mia’s longitudinal changes in visitor demographics, behaviors, and attitudes. Document includes key findings in Mia usage (including website and emails) and satisfaction as well as demographic data including age, gender, ethnicity, household income, and education.

Mia Audience Report 2017

An overview of visitor surveys conducted at Mia in 2017. Annual tracking documents Mia’s longitudinal changes in visitor demographics, behaviors, and attitudes. Document includes key findings in Mia usage (including website and emails) and satisfaction as well as demographic data including age, gender, ethnicity, household income, and education.

Gale Asian Art Initiative 2016)

In anticipation of Asian art support from the Gale Family Endowment, Mia assessed audience awareness, perceptions, and knowledge in a baseline survey intended to guide and enhance future Asian art programs and initiatives. The baseline survey compared results by age group, Falk “Visitor Category,” gender, Mia membership, as well as other demographics and behaviors.

Mia Audience Report 2016

An overview of visitor surveys conducted at Mia in 2016. Annual tracking documents Mia’s longitudinal changes in visitor demographics, behaviors, and attitudes. Document includes key findings in Mia usage (including website and emails) and satisfaction as well as demographic data including age, gender, ethnicity, household income, and education.

Mia ArtStories Impact Evaluation Report 2015

Report documenting Mia’s ArtStories initiative, a digital self-guided exploration of content about the museum collection using in-gallery iPads. Audience Viewpoints Consulting was contracted to evaluate the impact of the ArtStories technology on visitors’ understanding of Mia’s collection by conducting visitor exit interviews, telephone interviews, and visitor observations.

Led by The Interdivisional Committee on Interpretation (with consultant Dr. Barbara Nemecek), the Focus Group Study of Spring 1992 was requested in preparation for the planning of a major reorganization of Mia’s collections and redesigns of galleries. Seeking input from visitors, the report’s research collected data from three focus group types – Active, Passive, and Inactive visitors – for insight regarding the groups’ expectations and impressions of the museum.

Evaluation of Existing MIA Object Labels in Preparation for Reinstallation and Relabeling 1992

In preparation for the reinstallation of Mia’s permanent collection in 1992, the Education Division evaluated existing object labels in sixteen areas of the permanent collection. Surveys were carried out between 1990 and 1992 in order to determine how effectively the current labels were functioning and to discover areas for improvement. Included are a tabulation of survey responses and examples of survey instruments used.

Programs & Digital Projects

Mia offers a wide variety of in-person and remote programs for all ages, as well as in-gallery and online digital projects meant for general and school-aged audiences. Any personal and school-specific testing information and evaluative responses available in these reports has been made anonymous.

Art Stories Evaluation Report (2015)

Mia contracted Audience Viewpoints Consulting to measure the impact of Mia’s digital interpretive platform, Art Stories, on visitors’ engagement with artworks in the galleries. Document includes findings on Art Stories’ impact on length of gallery visit, in-gallery social interaction, enjoyment of the artworks, and retention of new information.

Gallery to Classroom Initiative 2013-14

A summary and evaluation of Mia’s “G2C” initiative, an effort to bring art from the museum galleries to nearly 800 students in their classrooms. Document includes overview of in-gallery training sessions, video production and classroom implementation, and evaluative responses from participating students and teachers.

Creativity Academy Evaluation 2013-14

With the assistance of Audience Focus, MIA staff conducted an evaluation of our Creativity Academy multiple visit program. We created outcomes and indicators for success, and collected and scored student performance data. We are using this data to refine the Creativity Academy program for the 2014-15 school year.

Creativity Academy Evaluation 2014-15

An evaluation of Mia’s Creative Academy conducted with the assistance of Audience Focus. Focus of the evaluation was to determine to what degree student performance across four lessons showed growth and change on the outcome measures. Data was collected across the three schools participating in Creative Academy (236 students).

Art Adventure Evaluation Report 2014

An evaluation of Mia’s Art Adventure Program, bringing works of art into the classrooms of approximately 90,000 elementary students a year. Data was collected from program providers as well as middle school students. Results are broken down into benefits, strengths and weaknesses, and effect of experience on Mia visits.

Exhibition Reports

Comprehensive audience reports are produced for many exhibitions at Mia, tracking overall attendance, survey insights, and Net Promoter Scores among other metrics. Visitor comments and habits are analyzed to better understand how visitors experience our exhibitions and how Mia can improve its exhibitions in the future.

Mia Living Rooms Final Report 2017

Final report documenting Mia’s Living Rooms project, funded with a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts. The project reinterpreted several of Mia’s historical period rooms dating from the 18th century. The report assesses the impact of Mia’s interpretation of the period room on museum visitors using intercept survey data.  Evaluation was conducted by the University of Minnesota’s Center for Applied Research and Educational Improvement (CAREI).

“Power and Beauty in China’s Last Dynasty” Audience Report 2018

Attendance overview, ticket sales, and post-survey results for “Power and Beauty in China’s Last Dynasty.”

“Eyewitness Views: Making History in 18th Century Europe” Audience Report 2017

Attendance overview, ticket sales, and post-survey results for “Eyewitness Views: Making History in 18th Century Europe.”

“Guillermo del Toro: At Home with Monsters” Audience Report 2017

Attendance overview, ticket sales, and post-visit survey results for ‘Guillermo del Toro: At Home with Monsters.”

“Martin Luther: Art and the Reformation” Audience Report 2017

Attendance overview, ticket sales, and post-visit survey results for “Martin Luther: Art and the Reformation.”

“Seeing Nature: Landscape Masterworks from the Paul G. Allen Family Collection” Audience Report 2016

Attendance overview, ticket sales, and post-visit survey results for “Seeing Nature: Landscape Masterworks from the Paul G. Allen Family Collection.”

“Delacroix’s Influence: The Rise of Modern Art from Cezanne to van Gogh” Audience Report 2016

Attendance overview, ticket sales, and post-visit survey results for “Delacroix’s Influence: The Rise of Modern Art from Cezanne to van Gogh.”