Get more out of your museum visit and connect with art

How do you visit an art museum? Johan Idema, consultant, cultural entrepreneur and advocate of innovation in the art world, has written a book about it: 'How to visit an art museum'. He thinks there is room for improvement and change. And that after reading his book, people will experience their museum visits differently and especially better. And of course: that museums will also help visitors to do so. The three museum directors who were at the presentation of his book are obviously happy with a helping hand for their visitors, but think it is mainly aimed at people who are already interested.

Tips

While Idema's goal is to connect with the artwork, museums actually want to connect with their audience. They want more and different visitors. Because what is the case? Eighty per cent of the Dutch do not feel addressed by what happens in museums. Only 20 per cent of the Dutch are (art history) enthusiasts. And that is what Idema is targeting with his booklet. (In English, because Idema thinks globally.) He thinks visitors could use some tips to optimise museum visits and make them more than 'a nice afternoon out' (as, according to research by the Cultureel Planbureau, the majority of the public experiences it). 'You can get much more out of it with the right mindset, with knowledge or different behaviour.' Idema offers tips in his book. Engage in a conversation is one of them. 'If necessary, speak to the attendant. Museum attendants are the eyes of museums and often very nice people.' Other tips: 'Listen to music or go to a museum with a seven-year-old child. They are enormously open-minded and ask fun and good questions. You should actually be able to hire a child.'

White cube

His book is also a vindication of art museums. Because museums like 'the white cube' - with large, white and empty rooms, where people sometimes walk past the artworks alone - is that ideal? A temple of art that gets full focus, with sometimes minimal information on text boards or, on the contrary, endless introductions on the wall in too small print. Museums with too few benches. Surely audiences never grow that way!
The three museum directors disagree. Cathelijne Broers (Nieuwe Kerk/Hermitage Amsterdam) thinks museum visitors can certainly use Johan Idema's book. The museum also welcomes it because it certainly benefits its ambition to attract a large and wide audience. 'But,' she says,'the book is also a 'white cube'. This book has a high threshold and is for an audience that already comes to museums and I would like to attract even more visitors.'

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Ann Demeester (Frans Hals Museum/De Hallen in Haarlem) also read it with a 'double eye'. 'It is a good guide for museum visitors, with good tips. But it is a prejudice that all museums are 'white cubes'. We are more of a Wunderkammer, with rooms with atmosphere, music and furniture. It is an important book, though. But the awareness is there and a lot is already happening to give visitors a helping hand. Sometimes there is allergy to factual explanations. But that's what a museum is for. A museum is also a knowledge centre.' Nor is the Cobra Museum a 'white cube', thinks Katja Weitering. 'And besides, museums are already advanced in reaching audiences. It is precisely a challenge for museums to gain more knowledge of the public and communicate better with your visitors.'

Museum threshold

But how do you reach that audience? Ann Demeester has found that people want to get information in different ways. Some want it via an app, others like to read text boards and still others prefer the audio tour. 'So you have to offer it in as many different levels and ways as possible,' she believes.
And the museum threshold should simply be as low as possible, thinks Cathelijne Broers: 'Research shows that the top cultural brand in the Netherlands is Marco Borsato. That says something about the average Dutchman. You have to come from very far and entice people to step over the threshold.' Katja Weitering agrees that museum thresholds are too high: ''We get an average of five buses a week with elderly people at the Cobra Museum. We don't do enough with that. And that group is growing. What can we get more out of that visit that contributes to those people's experience of art? That's what I'm working on now.''

Art show

In short, Idema and the museums both have different objectives, in which the love of art is paramount. The author of the new book pursues other, richer experiences of art and has therefore also co-organised 'De grote kunstshow'. Visual art in Amsterdam's Stadsschouwburg (Sunday 30 November), brought to life with theatre. To show and experience how you can also look at art.

Johan Idema: ''How to visit an art museum''. Bis Publishers, 15 euros. www.bispublishers.nl
The Great Art Show: Sunday 30 November, 11am, 2pm, 4pm and 8pm. www.ssba.nl