by Sara Bodinson
The 2025 Annual Convening was held on November 6 and 7 in Washington, D.C. The planned host was the National Gallery of Art, but the government shutdown required a change in venue. The convening took place at the Public Welfare Foundation’s True Reformer Building, Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg Center, and the National Museum of Women in the Arts. Here are some takeaways from this year’s keynote talk and case studies.
Takeaway 1: Art has an evidence-based impact on our health and well-being.
The convening began with a keynote talk by Susan Magsamen, co-author of Your Brain on Art: How the Arts Transform Us. Magsamen said that while art has often been seen as a luxury, “it an essential part of what it means to be human,” and it’s important for each of us to own our creative lives. Her talk focused on the emerging field of NeuroArts, which makes an evidence-based argument for the impact of art and creative expression in its broadest sense on our health and well-being. The research shows how art alters a complex physiological network of interconnected systems—fostering neuroplasticity, reducing stress and anxiety, and building resilience. And these findings have implications for every sector of society. The goal for Magsamen in doing this work is not a small one: she hopes the research will support education, career pathways, leadership, funding, and promote effective policy, as well as a broader cultural shift towards integrating art into different sectors. As she put it, “We are standing on the verge of a cultural shift in which the arts can deliver potent, accessible, proven health and well-being solutions to billions of people.”
Takeaway 2: Collaborating using new processes and tools can transform how we develop exhibitions and the stories we tell.
The first case studies panel highlighted the transformative power of collaboration and relationship-building in developing exhibitions—with external community advisors and between internal teams. Planning for the National Museum of Asian Art’s exhibition Shifting Boundaries: Perspectives on American Landscapes demonstrated the value of bringing in experts—ranging from landscape architects and National Parks employees to climate activists—early in the concept phase. Building on the belief that the job of a museum is to tell stories, The Museum of Modern Art’s interpretation manager is piloting the use of dramatic structure when working with curators to create a message hierarchy for a forthcoming exhibition of modern African Art. The aim is to establish a clear and compelling narrative arc so the exhibition will end in as compelling a way as it begins. And the Folger Shakespeare Library’s planning process for a forthcoming show on Black women and Shakespeare underscored the value of a clear rubric of criteria for the curator and community advisors to use as they refine the checklist, prioritizing the most relevant objects to tell the stories they want to tell.
Takeaway 3: Research and evaluation can help bust myths and flip the script on how we work and deliver content.
The second case studies panel demonstrated how research and evaluation is crucial for challenging assumptions and optimizing the visitor experience. The Seattle Art Museum used evaluation to bust long-held myths that offering materials in the galleries for visitors to touch would encourage them to touch the art. Their findings were to the contrary: visitor engagement with tactile stations enhanced looking, deepened learning about materials and processes, and reduced their desire to touch the art. Through research and analytics, both the Seattle Art Museum and the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum found that QR codes leading to audio and other digital resources were underperforming. Many visitors—including those under 40—expressed that they did not want to use their phones at the museum for such purposes. This led both museums to test out analogue approaches to delivering content—implementing audio listening stations and story signs, which they hope to expand after further stages of evaluation. MOCA harnessed expertise and honest feedback from front-facing staff through a series of coffee talks leading up to the opening of Monuments. One positive outcome was the development of conversation maps to help staff feel prepared for interacting with visitors during this exhibition and beyond.
Takeaway 4: Leading with Indigenous perspectives requires a shift in institutional processes.
The fourth case studies panel reflected on the importance of leading with Indigenous perspectives and how this may necessitate a shift in some institutional processes. For the recent exhibition American Sunrise: Indigenous Art at Crystal Bridges, the museum prioritized Indigenous languages. Among other interpretive strategies used, artists were interviewed for in-gallery videos and invited to write labels for their work, using the Cherokee syllabary and Osage orthography. For Dyani White Hawk: Love Language at the Walker Art Center, the artist wanted Dakota and Lakota language to have a meaningful presence in the exhibition. Interpretation staff collaborated Dakota and Lakota elders, speakers, knowledge keepers to guide this approach. In doing so, the Museum re-drafted standard contracts to respect data sovereignty, increased honoraria and budgeted funds for gifts, and extended their planning time. For a recent exhibition, Newfields aimed to share Indigenous Australian art and culture with an audience mostly unfamiliar with these communities. This was achieved, in part, through a collaboration with a locally-based artist ambassador and cultural advisor, Konstantina (Eora nation). Through this collaboration, they pivoted an indoor lecture to an outdoor conversation circle where participants could connect to the artist’s knowledge and ways of doing. These case studies demonstrate that to lead with Indigenous perspectives requires moving beyond traditional wall labels, including multiple perspectives, using a range of media, and embracing new institutional processes, timelines, and ways of working.
Takeaway 5: Center the Human Experience
A theme across the convening was how important it is to center the human experience for both visitors and staff. This involves recognizing the impact of the arts on our health and wellbeing and acknowledging the emotional labor required for planning high-stakes or sensitive exhibitions. We heard about the power of providing staff and community advisors with opportunities to recognize and share their expertise leading up to an exhibition’s opening and the benefits of remaining connected after the closing of an exhibition or end of a project. Furthermore, our goal to tell powerful stories and offer transformative experiences with art and connections, may involve opting for analogue over digital solutions.
Sara Bodinson
Sara Bodinson is the Director of Interpretation, Research & Digital Learning at The Museum of Modern Art, New York, where she has worked since 2000. Her team oversees interpretive planning for all of MoMA’s exhibitions and collection galleries, in-gallery and digital learning resources, as well as visitor research and evaluation. She has produced award-winning content including online courses, audio guides, and podcasts. Sara holds a BA in art history and film studies from Smith College and an MA in art history from Hunter College, where she wrote her thesis about the Arab Image Foundation. She is a board member of the Association for Art Museum Interpretation and has been involved with AAMI since its first convening. Sara serves on the Editorial Team of post: notes on art in a global context, the Museum Visiting Committee at the Smith College Museum of Art.