The museum really does come alive at night! Some lucky girls, ages 6-16 years old, found out the truth during the recent Girl Scout Overnight at Heritage. A night of crafts, karaoke, team-building, games, plus a campfire and s’mores was more than just non-stop fun. With luck it also created a "sticky memory" or two.
"Sticky" memories are something that Reach Advisors - a nationally-recognized audience research and strategy firm - have been thinking a lot about lately. After talking with hundreds of folks, they determined that for many people, the vivid memory of a particular museum experience sticks with them from childhood, often from around the age of seven, which seems to be the magic age for memory-making (http://reachadvisors.typepad.com/museum_audience_insight/2009/08/the-magic-of-sevenyearolds.html).
Museums can be "sticky" in this sense, creating memories that last a lifetime. Museums can be a harbor for the active imaginations of children, while at the same time helping them explore the world around them. Where else can you gaze up at an enormous dinosaur skeleton and imagine you can hear it roar and feel the earth shake under your feet? Or take a pretend spin in a jaunty Model T? Kids who have memorable experiences like this tend to become museum-goers later in life, passing the love of museums on to their children. When families look for places where they can create lasting memories for not only their children but the entire family, a museum is the place to be.
The shop figures in the Folk Art Gallery and the horses on the carousel may not have really come to life
during the Girl Scout Overnight. And we can’t be sure the girls will remember everything we explored during the event. But one thing we can be certain of: they all realized that museums are places of excitement, discovery, laughter, bonding and contemplation. Maybe a few of them formed these feelings and experiences into a "sticky memory," just like so many of us did as children.
If you’re interested in what Reach Advisors are learning about museum-goers, check out their blog at: http://reachadvisors.typepad.com.
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