All roads lead to Baltimore for me at the moment, with new research projects for two of our favorite east-coast clients: the Baltimore Museum of Art and the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra. For the BMA, I’m working with Nancy Plaskett to help the museum evaluate a new exhibition called Monsters & Myths: Surrealism and War in the 1930s and 1940s. For the BSO, Meredith Wong, Chloe Chittick Patton and I are conducting research in support of the orchestra’s ongoing, Wallace Foundation-funded initiative to engage millennial audiences through more informal, social experiences…like this weekend’s Off the Cuff concert featuring Elgar’s Cello Concerto, a Q&A from the stage, and an afterparty in the lobby with a Dixieland band and themed food and drinks. (Yes, I’m a little envious that Meredith gets to go this time.)

Both projects are part of broader currents of innovation at the two arts institutions, and we’re proud to help bring the audience voice into those conversations. We’ve really enjoyed working the BMA team on several previous research studies, including an evaluation of artist Mark Bradford’s installation at the American Pavilion of the 2017 Venice Biennale, which is now installed at the BMA. Ditto for the BSO folks, with whom we’ve worked on earlier rounds of the initiative, focusing initially on research for the orchestra’s Pulse series of collaborations with indie rock performers.

If you have questions about either project or our broader work with art museums and orchestras, send me an email.