Working at the IMA for the past few weeks has only seemed to heighten this nagging observation I noticed years ago. There are two types of people when it comes to any, but especially, an art museum visit: those willing visitors and those who would simply rather not. Each side is a simple preference, like cats over dogs, or vanilla over chocolate, Cubs or Cardinals. The preference exists in our families and friends, each side representing itself at one time or another. But this ‘preference’ to go or not go visit an art museum, seems to be a bit of an annoying, elusive thing to solve or make sense of. I have rarely heard of a middle ground on the subject, nor experienced it, and it always seems to be people either do or do not want to go to an art museum. In a recent 4th of July adventure to St. Louis I experienced the two-sided argument once again.

As it was in Indianapolis, St. Louis’s July 4th was plagued with rain. I was visiting a close friend. As a good hostess, and to silence my references to the fact neither of us had been to the Saint Louis Art Museum, my friend allowed me to drag her to the museum to enjoy the soggy morning indoors. Needless to say my friend, a nursing major, is one person that definitely falls into the category of individuals who simply tolerates a trip to the art museum. But I wouldn’t classify a high risk cardio floor as my cup of tea either.

Anyway, as my friend zipped through the Impressionist galleries, I couldn’t help but notice a little girl, maybe five or six, whining about being wet and bored. (I can’t blame her; it was, after all, the 4th of July.) In her damp pink sweatshirt she miserably meandered around, until she spotted the three foot Degas bronze sculpture of a ballerina. She was instantly dragging her mother to the piece and slowly circling it, completely blank faced with awe and deeply fascinated with the work. At the back of the statue, she grinned and as she played with her own curls, quietly pointed out that the ballerina had a satin bow in her ponytail. After that she was nothing but cooperative smiles and continued her admiration of the works in the area. I expect she now will likely fall into the category of ‘willing visitor’ to art museums.

Edgar Degas, French, 1834–1917; Little Dancer of Fourteen Years, c.1880, cast c.1920; bronze, gauze, and satin; 38 1/2 x 16 1/4 x 13 3/4 in. (97.8 x 41.3 x 34.9 cm); Saint Louis Art Museum, Funds given by Mrs. Mark C. Steinberg 135:1956

So, what is it that makes people love or dislike the art museum experience? It’s a difficult question, seeing that everyone has their own preferences, and most are probably informed ones. For the little girl in St. Louis and me, it was a single piece of art that kept us coming back. Perhaps it is an engaging docent who can personalize the experience, making it a true learning and discussion process, or the use of something familiar during the experience, say technology for the younger generations.

The issue of engagement with these two types of preferences has made my internship so interesting. With the IMA’s vast offerings that combine history, design, art and nature, how can the experience on our campus continue to be defined as something beyond that of the average art museum? The idea of participation makes the art museum much more exciting, and one the IMA has, in the past, been challenged on. Art itself can speak, but how many people can hear it, understand it, or even find the right path to relate to it? The options to engage and encourage participation are going to distinguish the boring museum of the ‘I’d simply rather nots’ with the art museum of our contemporary society. People want things tailored to them, whether that means they’re spoilt and lazy, or simply need to be taught how to understand. The IMA should continue to develop our options and teach how to employ them, in order to achieve this understanding and connection to the preferences on each side. The many things available should ensure a participatory, enlightening experience on our campus, ones that are to focus on the viewer’s eye and the teaching moment of the 500 year old painting. To connect with art and the IMA there are many available options, but the new challenge is going to be developing these as preferences.

Email has certainly evolved in the last 10 years. I now receive upwards of 100 emails a day. With that many messages streaming into my inbox morning, noon and night, I no longer have the same tolerance for junk mail that I once did. I don’t have time to sort through SPAM. I don’t even have time to read eNewsletters that I have signed up for. I just can’t spend my time sorting through long eNewsletters looking for information that might interest me.I’m not saying that eNewsletters are useless. I’m pretty sure that I’d read them if they interested me, but they typically don’t…not even from organizations that I adore. Instead, I think that marketers, like myself, need to attempt to engage audiences through email in more unique and perhaps, direct ways.

In recent months, the IMA has tackled how to make our eNews more interesting, exciting, and interactive. We’ve included more imagery, more links to the Web sites, more calls to action, and more videos. We want our subscribers to look forward to receiving IMA eNews. We want subscribers to feel the same excitement at seeing an email from the IMA that I felt years ago when I heard the phrase “You’ve Got Mail.”

The greatest challenge is actually one of our greatest strengths as an organization: diversity. Our eNews subscribers are diverse in their demographics and interests. Some folks geek out about contemporary art, others get excited for horticulture. We have die-hard art-film-only fans and die-hard Summer Nights blockbuster movie fans. We have 80-year-old retirees and 20-year-old college students. How do we get everyone equally excited by the same email?

Our new enewsletter software has provided us with the solution – Dynamic Content. Based on preferences that our subscribers indicate in their individual eNews profile, we can tailor our message. If a person has a specific interest in family programs, they may receive additional information about IMA’s Family Saturdays. If they indicate a preference for film, we might include a New York Time’s review of a featured film in addition to the typical calendar listing. In other words, the eNewsletter you receive will not be the same as the eNewsletter your neighbor receives. Everyone receives the same key messages, but some folks will receive more information tailored just for them. Consider us the Burger King of eCommunicators – “Have it your way!”

The IMA’s monthly eNews now has over 12,000 subscribers. Our goal is to reach 20,000 by the end of the year. More importantly, I hope to increase the percentage of subscribers that open our emails (our software tracks that info.). The open rate of our emails will be a direct indicator of the subscriber’s level of interest in and excitement for the content.

So in the words of Jerry Maguire: “Help me, help you.”

• If you ARE NOT already a subscriber to our eNews you can sign up by clicking this link. We’ll send you a monthly letter highlighting the latest happenings at the Museum as well as special invites and discounts.
• If you ARE a subscriber: Next time you receive an eNewsletter (March 3) click the link at the very bottom of the email that says “update contact information.” That will lead you to your own profile where you will be able to tell us your preferences so that we can use dynamic content to tailor your enews just for you.
• Finally, if you have ideas for how we can improve our eNews, please respond to this blog. I’d love to hear what your favorite eNewsletters are and why.