Many cultural institutions today consider audiences to be at the centre of their operations. This new focus on audiences, has also seen education as core business of cultural institutions. Such shifts in thinking are evidenced in a variety of ways including for example, the increasing importance of ‘pedagogy’ within curatorial practice.

New ways of conceptualising and understanding the public are being developed to better accommodate the varied needs of those who visit museums and galleries. At the same time, professionals within public programs departments are developing a wide range of programs and events that promise to engage, educate and entertain visitors at almost every stage of their life.

To gain a competitive edge arts professionals are also striving to attract and maintain the interests of their virtual visitors through social and locative media and new digital platforms. The rapid rise of affordable internet access enables many people to engage interactively with the museum professionals who make key decisions about what is presented and why.

This course is designed to assist future professionals to understand current models of interpretation and to use this knowledge to create new ways of enhancing visitors’ engagement with art. The content covered includes a critical analysis of key historic and contemporary interpretive strategies as well as associated learning theories that underpin these strategies.

Using real world examples, the connection between audience engagement and the evolving practices of exhibition-making, installation and display will be highlighted.

This course equips students to make context-based assessments about the professional requirements of audience engagement, and how to design and implement appropriate projects and programs while achieving key organisational goals.