The document outlines the goals and results of the first phase of prototyping an "Art Cart" program at the Art & Nature Center from July 2012 to April 2013. The Art Cart is meant to activate galleries through multisensory art activities and encourage social interaction. Based on positive feedback from nearly 900 visitors, the next steps include expanding the program with a second cart, training docents, and exploring marketing and funding options to continue the program.

1. Prototyping Phase 1: July 2012 – April 2013
Jane Winchell
The Sarah Fraser Robbins Director
Art & Nature Center
Meg Winikates
Art & Nature Programs Coordinator
Lisa Incatasciato
Art & Nature Project s Coordinator

2. What’s an ‘Art Cart’?

3. Cart Research
O Walters Art Museum, Baltimore
O Smithsonian: American Art Museum, National
Museum of the American Indian, Museum of
American History & Lemelson Center
O Minneapolis Institute of Arts
O Denver Museum of Art
O Denver Museum of Nature and Science
O Portland Museum of Art, ME
O Museum of Science, Boston
O Museum of Fine Arts, Boston

4. Goals for PEM’s Cart
O Serve all ages
O “Activate” galleries with multisensory activities
O Promote deeper connections with key objects
O Offer facilitated, visitor-directed experiences
O Foster social interactions
O Experiment with new approaches for use in the
interim and future PEM

5. Touchable Objects
O Raw art materials
O Art objects & models
O Tools
O Wearables
O Multi-sensory options

6. Art Making
O Sketching
O Rubbings, embossing, sc
ratch art, paper-craft
O Alternate materials:
weaving, mosaics, block
s

7. Context and Enrichment
O iPads with video and audio
files
O Inquiry cards/games
O Contextual objects
(history, geography, science
, artistic process)

8. Current Prototyping
O Japanese Art
O Maritime Art
(Putnam and
EIMH)
O Native American
Art (Wheatland)
O American Art
(Seamans’
Gallery)

9. In the Galleries

10. Results to Date
O Offered 1-3 pm on weekends since
July, plus a few mid-week special events
O 896 visitors so far
60+
yrs
Attendance by Age 0-5 yrs
8% 6%
6-11 yrs
14%
45-60 yrs 12-17 yrs
23% 8%
18-24 yrs
5%
35-44 yrs
24%
25-34 yrs
12%

11. Visitor Feedback
“It’s nice you have the
O Appreciate staff materials at the cart so we
interaction don’t have to touch the
pieces.”
O Enjoy the art-making “I know “I would have
what cloves walked right
O Ask many content- smell through this
based questions like, but I’ve gallery and not
never come learned a thing.
O Cart interactions across Thanks for
serve as inspiration sandalwood sharing.”
for personal art- . It’s nice.”
“I didn’t see sketching as a
making missing program, but it’s nice
to connect with one piece.”

12. Educator Feedback
O Tools of the process are
interesting: trying the process
is better
O Multimedia elements are
popular (esp. process videos)
O Real materials to touch
appeal to all ages: the more
unusual, the better

13. Next Steps
O Phase 2 prototyping starts
May 2013
“I read about the Art
O Train docents/volunteers to Cart in the calendar
staff and came especially
to this gallery to see
O Concurrent 2nd cart - it. – Are there other
explore different topics Art Carts throughout
the museum?”
(such as special exhibition
theme)
O Look at marketing and
funding options for future