Centring audiences: What is the value of audience mapping for influencing public engagement with cultural heritage?
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Perry-et-al.2024_CentringAudiences_TheHistoricEnvironment_PREPRINT.pdf
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1.77 MB
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Resource type
Research report
Creator (person)
Date published
2024
Abstract
Inherent biases, barriers to participation and other risks of exclusion thwart the
UK cultural heritage sector’s capacity to benefit all citizens equally. However,
growing evidence bases - from local audits to regional insight reports to national
censuses – ostensibly make it possible to identify these biases and risks in
increasingly fine-grained ways, and from there to design programmes to engage
individuals who might not otherwise participate in the historic environment. In
this paper, we assess the efficacy of ‘audience mapping’ for supporting the
inclusion of specific, underrepresented audiences in UK cultural heritage. The
audience mapping methodology we applied in the Towards a National Collection
project Unpath’d Waters (UNPATH) offers a case study. Sixty datasets
(including audience interviews, web analytics, observations, etc.) from 18
organisations catering to maritime heritage were compared to support the project
in reaching three audiences: visually impaired people, cross-disciplinary
researchers, and non-coastal communities. We review our method and its
outcomes, then position our learnings against other audience mappings conducted
by Museum of London Archaeology for commercial clients. Like all audience
methodologies, mapping has problematic dimensions that can heighten rather
than halt inequities. We consider how to adapt approaches (e.g., to surveying,
consulting and ‘profiling’ people) to sensitively respond.
Funder
| Funder name | Awards |
Arts and Humanities Research Council | |
Place of publication
London, UK
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In Copyright