1. Reinventing Your Museum:
New Audiences, Great Expectations
Martha Aldridge, Chief Relocation Officer
Julia Swan, Manager of Programs & Community Engagement
Tara McCauley, Manager of Education & Youth Programs

2. About Us
Museum of History & Industry in Seattle, WA
• Regional history museum of a major metropolitan city
• Currently in process of a major institutional
transformation

3. About Us
Our home since 1952
• Aging building
• Poor accessibility
• Remote, hard-to-find
location

4. About Us
Our home starting December 29, 2012
• Renovated historic building
• Brand new exhibits and
teaching spaces
• Central, vibrant, up and
coming neighborhood

5. Discussion
What does reinvention mean to you?
To your organization?

6. What does reinvention mean to MOHAI?

7. Reinvention is
About Vision
MOHAI will be nationally recognized as a dynamic and
innovative center for historical exploration where people
will be inspired by the past to create a better future.

8. Reinvention is About
Realizing the Vision
Dazzle

9. Reinvention is About
Realizing the Vision
Engagement

10. Reinvention is About
Realizing the Vision
Engagement

11. Reinvention is About
Realizing the Vision
Fiscal Responsibility

12. Reinvention is
About Vision
VISION MISSION
MOHAI will be nationally recognized as a MOHAI is dedicated to enriching lives by
dynamic and innovative center for historical preserving, sharing and teaching the diverse
exploration where people will be inspired by history of Seattle, the Puget Sound region and
the past to create a better future. the nation.
VALUES
MOHAI believes that understanding history is relevant to today’s world – it fosters pride of place, and helps individuals in our
community understand the importance of civic engagement.
MOHAI is inclusive and accessible – we respect all communities and points of view and are committed to listening to and
sharing those stories.
MOHAI believes in professional scholarship and research to inform our work.
MOHAI values mutual respect and collaboration among staff, partners and volunteers, and is committed to sharing our
resources and skills with the wider community.
MOHAI is creative and resourceful, and strives for excellence in all our programs and services.
MOHAI manages the museum’s historical, human, physical and financial resources in an ethical and responsible manner that
ensures sustainability as a public trust.

13. Levels of Planning
Strategic Plan
Buildings Financing Program Operations
Public Support Private Fund
Schematic Design Exhibits Business Plan
Raising
Design Development Collections Organizational Structure
Strategies
Pricing Drawings Library Events Policies
Feasibility Study
Value Engineering Programs Visitor Services
Fund Raising Plan
Construction Drawings Education IT/Communications
Marketing/PR
Financial Management
Relocation Plan

14. Reinvention is About
Realizing the Vision
Flexibility is the Key
to Implementation
Despite the message on the
fare box, it has been my
experience that more often
than not, change is not exact.

15. Reinvention is About
Realizing the Vision
Challenges
How I wish that my room had a floor.
I don’t care so much for a door,
But this floating around
Without touching the ground
Is getting to be quite a bore.

16. Reinvention is About
Realizing the Vision
Mitigation of Stress
• Information
• Control
• Humor
• Eyes on the vision

17. Reinvention is About
New Audiences
New Audiences
New Location = New Audiences
• From residential neighborhood to urban core
Demographic shift in
visitors, members, donors
• New museum projection: 80% new audience
(e.g. young urban professionals), 20% old

18. Adult Programs and
Community Engagement
Step 1:
Bring the museum outside
our walls

19. Benefits Programs and
Adult of Sponsorship
Community Engagement
History Café

20. Adult Programs and
Community Engagement
History Walking Tours

21. Projected Cost
Adult Programs and
Community Engagement
Pub Trivia

22. Adult Programs and
Community Engagement
MOHAI Minutes
youtube.com/mohaiprograms

23. Adult Programs and
Community Engagement
Step 2:
Think creatively about
community partnerships

24. Adult Programs and
Community Engagement
• Other museums
• Other arts organizations
• Film industry
• Cafes, bars
• New neighbors
• For-profit companies
• Gaming industry

25. Adult Programs and
Community Engagement
Step 3:
Target New Audiences

26. Adult Programs and
Community Engagement
History Is____ Film Competition
youtube.com/mohaiprograms

27. Adult Programs and
Community Engagement
Movies in the Park

28. Adult Programs and
Community Engagement
Cheshiahud Challenge

29. Adult Programs and
Community Engagement
Social Media

30. Adult Programs and
Community Engagement
Challenges
• Build new audience without alienating
our core audience
• Fundamentals of museum programming
vs. experimentation with new
programming
• Staying aligned with changing
institutional priorities, e.g. bringing the
community back into our building

31. Education and
Youth Programs
Re-inventing Education
& Youth Programming
1. Serve expanded audiences (in terms of age), within varied learning situations (formal AND
informal), that are interdisciplinary.
2. Utilize community partnerships to design new programs
1. Advisory teams with teachers, school administrators, scholars
2. Work with universities, advocacy groups (early learning), other non profits
3. Community members – parents, local businesses, etc.
3. Involve youth to design new programs
1. Youth created program and exhibit content
2. Peer advisory committees
3. Evaluation and surveys to youth

32. Education and
Youth Programs
Expand Youth Audiences

33. Education and
Youth Programs
Early Learning Initiative
• MiniMOHAI

34. Education and
Youth Programs
Expanded Family Programs
• Family Lab
• Exploration Packs

35. Education and
Youth Programs
• MOHAI Goes
Mobile

36. Education and
Youth Programs
Involve Youth to Design New
Programs

37. Education and
Youth Programs
• Punctum/Poetry

38. Education and
Youth Programs
• History Is____ Film Competition

39. Education and
Youth Programs
• New K – 12 Programs with youth
created content and student
evaluation

40. Education and
Youth Programs
Challenges
• NEW EVERYTHING!
– New staff, new programs, new
technology, new building, new content
– nothing is a given.
• Resources still a challenge
• Using and implementing evaluation
results
– With such careful and elaborate
planning it is important to stay agile, to
adapt, to be ready to adjust/fail/try
again.

42. Concluding Challenges
How can staff cope with
transformative change?
Can dramatic reinvention begin with
one small change?
How can programs balance
experimentation and fundamentals?
Can dramatic reinvention succeed
with limited resources?