November/December 2025 Preview

Rethinking Visitation

This issue of Museum magazine reports from the front lines the latest strategies museums are using to deepen their visitation approach, enhance visitor experience, and boost attendance. Find out how museums are using everything from in-gallery engagement to marketing campaigns to biometric research to capture the hearts and minds of visitors today.

Preview select articles from this issue of Museum below. Individual and Museum Tier 2, Tier 3, Ally, and Industry Members can access the full digital edition.

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In this issue:

From the President

If We Build It

“For a long time, museums assumed that ‘if we build it, they will come.’ And for much of our history, that proved true. But in recent decades, the competition for leisure time, the decline in school trips, and the endless stream of at-home entertainment have reshaped visitor behavior. Today, museum visitation is no longer something we can take for granted.”

» Read the full column about rethinking visitation as a discipline to welcome and inspire the public from AAM President & CEO Marilyn Jackson.

Reopening with Purpose

Feature | Free to Read

by Alexis Light, Dana Mitroff Silvers, and Carolyn Royston

As part of an extensive renovation, The Frick Collection reimagined the visitor experience.

When Dinosaurs Meet Deep Oceans

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by Christina Klingenberger-Valdez

In a bid to increase attendance, the California Academy of Sciences shook up its exhibition schedule and marketing.

Reading the Room

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by Jacque Micieli-Voutsinas, Angela Person, Silvina Fernandez-Duque, and Christopher Black

When museums design exhibitions with the nervous system and emotional impact in mind, they create more effective spaces.

Reflecting Our Communities

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by Marianna Pegno

Tucson Museum of Art and Historic Block has taken a community-based approach to programming that is increasing audience engagement and visitation.

Going Straight to the Source

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by Devin Dotson and Lilly Andersen

The US Botanic Garden conducted interactive interviews with children to create new and engaging programming for families.

What Teens Want

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by Geva Avnet

Research shows that teens want to engage with museums—if they provide the right programming. Get tips from this NYC high school senior and intern at the Museum of Arts and Design.

November/December 2025 issue

By the Numbers:
Cost of Admissions

Young adults are twice as likely as adults 60 and older to be concerned about museum admission fees.

#1 barrier

41% of casual and sporadic museum-goers rank the cost of admissions as the #1 barrier to visitation.

$315

The average annual expenditures on admission fees to ALL types of entertainment venues by households headed by individuals without a college degree; it is $1,645 for college-educated households.

Sources: 2024 Annual Survey of Museum-Goers and Broader Population Sampling (AAM + Wilkening Consulting); Bureau of Labor Statistics

» Learn about the Annual Survey of Museum-Goers and enroll in the 2026 survey!

» Explore additional resources on audience engagement and visitor experience in the AAM Member Resource Library.