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"DALLAS \u2014 \u201CHello. You can definitely take a picture if you want.\u201DThat\u2019s how a security guard named Gary Mathis greeted this reporter on a recent visit to the design galleries at the Dallas Museum of Art. Before long, he was directing my attention to a chair made entirely of stuffed pandas by Fernando and Humberto Campana. \u201CThey just had a show in Oklahoma,\u201D he said.This friendly engagement is more than run-of-the-mill Texas hospitality. Since instituting free admission and a free membership program in January, the DMA has made a concerted effort to become more welcoming to first-time visitors. (The DMA began charging admission in 2001.) \u201CThe staff is going through a culture change in terms of what we\u2019re trying to accomplish,\u201D DMA director Maxwell Anderson told ARTINFO in an interview.&amp;nbsp;As part of that culture change, guards have ditched formal uniforms for laid back khaki pants and button-down shirts. They\u2019ve also received training on how to greet newcomers. \u201CWe used to be more focused on getting people not to touch the paintings,\u201D another guard told me. \u201CNow, it\u2019s more about being the kind of person who you can come up to and ask for more information.\u201DWith the help of DMA Friends, the free membership program, the museum can keep track of how well this push for accessibility is working. \u201CWe know the zip codes of new members, and we have a map that updates in real time showing where they live,\u201D Anderson said. \u201CWe can track how we are doing in matching the demographics of the metropolitan area. I don\u2019t want everyone joining from one zip code.\u201DSince instituting the new program on January 21, the museum has signed up over 6,880 new \u201Cfriends\u201D \u2014 a rate of 84 people per day. Over 90 percent were previously not affiliated with any DMA membership program. \u201CWe are seeing an influx from low income areas that are close to the museum, as well as from people north of the city,\u201D Anderson said.But the membership program is designed to do more than simply lure locals through the door. It also seeks to gather information about their visiting habits once they get there. Members are encouraged to track their visits by scanning a card at various checkpoints throughout the museum or texting a specialized code to a museum phone number upon entering a particular gallery. (In an effort to appeal to the broadest possible audience, the DMA decided against using QR codes, which have become popular interactive tools at museums across the country. \u201CNot everyone has an iPhone,\u201D explained Anderson.)By scanning their membership cards or texting the museum, visitors accrue points that can earn them perks like access to special exhibitions or free parking. Plus, with increased knowledge of their whereabouts, the museum can offer them enhanced services. \u201CIn real time, if we notice a lot of friends have checked in at the pre-Columbian galleries, we can text them and say, \u2018Would you like a tour?\u2019\u201D Anderson suggested.In turn, the DMA Friends program offers the museum an unprecedented amount of information about its audience and their viewing habits \u2014 data which could come in handy when pitching to advertisers. (If all of this sounds too Big Brother for you, Anderson reiterated that the program is entirely voluntary.)Chances are the DMA won\u2019t be the only institution with this kind of interactive membership program for long. Anderson has teamed up with the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, the Denver Art Museum, and the Minneapolis Institute of Arts to apply for a federal grant that would enable them to test the waters of free admission and explore experimental membership initiatives. \u201CAll over the country,\u201D Anderson said, \u201Cthere has been a lot of interest.\u201D&amp;nbsp;"^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.blouinartinfo.com/news/story/890475/dallas-museum-of-art-pushes-the-frontiers-of-audience>