INTERPRETATION
ISPY IS PLAYED IN countless places and an art museum would be no exception, or so we thought. In the summer of 2009 the Walker Art Center began revamping its hands-on activity pack for families with the primary goal of getting them to play in the galleries. Through audience testing and user feedback, staff learned that many visitors do not assume the gallery is a place to play even the simplest game, such as I Spy. This chapter will explore assumptions made by visitors and the results that came to light through a six month process. Conversing with our audience, through broad testing, small focus groups and one-on-one interviews, revealed that a single pack with lots of ways for interpreting works was strenuous for them. Imagine learning to play Apples to Apples, Taboo, and Scrabble all at once. The result was three unique hands-on experiences all based on one simple game: I Spy. Whether you are a Maker, who likes to learn through tactile experiences, a Daydreamer who would like to weave a story together, or an Explorer whose joy is matching detail images to their larger work, the goal of the game is to get you looking at the art.
Raising Creative Kids In 2007 the Walker Art Center’s Education and
CHRISTINA ALDERMAN | 11