Museum of Broken Relationships Indianapolis Visitor Experiences Report

This report presents the analysis and findings of an in-depth evaluative study of visitor experiences with the Museum of Broken Relationships Indianapolis - a 3,200 square-foot, crowd-sourced exhibit and seven educational public programs on the Indiana University Indianapolis campus and around the city of Indianapolis, Indiana (USA). The study’s purpose was to describe patterns of engagement, assess if the specific MBRI project outcomes were achieved, and explore additional areas of meaning and benefit for exhibit visitors and program participants. Through observations, surveys, and interviews with exhibit visitors, and participant observations and surveys with program participants, this assessment aimed to understand visitor experiences in terms of four key topics: 1) audiences; 2) engagement; 3) intended outcomes; and 4) unintended outcomes/meaning. Collectively, the data revealed key findings that can inform future projects of the IUI Museum Studies Program, the Museum of Broken Relationships, and museum practice in general. This study was part of the Museum of Broken Relationships Indianapolis project, a multi-year collaboration between Drs. Lois H. Silverman and Laura M. Holzman, professors in the Museum Studies Program at IU Indianapolis (IUI) and their students, and Olinka Vištica and Dražen Grubišić, co-founders, and Charlotte Fuentes, collections manager, of the global Museum of Broken Relationships in Zagreb, Croatia. Randi Korn, founder of Randi Korn & Associates, served as external evaluation advisor on this study.