Evaluating and documenting affect in the art museum

Abstract

The importance of affect in free-choice learning settings such as museums, and the ability of artworks to elicit affective responses, is widely recognized yet remains absent from museum documentation. In order to be integrated into museum information systems, the affective experiences that visitors have in museums must first be researched and documented, and as such, methods must be developed that seek to accurately and holistically capture the affective elements of these experiences while maintaining the agency of the object, context, and viewer. This paper explores the methods used as part of a larger study on affective metadata for art object experiences [1], and presents a set of mixed-method procedural tools for researching affective experiences in the art museum setting. This discussion focuses on the current state of methods for researching felt experiences with art objects, as well as the potential and limitations of the approach taken in this study.