“I think it’s so exciting that people are able to make these discoveries for themselves. They don’t have to be told. They don’t need to be told the facts. They make those discoveries themselves by that kind of group process.” ~ Alison Eardley, PhD

What if museums were sticky, stinky, noisy places?

What if they were sensational?

Psychologist Alison Eardley is on a mission to make museums more accessible and inclusive — physically and conceptually — for all audiences. Her work draws on all of our senses, engaging us far more deeply with what’s before us.

What if museums helped us tap our collective curiosity to co-create our visits?

You actually can’t get objective and neutral description, it’s always based on someone’s perspective. And it doesn’t have to be based on the sighted person’s perspective, because sighted people have different experiences and why should a sighted person’s experience automatically be assumed to be superior?

Listen to Choose to Be Curious #251: Curiosity & The Sensational Museum, with Alison Eardley

Alison’s point that this is about more than just museums — that it’s about opening ourselves to experiencing the world differently, fully, together — has really stuck with me. 

I wonder: how might I create those opportunities each day, with the people in my life?

What a gift….

Alison Eardley, PhD, is an interdisciplinary researcher, whose work focuses on access and inclusion in the cultural sector. Originally trained as a cognitive psychologist, her research at the University of Westminster in London is now focused on challenging ableism. 

Learn more about the Workshop for Inclusive Co-Created Audio Description.

Alison is co-investigator on The Sensational Museum – a project funded by Britain’s Arts and Humanities Research Council that is radically re-thinking the role of senses in the museum. 

Alison shared these source references for those of you who like a good deep dive:

>> For the great line about non-diligent museum visitors: Serrell, B. (1997). Paying attention: The duration and allocation of visitors’ time in museum exhibitions. Curator: The Museum Journal, 40(2), 108–125.

>> For the 20 second median looking time: Smith, L. F., Smith, J. K., & Tinio, P. P. (2017). Time spent viewing art and reading labels. Psychology of Aesthetics, Creativity, and the Arts, 11(1), 77.

>> For sources on colonial hierarchy of the senses: Classen, C., & Howes, D. (2006). The museum as sensescape: Western sensibilities and indigenous artifacts. Sensible objects: Colonialism, museums and material culture, 5, 199.

NOTE: in the interview, research was erroneously attributed to Bitgood that was, in fact, done by Serrell.

If you enjoyed this discussion, you might like these C2BC Classics: Slow Looking & Visible Thinking, with Claire Bown; Seeing Differently: Curiosity, Creativity & Dyslexia, with Rebecca Kamen; Studio PAUSE with Sushmita Mazumdar: and check out my Art is Everywhere photo gallery!

Theme music by Sean Balick; “Micolai” by Wax Museum, via Blue Dot Sessions.

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