MorethanaNameinHistory

AStudyofVisitorstoOneLife:RonaldReagan

AttheNationalPortraitGallery

September2012 

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Contents

Foreword......................................................................................................................................................................4 Background.................................................................................................................................................................5 Methodology...............................................................................................................................................................6 

QuantitativeSurveys................................................................................................................................6 QualitativeInterviews.............................................................................................................................6 

QuantitativeFindings.............................................................................................................................................7 VisitHistory..................................................................................................................................................7 VisitPurpose................................................................................................................................................7 VisitGroups..................................................................................................................................................8 Sex....................................................................................................................................................................8 Residence......................................................................................................................................................8 Age....................................................................................................................................................................8 Ratings............................................................................................................................................................9 ComparisonwithOtherNPGExhibitions.....................................................................................12 PortraitGallery‐SpecificInterests...................................................................................................13 FamiliaritywithReaganandHisPresidency..............................................................................15 ApprovalofReaganandHisPresidency.......................................................................................17 ExhibitionMessages..............................................................................................................................19 Fairness.......................................................................................................................................................19 Miscellaneous...........................................................................................................................................20 

QualitativeFindings.............................................................................................................................................22 Themes........................................................................................................................................................22 MemoriesandLearningExperiences.............................................................................................23 PoliticalIdeology/FeelingstowardReagan................................................................................25 Favorites.....................................................................................................................................................27 “OneLife”Approach..............................................................................................................................29 Conceptof“OneLife”.............................................................................................................................32 SubjectSuggestions...............................................................................................................................34 

Discussion.................................................................................................................................................................35 AppendixA:SurveyQuestionnaires..............................................................................................................36 AppendixB:FrequenciesofResponses.......................................................................................................38 AppendixC:Open‐endedSurveyComments.............................................................................................42 AppendixD:QualitativeInterviewGuide...................................................................................................45 

 

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Figures

Figure1:VisitationbyGenerationalCohort.................................................................................................9 Figure2:OverallExperienceRating..............................................................................................................10 Figure3:MeanAgebyRating..........................................................................................................................11 Figure4:RatingsofOlder(Over45)andYounger(45andUnder)Visitors...............................12 Figure5:ComparativeOverallExperienceRatingsforRecentNPGExhibitions......................13 Figure6:IntheContextofNPGinGeneral,HowInterestedAreYouintheFollowing?........14 Figure7:HowFamiliarAreYouWithReaganandHisPresidency(EntranceandExit).......15 Figure8:HowWouldYouDescribeYourOwnViewsofReaganandHisPresidency?

(EntranceandExit)................................................................................................................................17 

 

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Foreword

OneLife:RonaldReagancapturedtheessenceofacentralfigureinrecentAmericanhistory.Withinasingleroom,theexhibitiontoldReagan’spersonalstory,portrayedthemajorundertakingsofhisPresidency,andcapturedhispersonality.Thegalleryencapsulatedaneraandelicitedvisitors’reflectionsandremembrancesfromtheirownlives.

SidneyHart,seniorhistorianandcuratorofOneLife:RonaldReagandeservesaccoladesforhisengagingvisualbiography.TheexhibitionprovidedanunbiasedandcompellinglookatReagan’scontributionsandthepersonbehindthosecontributions.

ThisstudywouldnothavebeenpossiblewithoutthededicationtounderstandingvisitorengagementthattheleadershipoftheNationalPortraitGalleryhascontinuedtodemonstrate.MythanksgoparticularlytoitsCommission,formerDirectorMartySullivan,AssociateDirectorNikApostolides,andDirectorofEducationRebeccaKasemeyer,forrequestingthisstudy.

Ialsowishtothankthepersonnelresponsibleforthisstudy.TheprojectwasledbyOP&AstaffmembersJamesSmithandLanceCostello.Togethertheydesignedthestudyandsupervisedthesurveyadministration.TheywereassistedinsurveyadministrationbystaffmemberSarahBlockandinternsHyeminKim,NadineHanemann,ChungilLee,MinaSon,andTaeyoungIm.SarahandNadinealsocontributedtothequalitativeinterviews.Hyeminprovidedvaluableassistanceinpreparingthedataforanalysis.Jamesanalyzedthesurveydataandwrotethequantitativeportionofthisreport;CarolynBehmer,anintern,analyzedtheinterviewsandwrotethequalitativesection.Lancereviewedthesesectionsandcompiledthefinalreport.

CaroleM.P.NevesDirectorOfficeofPolicyandAnalysisSmithsonianInstitution

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Background

TocommemoratethecentennialofRonaldReagan’sbirth,theNationalPortraitGallery(NPG)displayedOneLife:RonaldReaganonthefirstflooroftheDonaldW.ReynoldsCenterforAmericanArtandPortraiture.Theone‐roomexhibitionwaspresentedinNPG’s“OneLife”galleryfromJuly1,2011throughMay28,2012.Eachexhibitioninthe“OneLife”seriesfocusesonthelifeandcontributionsofasingledeceasedAmericanhistoricalfigureandtellshisorherstorythrough“portraitureasbiography.”

TheexhibitionfocusedonReagan’sPresidency—specificallyhisprioritiesoftheeconomyandtheColdWar—butalsotouchedonhisformativeyears;timeinradio,television,andfilm;andearlypoliticalcareertoprovidea“visualbiography”ofthemanwhosatintheovaloffice.

Reagan’sstoryistoldthroughphotographs,paintings,pressbookimages,filmlobbycards,objects,andvideoexcerpts.HighlightsoftheexhibitionincludedAndyWarhol’s1985portraitofReagan,whichmixespersonality,politics,andpublicimage;abronzesculptureofReaganasacowboybyrenownedcaricaturistPatrickOliphant;afragmentoftheBerlinWall;andtheoriginalcopyofReagan’sletterinformingthepublicofhisAlzheimer’sdiagnosis.Avideokioskwithexcerptsfromhisspeecheswasalsoavailableforvisitors.

Thisstudy,whichwasconductedbytheOfficeofPolicyandAnalysis(OP&A)aspartofaseriesofvisitorstudiesrequestedbyleadersoftheNationalPortraitGallery,focusedontheGallery’stemporaryexhibitions.Itexaminedvisitors’reactionstotheOneLife:RonaldReaganexhibitionandtothe“OneLife”format.

 

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Methodology

Quantitative Surveys

Randomsamplesofadultvisitors1enteringandexitingRonaldReaganbetweenMarch19and30,2012wereinterceptedandaskedtocompleteasurvey.2Intotal,269enteringand301exitingvisitorscompletedsurveys,withresponseratesof84%and74%,respectively.ThequestionnaireisreproducedinAppendixAandfrequenciesofresponsesareprovidedinAppendixB.Open‐ended(write‐in)commentsfromthesurveyareprovidedinAppendixC.

Surveyrespondents,withsomecaveats,maybetreatedasarepresentativesampleofthelargerpopulationofexhibitionvisitors.3Thus,thefindingsofthesurveyare,subjecttothelimitsofstatisticalinferenceimposedbythesamplesize,generalizabletotheoverallpopulationofexhibitionvisitors.4

Qualitative Interviews

Thestudyteamconducted31semi‐structuredinterviewswith42visitorsoutsidethe“OneLife”gallery.Thismethodologyiseffectiveinprobingvisitorresponsesindepth,asitallowsvisitorstoraiseissuesthatareparticularlysalienttothemandtodiscussthemintheirownwordsatwhateverlengththeywish.However,thismethodologydoesnotyieldarepresentativesampleofexhibitionvisitors.Intervieweeswerenotchoseninasystematicfashionandnoeffortwasmadetoencouragereticentvisitorstoparticipate.Findingspresentedinthequalitativesectionshouldbereadassuggestiveratherthanrepresentativeofhowvisitorsapproached,interpreted,andrespondedtotheexhibition.

Interviewersusedageneralquestionguide,reproducedinAppendixD.Thisguide,however,wasonlyabasicframeworkandinterviewersweregivenlatitudetodepartfromtheguideandfollowuponpointsraisedbyinterviewees.OP&Astaffandinternstranscribedallinterviews,codedpassagesjudgedtobeparticularlyoriginal,articulate,orinsightful,andorganizedthequalitativefindingsaroundthematicsections.

                                                            1Everyvisitorwasintercepted,excludingthoseunder18andorganizedgroups.Atbusymoments,somevisitorsweremissed.Missedvisitorswerecountedandweightedinthedataanalysis.2Surveyadministrationwasconductedoversevenentranceandsevenexitsessions,eachlasting90minutesandcomprisedofthree30‐minutesegments.3Thechiefcaveatistheassumptionthatthevisitorpopulationatthetimesofthesurvey’sadministrationdidnotsystematicallydifferfromthevisitorpopulationoverthecourseoftheexhibition’srun.4Forthesamplesizesof269and301,the95percentconfidenceintervalforsurveyfiguresis±5.98%and±5.65%,respectively,dependingonthesurveyresponseinquestion.(Theintervalappliestoaresponsefigureof50%;theconfidenceintervalgrowssmallerasthefigureinquestionapproaches0%or100%.)

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Quantitative Findings

Visit History

ThosevisitingtheDonaldW.ReynoldsCenterforAmericanArtandPortraitureforthefirsttimecomprisedthreequartersofsurveyrespondents(75%),whileonequarterofrespondents(25%)hadmadeatleastonepreviousvisittotheReynoldsCenter.5Inthisreport,theformerwillbecalled“first‐timevisitors”andthelatter,“repeatvisitors”

Thisisanunusuallyhighfigureforfirst‐timevisitorsincomparisonwithotherNPGexhibitionsthatOP&Ahasstudied,particularlyconsideringthatthesurveywasconductedoutsideofthesummermonths,whenthepercentageoffirst‐timevisitorstotheReynoldsCentersurges.OnecluetothispuzzleisthatrepeatvisitorswhorespondedtothesurveyappearedtobemoreinclinedtohavenegativeviewsofReaganandhisPresidencythanfirst‐timevisitors—perhapsareflectionofthemoreDemocratic‐liberaldemographicoftheWashingtonD.C.metroarea.6Thissuggeststhatrepeatvisitorsmayhavebeenlesslikelythanfirst‐timevisitorstoentertheRonaldReaganexhibitionbecauseofnegativeviewsaboutthesubject.Thishypothesiswouldbeimpossibletoconfirmwiththeavailabledata,althoughitissupportedbysomeothercircumstantialevidence,asnotedbelow.

Visit Purpose

About6%ofrespondentsindicatedthattheyhadcometotheReynoldsCenterspecificallyforRonaldReagan.Wewillrefertotheseas“exhibition‐specificvisitors,”andotherswillbecalled“generalvisitors.”

Althoughtheexhibition‐specificvisitorfigurecanvaryonthebasisoffactorsthathavelittletodowiththeexhibitionoritssubject(timeofyear,locationoftheexhibitionwithintheReynoldsCenter,coverageoftheexhibitioninthemedia,andsoon),itshouldneverthelessbenotedthatthefigureforRonaldReaganisverylowincomparisonwithotherrecentNPGexhibitionsstudiedbyOP&A.Onlythe5%figureregisteredfortheAmericansNowexhibitionwascomparable.

 

                                                            5Forquestionsaskedonboththeentranceandexitsurveys,thefiguresgivenhereareforthemergedresponsesfromboth,weightedasappropriate.6Aboutonequarter(25%)ofrepeatvisitorsadmittedtohaving“Negative”or“StronglyNegative”viewsofReaganandhisPresidency,comparedwithclosertooneinsix(17%)first‐timevisitors.However,repeatvisitorswerenolesslikelytohold“Positive”or“StronglyPositive”viewsofReaganandhisPresidencythanfirst‐timevisitors.

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Visit Groups

Aboutonequarterofrespondents(23%)werealone.Thevastmajoritywerevisitingwithothers,whetheradults(69%)orchildren(9%).

Sex

About50%ofvisitorswerefemaleand50%weremale,aslightlyhigherpercentageofmalevisitorsandslightlylowerpercentageoffemalevisitorsthanaretypicalforanexhibitionattheReynoldsCenter.

Residence

NearlynineoutoftenrespondentswerefromtheUnitedStates(89%);aboutoneinten(11%)wasaresidentofanothercountry.Aboutoneinfive(19%)wasaresidentoftheWashington,D.C.metropolitanregion.

Aswiththerepeat‐visitorfigure,thelocal‐visitorfigureisunusuallylowincomparisonwithotherNPGexhibitionsstudiedbyOP&A.Thisprovidesfurthercircumstantialevidenceforthepossibilityofideologicalself‐selectionforentryintotheexhibition,with(presumablyrelativelyDemocratic‐liberal)visitorsfromtheD.C.metroareaperhapslessinterestedinanexhibitiononReaganthanothervisitors.

Age

Themeanageofvisitorswas44andthemedianagewas46—comparativelyolderthanmostotherNPGexhibitionsstudiedbyOP&A,althoughcomparabletothefiguresfortherecentSeeingGertrudeSteinexhibition7.

Bygeneration,visitationconsistedof30%GenerationsYandZ(born1982andlater);23%GenerationX(born1965‐1981);21%TrailingBabyBoom(born1956‐1964);19%LeadingBabyBoom(born1946‐1955);and8%SilentGeneration(bornbefore1946).(Figure1)

                                                            7SeeingGertrudeSteinwasondisplayonthesecondflooroftheReynoldsCenterfromOctober14,2011toJanuary22,2012.

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Figure1:VisitationbyGenerationalCohort

Ratings

Enteringvisitorswereaskedtoratetheirexpectedoverallexperienceintheexhibition,usingafive‐pointscalethathasbeenappliedbyOP&AacrossSmithsonianexhibitions:poor,fair,good,excellent,andsuperior.Exitingvisitorswereaskedtoratetheiractualexperienceintheexhibitiononthesamescale.

Ingeneral,visitorswhoarecriticalofanexhibition,toonedegreeoranother,selectoneofthelowerthreecategories—poor,fair,orgood.Thosewhoarebasicallysatisfiedwiththeirexperiencetendtomarkexcellent;formostSmithsonianexhibitions,themodalratingisexcellent.Thosewhohaveverypositiveresponsestendtomarksuperior.

AbouttwofifthsofvisitorstoRonaldReaganratedtheiroverallexperiencesinthelowerthreecategories,althoughonlyasmallfractionrateditinthelowesttwocategories—good(38%),fair(4%),poor(1%).Justunderhalfrateditexcellent(46%),andaboutoneineightrateditsuperior(12%).(Figure2)Takingintoaccountsamplesizesandtheresultingstatisticaluncertainties,theseresultsareabitlowerthanaverageforaSmithsonianexhibition.

Silent Generation (born before 1945), 8%

Leading Baby Boom (born

1946-1955), 19%

Trailing Baby Boom (born

1956-1964), 21%Generation X

(born 1965-1981), 23%

Generation Y (born 1982-1995),

30%

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Figure2:OverallExperienceRating

Exhibition‐specificvisitorstendtorateanexhibitiontheyhavecometoseemorehighlythangeneralvisitorsdo.Theyarealmostalwaysmorelikelytorateitsuperior,andusuallylesslikelytorateitinthelowercategoriesofpoor,fair,andgood.Whilethispatternheldfortheexhibition‐specificvisitorsrespondingtotheRonaldReagansurvey,theabsolutenumberofsuchvisitorswastoolowtoallowanystatisticalgeneralizationstothelargerpopulationofvisitors.

Acorrelationwas,however,foundbetweenageandoverallrating.ThemeanageofvisitorsgivingRonaldReaganoneofthelowerthreeratingswasabout41years;themeanageofthoseratingitexcellentwasslightlyhigher,at44years;andthemeanageofthoseratingitsuperiorwasabout54years—obviously,mucholderthanthosewhodidnotrateitsuperior.8(Figure3)Inotherwords,thosewhohadthebestexperiencesintheexhibitionwere,onaverage,mucholderthanothervisitors.However,asdiscussedbelow,theeffectofageonoverallexhibitionratingwasmostlikelymediatedbytheeffectofageonvisitors’familiaritywithandapprovalofRonaldReaganandhisPresidency,bothofwhichwerecloselycorrelatedwithage.

                                                            8UsingstandardANOVAtestsandusingp=.05asthecutoffforstatisticalsignificance,thedifferencesbetweenthefirsttwomeanswasbarelystatisticallysignificant.

8%

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Figure3:MeanAgebyRating

Thatsaid,thequalitativeinterviewsconductedforthisstudysuggestedthatageitselfmayhavehadanindirectinfluenceonpositiveexperiencesintheexhibitionforatleastsomevisitors,asaresultofa“nostalgiaeffect”amongvisitorswithpersonalmemoriesoftheReaganyears.AdditionalevidencefortheeffectofpersonalrecollectionsoftheReaganyearsonvisitors’positiveresponsestotheexhibitionwasobtainedbycreatinganewage‐basedvariablethatroughlyseparatedrespondentsintothoselikelytohavewell‐formedmemoriesofReagan’stimeinofficeandthosenotlikelytoremembermuchfromtheearlyandmid‐1980s.Theformergroupwasdefined,albeitsomewhatarbitrarily,asconsistingofrespondentswhowereofvotingageatthetimeofReagan’sre‐electionin1984,andthereforeolderthan45today;thelattergroupasrespondents45yearsofageandyounger.Whenlookedatseparately,theolderofthesetwocohortswasfarmorelikelytoratetheexhibitionsuperior(19%versus4%),andfarlesslikelytorateitinthelowerthreecategories(32%versus53%).(Figure4)Wewillrefertothisvariablesubsequentlyasthe“cohortvariable.”

41 44

54

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35

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Poor,  Fair, or Good Excellent Superior

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Figure4:RatingsofOlder(Over45)andYounger(45andUnder)Visitors

Acomparisonofenteringvisitors’expectedratingswithexitingvisitors’actualratingsindicatesthat,aswithotherNPGexhibitionsOP&Ahasstudied,RonaldReaganexceededenteringvisitors’expectations.Lowerratings(poor,fair,andgood)decreasedfrom53%(expected)to42%(actual),excellentratingsrosefrom39%(expected)to46%(actual),andsuperiorratingsrosefrom8%(expected)to12%(actual).

Comparison with Other NPG Exhibitions

OverallsatisfactionratingsforrecentNPGexhibitionsstudiedbyOP&AhavetendedtoclustertogetherneartheoverallaverageforSmithsonianexhibitions.RatingsforRonaldReaganwereslightlylower.

Intermsofsuperiorratings,RonaldReagan’s12%isslightlylowerthanthefiguresregisteredforCalder’sPortraits(20%),SeeingGertrudeStein(20%),Hide/Seek(19%)andAmericansNow(18%);considerablylowerthanthefiguresforElvisat21(27%)andBlackList(25%);andsimilartothefigureforCapitalPortraits(9%).Conversely,whenlookingatthelowerratingsofpoor,fair,andgood,RonaldReagan,at43%,didaboutaswellasCapitalPortraits(38%)andlesswellthanElvisat21(17%),BlackList(23%),SeeingGertrudeStein(26%),Calder’sPortraits(28%),AmericansNow(29%),andHide/Seek(31%).(Figure5)

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Older Visitors

Younger Visitors

Poor, Fair, or Good Excellent Superior

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Figure5:ComparativeOverallExperienceRatingsforRecentNPGExhibitions

Portrait Gallery-Specific Interests

OnapreviousNPGsurvey(forSeeingGertrudeStein),OP&ApilotedaquestionfocusedonexperiencesthatvisitorsmightspecificallyexpectinNPGexhibitions,asopposedtoanymuseumexhibition.Itwasphrasedasfollows:

“InthecontextoftheNationalPortraitGalleryingeneral,howinterestedareyouinthefollowing?”

Theanswerchoiceswere“Art;”“History;”“Biography;”“ImagesofAmerica’shumandiversity;”and“Imagesofinfluentialand/orfamousAmericans,”eachofwhichvisitorswereaskedtorateonathree‐pointscaleofvery,somewhat,andnotatallinterested.

Respondents’interestinalloftheseareaswashigh,althoughinterestin“ImagesofAmerica’shumandiversity”waslowerthaninterestintheotherareas,with8%ofrespondentssayingtheywerenotatallinterestedinthisthemeandlessthanhalf(45%)sayingtheywereveryinterested.Veryinterestedfiguresfortheotherareasrangedfrom57%for“Art”to75%for“History.”(Figure6)

38%

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Capital Portraits

One Life: Ronald Reagan

Americans Now

Hide/Seek

Calder’s Portraits

Seeing Gertrude Stein

Black List

Elvis at 21

Poor, Fair or Good Excellent Superior

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Figure6:IntheContextofNPGinGeneral,HowInterestedAreYouintheFollowing?

TheonlyareaofinterestthatcorrelatedwithoverallratingforRonaldReaganwas“Biography,”whichiseasilyexplicableintermsoftheessentiallybiographicalcharacteroftheexhibition.Althoughvisitorsindicatingthattheywereveryinterestedin“Biography”werenomorelikelytorateReagansuperiorthanothervisitors,theyweremuchlesslikelytorateitinthelowerthreecategoriesofpoor,fair,andgood(34%versus55%),andcorrespondinglymorelikelytorateitexcellent(54%versus34%).

ReinforcingafindingfromtheSeeingGertrudeSteinstudy,ageappearedtocorrelatewithanumberofinterests,alwayswiththeimplicationthatyoungervisitorswerelessinterestedintheareainquestionthanoldervisitors:

Themeanageofvisitorswhowereveryinterestedin“Art”was46,whilethemeanageofthosewhowerenotwas41.

Themeanageofvisitorswhowereveryinterestedin“History”was46,whilethemeanageofthosewhowerenotwas40.

Themeanageofvisitorswhowereveryinterestedin“Biography”was46,whilethemeanageofthosewhowerenotwas40.

8% 47%

42%

34%

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57%

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Diversity

Art

Biography

Influential/famous

History

Not at all interested Somewhat interested Very interested

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Familiarity with Reagan and His Presidency

Onboththeentranceandexitsurveys,visitorswereaskedtoratetheirfamiliaritywithReaganandhisPresidencyonafour‐pointscale:notatall,minimally,somewhat,orveryfamiliar.

Comparisonofentranceandexitsurveyresultsshowsasomewhatpuzzlingpattern.Thepercentageofvisitorschoosingsomewhatfamiliarincreaseddramatically(from40%to57%)—whichisnotunexpected,asmostvisitorsprobablywouldhaveatpickedupatleastafewnewfactsorideas,evenfromarelativelysmallexhibitionsuchasthis.However,mostofthisincreasecameattheexpenseofadecreaseinthoseselectingveryfamiliar(whichfellfrom43%to31%),ratherthanadecreaseinthoseselectingnotatallfamiliarorminimallyfamiliar.(Figure7)

Figure7:HowFamiliarAreYouWithReaganandHisPresidency(EntranceandExit)

Themagnitudeofthesedifferencesontheentranceandexitsurveysmakethemdifficulttowriteoffasflukesofthesampleselectionprocess.Sincetheexhibitionwasfairlysmall,perhapsitwouldhavebeenunrealistictoexpectanincreaseinveryfamiliarresponsesamongexitingvisitors.Butthesignificantdecreaseinveryfamiliarresponseswasunexpectedandnoteasilyinterpretable.9

                                                            9TheonlypossibilitythatthestudyteamcansuggestisthatperhapstheexhibitioncontainedenoughunfamiliarmaterialforsomevisitorswhoinitiallyconsideredthemselvesveryfamiliarwithReagantoreassessthisjudgment.

13%

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57%

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Entrance

Exit

Not at all familiar Minimally familiar

Somewhat familiar Very familiar

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Notsurprisingly,agecorrelatedcloselywithfamiliarity,witholdervisitorsmorelikelytoconsiderthemselvesfamiliarwithReaganandhisPresidency.Themeanagesofthosewhowereminimally,somewhat,andveryfamiliarwithReaganandhisPresidencywere31,43,and52years,respectively.10Lookingatthecohortvariable,amongvisitorsover45yearsofagenearlyhalf(47%)consideredthemselvesveryfamiliarwithhim,andpracticallyall(97%)wereatleastsomewhatfamiliar.

Familiaritywascorrelatedwithoverallexhibitionrating.Forexample,thosewhoconsideredthemselvesveryfamiliarwithReaganweremuchmorelikelythanotherstoratetheexhibitionsuperior(26%vs.6%),andmuchlesslikelytorateitinthelowercategoriesofpoor,fair,andgood(28%vs.49%).Conversely,thosewhoconsideredthemselvesnotatallfamiliarorminimallyfamiliarwithReaganandhisPresidencyweremorelikelytorateitinthelowerthreecategories(71%vs.38%)andlesslikelytorateitexcellent(29%vs.48%)orsuperior(lessthan1%,vs.14%).Thelastofthesecomparisonsisparticularlynoteworthy,asitimpliesthatsomedegreeoffamiliaritywithReaganandhisPresidencywasessentiallyaprerequisiteforasuperioroverallexperienceintheexhibition.

Therelationshipbetweenfamiliarityandoverallexhibitionratingcontinuedtoholdupwhencontrollingforageusingthecohortvariable,althoughitsstatisticalsignificancedecreasedsomewhat—becomingborderlinesignificantinthecaseofvisitors45yearsofageorunder.11

Theconversewasnottrue,however:therelationshipbetweenageandoverallexhibitionratingessentiallydisappearedwhenfamiliaritywascontrolledfor.Withintheseparategroupsofminimally,somewhat,andveryfamiliarvisitors,meanagedifferencesamongthoseratingtheexhibitionsuperior,excellent,orgood/fair/poorweregenerallynotstatisticallysignificant.12Thissuggeststhatagepersedidnothaveameaningfulinfluenceonvisitors’overallexperienceintheexhibition—rather,familiaritywithReaganandhisPresidencyappearedtobetheoperativeinfluence,andageenteredintotheequationonlyinsofarasoldervisitorsweremorelikelytobefamiliarwithReagan.

                                                            10ThenumberofvisitorswhoconsideredthemselvesnotatallfamiliarwithReaganwastoolowtoformastatisticallymeaningfulestimateofthemeanageforthatcategory.11T‐testp=0.032.12Resultsfromaone‐wayANOVAtestondatasplitbyfamiliaritycategorysuggestedborderlinestatisticalsignificanceforthesomewhatfamiliargroup(p=0.044)andnostatisticalsignificancefortheothergroups.Achi‐squaresignificancetestonthedatasplitbyfamiliaritylevelalsofailedtoturnupsignificantresultsinacross‐tabofthecohortvariableandoverallratingvariable.

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Approval of Reagan and His Presidency

Onboththeentranceandexitsurveys,visitorswereaskedtoratetheirpersonalviewofReaganandhisPresidencyonafive‐pointscale:stronglypositive,somewhatpositive,neutral/noopinion,somewhatnegative,andstronglynegative.

Comparisonofentranceandexitsurveyresultssuggestsmostvisitorstendedtocomeinwithapositiveoratleastneutralattitudetowardtheexhibitionsubject,andtoleavewithevenmorepositiveviews.(Figure8)

OverhalftheentrancesurveyrespondentscameinwithapositiveviewofReagan,splitalmostevenlybetweenstronglypositive(28%)andsomewhatpositive(26%);whereasunderaquarterheldnegativeviews—6%stronglynegativeand16%somewhatnegative.Theremainingquarterofenteringsurvey‐takers(24%)wereneutraltowardtheexhibitionsubject.

Amongexitingvisitors,positiveopinionshadrisentoovertwothirds(38%stronglypositive,30%somewhatpositive)andnegativeopinionshaddroppedtoaboutonesixth(4%stronglynegative,12%somewhatnegative),ashadneutralviews(17%).

Thus,whiletheremighthavebeensomeself‐selectionamongenteringvisitorsbasedontheirinitialattitudestowardReagan,theexhibitionnonethelesshadtheeffect,onaverage,ofraisingvisitors’estimationofReagan.

Figure8:HowWouldYouDescribeYourOwnViewsofReaganandHisPresidency?(EntranceandExit)

7%

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Entrance

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Strongly negative Somewhat negative Neutral / no opinion

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Agecorrelatedwithresponsestothisquestion.Intermsofmeanagesforthedifferentresponsecategories,thereappearedtobearoughlyU‐shapedrelationship,witholdervisitorsover‐representedamongboththepositiveandnegativegroups,13andunder‐representedamongtheneutralgroup.ThemeanageforthosewhoheldaverypositiveorsomewhatpositiveviewofReaganwas45yearsandthemeanageforthosewhoheldaverynegativeorsomewhatnegativeviewofReaganwasasimilar48years,14whilethemeanageforthosewhoheldaneutralviewwasamuch‐younger35years.Lookedatintermsofthecohortvariable,nodifferenceexistedbetweentheover‐45and45‐and‐undercohortswithrespecttonegativeviewsofReaganandhisPresidency,butover‐45swerelesslikelytobeneutraltowardReagan(9%versus27%)andmorelikelytoholdapositiveview(75%versus59%).

Visitors’personalviewsofReaganandhisPresidencywerecorrelatedwithoverallexhibitionrating.Forexample,thosewhohadastronglypositivepersonalviewofReaganweremuchmorelikelythanotherstoratetheexhibitionsuperior(30%vs.1%),15andmuchlesslikelytorateitinthelowercategoriesofpoor,fair,andgood(17%vs.57%).Conversely,thosewhohadasomewhatnegativeorstronglynegativeviewofReaganandhisPresidencyweremorelikelytoratetheexhibitioninthelowerthreecategories(71%vs.37%)andmuchlesslikelytorateitexcellent(27%vs.50%)orsuperior(2%vs.14%).Interestingly,thosewhohadaneutralviewofReagan,ornoopinionatall,didnotratetheexhibitionmuchbetterthanthosewithanegativeviewofReagan(68%lowratings,32%excellent,0%superior).16

TherelationshipbetweenpersonalviewsofReaganandtheoverallexhibitionratingcontinuedtoholdupstronglyevenwhencontrollingforageusingthecohortvariabledescribedabove.

Theconversewasnottrue,however:therelationshipbetweenageandoverallexhibitionratingdisappearedcompletelywhenvisitors’personalviewsofReaganwerecontrolledfor.Withintheseparategroupsofstronglypositive,somewhatpositive,neutral,somewhatnegative,andstronglynegativevisitors,meanagedifferencesamongthoseratingthe

                                                            13With“positive”heredefinedasthesumofstronglypositiveandsomewhatpositiveresponses,and“negative”definedasthesumofstronglynegativeandsomewhatnegativeresponses.14Statistically,themeanageforthosewithnegativeviewsofReaganwasnodifferentfromthosewhoheldpositiveviewsofReagan,butwasdifferentfromthosewithnoopinion.15Ineffect,almostallthesuperiorratingsforthisexhibitionwereconferredbyvisitorswhoheldastronglypositivepersonalviewofReagan.16TheoverallexhibitionratingalsocorrelatedpositivelywithanswerstotheopinionquestionsaboutwhetherReaganwas“successful…”and“transformative…”,andwhethertheexhibitionwas“fair.”However,itisprobablysafetoseetheseassecond‐orderrelationships,mediatedstronglythroughtheprimaryrelationshipswithpre‐existingapprovalandfamiliaritylevels.

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exhibitionsuperior,excellent,orgood/fair/poorwerenotstatisticallysignificant.17Thisreinforcestheideathatagepersewasnotadirectinfluenceonvisitors’ratingoftheexhibition.

Exhibition Messages

TwoimportantthemesthattheexhibitionattemptedtoconveywerethatReaganwasapivotalfigureinmodernAmericanpolitics,andthatReaganwassuccessfulinfocusingonasmallnumberofimportantissuesduringhisPresidencyandmakingamajorimpactinthoseareas.

Toseeifvisitorspickeduponthesemessages,thesurveyaskedvisitorstoratetheiragreementonafive‐pointscale(stronglydisagree,disagree,neutral/don’tknow,agree,andstronglyagree)withthefollowingtwostatements:

“ReaganwassuccessfulinpursuingtheprioritieshesetforhisPresidency”

“Reaganwasatransformativepoliticalfigure.”

Responsestothefirstquestiondidnotdiffersignificantlybetweenenteringandexitingsurveyrespondents,althoughthelevelofagreementwiththisstatementwasrelativelyhighatthebaseline.18However,exitingvisitorsweresignificantlymorelikelytostronglyagreethatReaganwasatransformativepoliticalfigurethanenteringvisitors(34%vs.23%).

Fairness

BecauseReaganisafigurewhocontinuestoelicitstrongfeelingsacrossthepoliticalspectrum,theexitsurveyaskedvisitorsiftheyagreedwithastatementthattheexhibitionrepresentedReaganandhisPresidencyina“fairandunbiased”way.

Onthewhole,therewaslittledisagreementwiththestatement,withonly1%ofrespondentsstronglydisagreeingand3%disagreeing.Anotheronefifthofrespondentswereneutralorhadnoopinion(20%),whileoverthree‐quarterseitheragreed(54%)orstronglyagreed(22%).

                                                            17Resultsfromaone‐wayANOVAtestondatasplitbyapprovalcategory.Achi‐squaresignificancetestonthedatasplitbyapprovallevelalsofailedtoturnupsignificantresultsinacross‐tabofthecohortvariableandoverallratingvariable.18CasualinspectionofthefrequencytablesinAppendixBmaysuggestanincreaseinthelikelihoodthatexitingvisitorsstronglyagreedwiththisassertion,buttheapparentdifferencewasnotstatisticallysignificantusingachi‐squaretestatthestandardp=.05level.

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However,viewsonthisquestionwerecorrelatedwithvisitors’familiaritywith,andpersonalviewsof,ReaganandhisPresidency.Forexample,thosewhoweresomewhatorveryfamiliarwithReaganandhisPresidencyweremuchmorelikelytostronglyagreeoragreewiththestatementthanthosewhowereunfamiliarorminimallyfamiliar(80%vs.41%).Likewise,thosewhoheldapositiveorverypositivepersonalviewofReaganwerefarmorelikelytoagreeorstronglyagreethattheexhibitionpresentedhimfairly(83%)thanthosewhoheldaneutral(60%)ornegative/stronglynegative(62%)view.

Miscellaneous

VideoKiosks

Ontheexitsurvey,visitorswereasked“Howdidyoumakeuseoftheaudio‐visualkiosk?”Aboutathirdreportedthatthey“Didnotnotice”thekiosk(32%).Slightlymorethantwoinfive“Noticed,butdidnotwatch/listen”(44%);aboutoneinfive“Watched/listenedtoonespeech(orpartofonespeech)”(22%);andthreepercent“Watched/listenedtomorethanonespeech(orpartsofmorethanonespeech).”

Usingthekioskwascorrelatedwithratings.Visitorswhowatchedand/orlistenedtoanyofthespeechesweremorelikelytoratetheexhibitionsuperiorthanthosewhodidnot(25%vs.7%ofvisitorswho“Noticed,DidNotWatch,”and9%ofthosewho“DidNotNotice”);andlesslikelytorateitgood/fair/poor(22%vs.46%ofthosewho“Noticed,DidNotWatch”and54%ofthosewho“DidNotNotice”).

InformationSources

Theentrysurveyaskedrespondentswheretheyfoundoutabouttheexhibition.Theonlyresponsethatwasselectedbyasubstantialpercentageofrespondents(78%)was“Visitingthisbuildingtoday.”Allotherresponseswereinthesingledigits—indeed,withtheexceptionof“Friends/Family/Colleagues”(6%),inthelowsingledigits.19

Theseresultsarefairlytypical,exceptthatthepercentageofvisitorswholearnedabouttheexhibitionthroughword‐of‐mouth(“Friends/Family/Colleagues”)waslow.Exceptinrarecasesofexhibitionsthatareheavilymarketed,walking‐by(“Visitingthisbuildingtoday”)andword‐of‐mouth,inthatorder,arebyfarthemostcommonwaysthatvisitorsfindout

                                                            19About9%ofrespondentsalsoselected“Other.”Write‐inelaborationonthisresponsesuggeststhatmanyofthesethosewhoselected“Other”infactfellintothe“Visitingthisbuildingtoday”category.

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abouttemporarySmithsonianexhibitions.However,thefigureforthelatteronothersurveyswhereOP&Ahasaskedthisquestionistypicallymoreintherangeof10%–15%.20

   

                                                            20OP&Adoesnotaskthisquestiononallorevenmostexhibitionvisitorsurveys,astheresultisusuallypredictableandunhelpful.Figuresobtainedformostinformationsourcesareusuallyfartoolowtoallowforanyconclusionsaboutwhichsources(otherthanwalking‐byandword‐of‐mouth)aremosteffectiveinreachingpotentialvisitors.

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Qualitative Findings

FromlateAprilthroughMay2012,thestudyteamconducted31in‐depthqualitativeinterviewswith42visitorsexitingtheOneLife:RonaldReaganexhibition.Overall,visitorfeedbackwaspositiveaboutboththeexhibitionandthe“OneLife”format.

Generalcommentsfromvisitorsontheiroverallimpressionsoftheexhibitionincludedthefollowing:

Iwasintrigued.IgrewupintheReaganera.Irememberdoingamockelectioninthefourthgradeandgettingtoknowaboutthedemocraticprocess,andReaganwasthefirstpoliticalfigurethatIhadeverhadanyinterestinattheageofnineortenyearsold.Havingreflectedbackfortyyearsnow,seeingexactlywhatkindofPresidenthewasandwhathewastoAmericaatthattime,hewasthepersonthatweneededasPresident.YoureallygetasenseofthetypeofmanhereallywasandthetypeofPresidenthewasfortheUnitedStatesduringthe80s.

IfeelthatPresidentsshouldnotbejudgedbytheirspeechesortheirpublicappearances;theyshouldbejudgedbywhattheydobehindcloseddoors,howtheyeffectrealchangethatinfluencesrealpeople.…Ithinkthisgavemeaglimpseofthat,andmademewanttostayintherealittlelonger.IwasconsideringpassingthewholeReaganexhibitbyandjustgoingontosomethingelse.

Youknow,Idon’t[rememberother“OneLife”exhibitions].[But]I’mlikelytorememberthisone,whereas,ifIsawonebefore,itslipsmymind.…Becauselately,andlikealotofpeople,I’vebeenthinkingaboutthePresidentandtheupcomingPresidentialrace.AndsoIthinkthat’swhatmakesthiskindofgermaneformerightnow.

Themes

Visitorswereaskedabouttheunderlyingthemesormessagestheysawintheexhibition.AmongthethemesthatemergedfromvisitorcommentsweretheaccomplishmentsofReagan’sPresidencyandaviewofReagan,theperson.

Reagan,asPresident

Ifeellikeyou’vetriedtoshow,inaverysmallspace…allphasesofhislife.AndIcan’thelpbutthinkthatyou’vetriedtoshowsomeofthekeyaccomplishmentsofhisPresidency.Particularly,whatheaccomplishedwithRussia,andwhatheaccomplishedtobringdowntheIronCurtain.

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ItremindedmethathewasthePresidentattheendoftheColdWar,andthathecontributedtointernationalpeace,inasense.Whenyouhear[peopletalkabouthimtoday],it’smostlyinthecontextofagreeingwithhisdomesticpolicyandtheidealsthathesupposedlypromoteddomestically.…[Butwhen]Ilookedatthephotosinthegallery,Ithought,“Yeah,hehadtoaddresssomerealproblemsandsomerealdangers,”[andhedidso]inaseeminglypragmaticway.Hewaswillingtonegotiate;hedidnotseeAmericaasabigstickyouwouldwavearoundtoinfluenceothersthroughourpower.

Reagan,thePerson

IthinkthisexhibitwantstomakethepointofReaganasaman—notjustasaformerPresidentorapoliticaliconofsomekind—butasahumanbeing;apersonwhohadverymuchaprivatelifeaswellasapubliclife,andtherewasabalance.

Youareremindedthathewasjustanormalpersonwhowasrespondingtothe[challenges]theninapragmaticway.TherewasthatonequoteabouthownegotiatingwithGorbachevwaslikenegotiatingwiththemoviestudios.Soithumanizedhimalittlebitmore.

Ithink[thisexhibitionemphasized]hishumanness—thepictureofhimontheTimemagazinecoverinhisjeansandworkshirt;andpicturesonhisranchwithhishorses;andjustportrayinghimasamanand[allowingme]toidentifywiththemorehumanpartsofhislife,Ithink.Ilikedthat.

OtherThemes

Ithoughtitwasapositiveviewofhimaskindofanunderdogatfirstandthenasadecision‐maker.

IcouldtellthatthecuratorhadaveryfavorableviewofReagan.Imean,hehashisdetractors;soIcouldtellitwasaveryfavorable,patriotic,pro‐Reaganthing—whichisperfectlyfinewithme.

Memories and Learning Experiences

AnumberofvisitorswhowerealiveduringReagan’sPresidencytalkednostalgicallyabouttheirmemoriesofReagan’sPresidency,hispolicies,relationswiththeSovietUnion,andthe1980smoregenerally.Forthesevisitors,theexhibitionwaslessaboutlearningsomethingnewandmoreachancetoreminisceaboutthepast.

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[Theexhibitremindedme]ofsomeofthekeyaccomplishmentsofhisPresidencythatmaybeweren’tattheforefrontofmymindbeforeIwentintoit.Icertainlywasfamiliarwiththem,butthismademethink,“Hey,hereallydidachievesomeveryimportantthingsduringhisPresidency.”

Therearesomethings[intheexhibition]thatremindedmeofsomethingsIhadforgotten,liketheanimositybetweenheandMikhailGorbachevinitially.WhatIrememberabouthimisthegoodrelationship[GorbachevandReagan]seemedtohaveattheendofthenegotiations.[Butthisexhibition]kindofremindedmeofsomevery,verytensetimesthatIhadforgottenabout.

Ididn’trealizehowcontentiousthewhole“armsrace”was.Imean,Irememberitaskid,butIdidn’trealizethat[Reagan]andGorbachevwerejustbuttingheads.Anditseemedtoneverstop.…ThewholeColdWaraspectofit,Ifoundtobereallyinteresting.AndthatwasanaspectIwasn’treallyfamiliarwith.

IguessIlikedtheinformationaboutthenuclearnegotiations.IalsolikedthejokehehadaboutGorbachevdrivinghiscararound.Idon’tknowifyou’vereaditbutthere’sanicejokeintherethathetold.Mostoftheinformation,Iwasfamiliarwith;butitwasagoodreminder.

AnareaofparticularengagementwithsomevisitorswaslearningmoreaboutthepersonaldetailsofReagan’slife.SeveralintervieweesnotedReagan’sAlzheimer’sdiagnosisandhisletterannouncinghiscondition:

Onethingthatdidsurprise[me]wastheAlzheimer’sdisclosureandthentheletter,too.Ithoughtthatwasinteresting.

IreadhislettertothecountrywhenhefoundouthehadAlzheimer’s.Thathesatdownandjustwrotethatwithoneminorlittlescratch‐outwasprettyimpressive.

Ididn’tknowthathewrotemostof—closetoallof—hisownspeeches.AndthefactthathewasabletowritethatAlzheimer’sletterabouthimself…

AnumberofvisitorsfoundtheartifactspertainingtoReagan’searliercareerstobefunandinteresting.Forsomeyoungervisitors,theexhibitionwasthefirstexposuretheyhadtoReagan’scareerspriortohisPresidency.

Hisearliercareer,astheradiocommentator—thatwassomethingnewforme!

It’sveryinteresting.Ididn’tknowRonaldReaganwasaradioannouncer,aradiosportscaster.

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Ididn’tknowhewasanactor;Ijustknew[hewas]President.

Political Ideology/Feelings toward Reagan

StrongOpinions

SomeintervieweesfeltcompelledtosharetheirstrongpositiveornegativeviewsofReaganwiththeinterviewers.Thesevisitorseitherexpressedtheirthoughtsthroughouttheinterview,orassoonastheinterviewsbegan,asdidonewoman:

Well,firstoff,welikeReagan.I’llmakethatknownrightaway.

Otherthoughtsincludedthefollowing:

Yeah,itseemedverybalancedforme.Personally,Ilovehimandhecoulddonowrong.

Husband:ReaganisourfavoritePresident.GrowingupduringthetimethathewasPresident,hewasjustthemanIassociatedwiththeU.S.government.Ithinkprobablythesecond‐to‐lasttimeIcriedwasathisfuneral.I’vealwayslikedwhatReaganstoodfor.Wife:Iagreewithhim.He’swhowegrewupwith,andwhoweknow,andwhowerelateto.Hewasapeople’sPresident.

Iprettymuchhavestrongopinionsalreadysothere’snotmuchthat’sgoingtoalteritunlessit’sreallydramatic.AndIdon’tthinkyouhavethetimeorspacetobedoingsomethinglikethat.

Ijusthaveadistastefortheman,soIwastryingtolookaway.

OnemannotedhissupportforReagan,drawingaparallelbetweenhisPresidencyandtheupcomingelection:

I’mnotahugeObamafan,sowhenIseeReaganI’mlike“Wow!If[Obama]couldjustbealittlebitmorelikeReagan,hemightgetanotherfouryears.”

EffectonOpinionofExhibition

AnumberofvisitorswhodidnotlikeReaganstillthoughtOneLife:RonaldReaganwasagoodexhibition.OnefamilywhomadetheirstrongdistasteforReaganknownlaterspokepositivelyabouttheexhibit:

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Itwasaninterestingpresentation,evenifyou’renotinterested[inReagan].HewasstillthePresident.Hewasagood[representativeofthe]timesfromwhenhewasPresident.

However,somepeoplewhomentionedtheywerecriticsofReagan’sdidhaveconcernsaboutthebalanceoftheexhibit’scontent:

Certainlyitwasmorepositivethanbalanced.…Ivotedforhimbothtimes,butinretrospect,thedirectionwherehetookthecountryIthinkhasbeenvery,verybadforthecountry.AndIdon’tseeanyofthatbeingreflectedintheexhibition.

Idon’tknowthatIcanseparate[myresponsetotheexhibition]frommyownbias,somaybeit’snotfair.ButIdidnotseeanythingnegativeabouthiminthere.Ithinkhistaxpolicieswereveryharmful,eventhoughhedid[later]raisetaxes.Ithinkhistheoryofeconomicshasbeenveryharmfultothenation,andthatwasnotcoveredatall.

ThenegativeperceptionsofReaganthatmanypeoplehave[weremissingfromtheexhibit].It’sakindofdeificationofReagan,which,asIsaidtomyfriendswhenwewalkedinthere,Ican’tgetit.Ican’tunderstandit.

Onevisitorfelttheintroductorytextattheentrancetotheexhibitiondidnotmatchwhathesawasamorebalancedpresentationinsidethegallery:

Atfirst,Iwasalittleskeptical.Ididn’twanttospendtoomuchtimelookingattheReaganstuff.…WhenIreadthisfirstpart[introductorytextoutsideexhibitionentrance],itseemedverypro‐ReagananditseemedtosimplifyhisidealsinawaythatIthoughtwasmaybesomewhatmisleading.ButwhenIwentintothegallery,IfeltlikeIwasnotseeingtheReaganthatpeoplerefertotoday—thegeneralized,ideologicallyperfectReagan.IfeltmorelikeIwasseeingitfromtheperspectiveofwhenhewasPresident;Iwasseeingdifferentthingsthathappened“inrealtime.”

Inaddition,apatternemergedinwhichpeoplewhosupportedReaganinthe80sfeltreaffirmedintheirbeliefsaftervisitingtheexhibit:

Itbroughtbacktomyconsciousnesshowgoodhewas.…Now,I’mnotsureReaganwould’vebeengoodifhe’dhavebeenfiftyyearsearlierorifhewasPresidentnow.[WhatI’mremindedofis]howgoodofajobhedidatthetime.Therightmanattherighttime.

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Havinglivedit,IknewthePresidentthathewasandIknewtheverymonumentaleventsthathewasresponsiblefor.So,itdidn’tshedanynewlightintermsofwhohewas.

ItconfirmedwhatIthoughtabouthimasagreatleader.HispictureswithGorbachevareveryclosetowhatweknowabouthiminPoland,whatwevalueaboutReagan.

NewPerspectiveonReagan,thePerson

Somevisitorswhodidnotsupporthispolitics,nonetheless,feltcompelledtoadjusttheirviewsofReaganasaperson.Insomecases,theydrewaclearseparationbetweenReagan,theman,andReaganasthepersonificationofacertainideology.

Iwouldhavetosaythathavingbeenaroundtheexhibition,Iwasabitmoreconvinced;Icouldseehowhewasabletoengagewithpeopleinaveryfolksy,down‐to‐earthway.Hisinauguraladdresstouchedaveryimportantchord,whichwasaboutmakinggovernmentsmall,whichstillresonatestoday,atleastwithRomneyandtheRepublicans.SoIwasabitmoreconvincedpersonally[aboutthegroundsforReagan’sappeal]aftervisitingthisexhibition,butIstillcan’tgetveryenthusedabouthimasaPresident.

Therewerealsointerviewees,liketheonebelow,whofelttheydidnotappreciateReagan’saccomplishmentspriortovisitingtheexhibit,andreconsideredtheirviewsofhimupontheirexitfromthe“OneLife”gallery.

Iprobablydidn’tappreciateReagan.Iwasinhighschoolandjust[didn’tpay]asmuchattentiontoworldeventsasmaybeIwouldhaveifIwasolder.…So[thisexhibition]probably[deepenedmy]appreciationforwhathedidandthekindofPresidenthewas.

Favorites

Objects

SomeoftheobjectsondisplaythatwererepeatedlymentionedbyintervieweesincludedthepieceoftheBerlinWall,Reagan’sAlzheimer’sletter,andhissketchesanddoodles.

WhendiscussingtheBerlinWallartifact,somevisitorsmentionedtheirmemoriesoftheColdWar,Reagan’sfamousquote“teardownthiswall,”orwheretheywerewhentheWallcamedown.

Iwasimpressedwithacoupleof[theobjects],[like]theBerlinWallrock,becauseIwasinBerlinwhenthewallwentup.I’djustfinishedcollegeandhadanROTC

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obligationIhadtofulfillinBerlin.Iwatcheditontelevisionand,frankly,itscaredthehelloutofme.

Asalreadynoted,anumberofvisitorswereimpressedbyReagan’sAlzheimer’sletter,callingit“interesting,”“touching,”and“moving.”Theyalsofoundhissketchesanddoodlestobe“sweet”and“personal.”

Idon’tfeellikeIlearnedanythingparticularlynew,butIthoughttheexhibitsweregood.IlikedthepieceoftheBerlinWall,the[Alzheimer’s]letter,andsomeoftheotherexhibitsontheWall.

[Ilikedthe]speechscene;[the]pageofhisspeech;[and]thecaricature[hehaddone]ofhimself—thedrawing,thesketching.Howpersonal.

Thesketcheswerekindofsweet.

HowhedealtwithAlzheimer’swasverytouching,andIlikedthefactthathewashonest.Iliked[thesamething]aboutBettyFord,with[her]breastcancer.ShewasoneofmyfavoriteFirstLadiesbecauseofthat.Ithinkthefactthattheycomeoutandmakeitknownisapositive.

Hisinauguralspeech,aswellashislettertothepublicregardinghisAlzheimer’sdiagnosis,weremoving,eventosomeone[likeme]whoisprettystronglyanti‐Reagan.

Somepeopleweresurprisedtoseeobjectsintheexhibit,astheywereexpectingOneLife:RonaldReagantofocusonportraitsoftheformerPresident.

Pictures

Overall,visitorsenjoyedtheexhibit’sphotographsandportraits.Whilesomephotos,suchasReaganathisranchinCalifornia,hismeetingswithGorbachev,andhispersonallifewithNancy,werementionedindividually,theimageswereoftendiscussedasagroup.VisitorsappreciatedseeingmanysidesoftheformerPresident.

AnotabletrendthatemergedwasthatseveralvisitorswouldhavelikedmorephotosfromReagan’schildhoodandpersonallifeincludedintheexhibition,orinsomecases,justmorephotosingeneral.Severalvisitorswhocommentedonthephotographsremarkedthatsomeoftheimageswerenew,orweresomethingtheyhadn’tseenbefore.Somevisitorsappreciatedtheinclusionoflesser‐knownphotographs.

Youlookatthat[larger‐than‐lifephotoofReaganoutsidetheexhibitionentrance],andthat’stheiconic[imageofReagan]—everyonethereischeering.[ButthephotosIliked]lookedliketheyweretakenbysomeonewhowasn’tnecessarilysupposedtobe

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thereandwaskindof‘spyinginonhim’tocapturewhathewaslikealittlemorenaturally.

IguessthereweresomeimagesIhadn’tseen.Thatwasexciting.Andthingsthatyoucan’tget[toseeanywhereelse],liketheactualhandwritingandstuff.Thatwasverygood.

Text

Someintervieweeswouldhavelikedmoretext,whileothersdidnotreadthetextthatwasavailable.Somevisitorsnotedhowthetexthelpedthemtobettercontextualizetheimages,andaidedtheirunderstandingoftheexhibition.

Itwasgoodtohavethetexttocompletelyexplain[theimages].Iwouldnothaveknownenoughjustfromthepictures.Butthetextwasveryhelpful—succinctandtothepoint.Ittalkedaboutelementsofhispersonalityandelementsofhischaracter.

VideoKiosk

VeryfewintervieweesspenttimeanytimeatallatthekiosktolistentoReagan’sspeeches.Someoldervisitorsbelievedthekioskwouldbehelpfulforpeoplewhodidnotlivethroughthe1980sbutconsidereditunnecessaryforthosewhoexperiencedthelivetelevisionbroadcastsofthesespeecheswhentheywereyounger.Otherreasonsvisitorscitedfornotusingthevideokiosksincludedtimeconstraints,havingageneraldisinterestinvideokioskswithmuseums,andavailabilityofthesamespeechesonline.

“One Life” Approach

VisitorstoOneLife:RonaldReagannotedmanydifferencesbetweentheNationalPortraitGalleryasawholeandthesingle‐room“OneLife”display.Insome,casesvisitorswereinterviewedaftertheyhadbeenthroughotherpartsofthemuseum,andwereabletocomparethesize,brightness,contemporaryfocus,andothercomponentsoftheRonaldReaganexhibittothemuseum’sothergalleries.

However,somevisitorsdidnotfeelthe“OneLife”gallerywasdifferentthantherestoftheNationalPortraitGallery.Thiswasduetovariousfactors—simplynotthinkingitwasdifferent,beingadmittedlyoblivious,ornothavingtraveledthroughtherestofthemuseumtofindgroundsforcomparison.

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Size

VisitorswhonotedthesizeoftheReaganexhibitionwasdifferentthanotherNPGexhibitsagreedthatthe“OneLife”spacewassmall.Forsomevisitors,thiswasapositive.

I’mjustpassingby;Ionlyhaveanhourhere.Icameunpreparedforallofthis.Andyoudonothavetobepreparedtoconsumeortounderstandthisexhibition.That’sverygood.Ifyoudon’thavetoomuchtime,youcanunderstand[theentire]messagefromthisquitequickly;sothat’savery,verystrong[consideration]onthepositivesideofthis.

Theexhibitleftothervisitorswantingmore—eitheradditionalinformationaboutReaganthatwasnotincludedintheshow,oramoreextensivecollectionoftheartifacts.

Thespacecouldbebigger.It’sjustaroom.[Although]itworksforme…Iwouldliketoseemore…aboutReagan’slife.Theselectionofexamplesfromhisbiographyisverygood....Ilookedateveryelementoftheexhibition.

Ijustthoughttherewasgoingtobemore.[Isit]disappointing?No.ButIthoughttherewasgoingtobemore.That’swhyI’mlookingattheotherside[ofthehall],going“Istheremoretoit?Istheremore?”Eightyears,onesmallroom.

Iwould[have]likedtohaveseenmorephotographsandmoreinformationabouthiminhisearlieryearsandhisformativeyears.…Iftheyhadtworooms,theycoulddevoteonetohisearlylife,andonetohisPresidency.

I’msurprisedit’sthissmall.Ithinkthere’sanawfullotmoreyoucouldsayaboutReagan.Idon’tthinkthere’sanything[inthisexhibition]abouthisgovernorshiporhowhecametothePresidency.…Ontheotherhand,it’sagoodbite‐sizedchunk.AndifyouwanttoknowmoreaboutReagan,youcangoandspendsometime[atthelibrary].It’sasmallbite‐sizedchunkinaverylargecomplexofmuseums.

[Reaganis]socontemporary.…Iwould’velikedtohaveseensomemorepicturesbecausetherearemanythingsthatyoucould’veputonthewall.Andfrommystandpoint,itwouldn’thavebeenoverload.…IfIrecall,thereareonlytwopaintingsinthereplusthemovieadvertisements.Becausehe’sacontemporaryPresident,therecould’vebeenmorepictures,Ithought.

SomeintervieweesunderstoodthatpresentingReagan’slifeandPresidencyinoneroommusthavebeenachallenge,andopinedthatthecuratorworkedwellwiththelimitedspace.

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Inmyopinion,it’sprettybrief.ButIalsounderstand,giventhesizeandcomplexities—youcan’tputhisentirelifeinthere.Ienjoyedit.

Ithoughtitwasalittlesmall.Butthen,youcanalsobetoooverwhelmedwithtoomuchstuff,too,andthenitisalllost.Sothisisn’tabadsize—maybe[itwouldbebetterifitwere]alittlebitlarger,butnotalot.Because[ifanexhibitiongetstoolarge],youjustwalkin,andeverythinggetslost.

ContemporaryFocus

SomeintervieweesrecognizedtheexhibitashavingamorecontemporaryfocusthanmuchoftherestoftheNationalPortraitGallery.

It’smoremodern.It’sphotography.You’vegotactualartifacts,whereasoverthere[inthesurroundingareasofNPG]youjusthavepaintings.It’sdifferent.It’smoreofaholisticexhibit.

Thereisthemixedmedia—youhavethephotographyaswellastheportraitsthatkindofgrabyou....Andthereisalittlebitofhistoryandthingslikethat.So,yeah,Ithinkitisdifferent.

Anumberofvisitorstothe“OneLife”galleryidentifiedtheexhibitasbeingmorecontemporarybecauseitevokedpersonalmemories.

Ilikethefactthatthisexhibitionisalittlemoremodern,andIcanactuallyrelatetoit.…ItwasinmytimeandIrememberalotofthethingstheyareshowinghere.

Ienjoyeditforwhatitwas.[Itwas]myhistory—‘Irememberthat,Irememberthat,Irememberthat…’It’snotlikesomeoftheotherhalls[inNPGthatshowthings]thathappenedtwo,threehundredyearsago,obviously.Sothisissomethingmorecurrentfor[me].

Orientation

InadditiontothephysicalqualitiesoftheReaganexhibit(color,set‐up,etc.),somevisitorsacknowledgedthatthe“OneLife”gallerywaspositionednearahallofmucholdersubjects.Somevisitorsfoundthisconfusing,whileothersfounditthought‐provoking.

Myquestionwouldbe,whyisitherewiththeolderhistoricalportraitsandnotupwiththeotherAmericanPresidents?

AsIwaslookingattheseportraits,readingalotofthestuffonthewall,it’sfascinatingtoseetheoldhistoryoftheFramersandwhatnot.Itmakessomeofthenewer

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charactersinhistorymorerelevant,Ithink.It’s[nice]tohave[theReaganexhibition]closetothesefolks[fromthetimeofthenation’screation,]soyoucantrytokindofdrawsomeparallels,maybe—thepressuresthattheyfeltversusthepressuresthatmodernleadersfeel,too.

Ididn’texpecttoseeitinthehallwithallthemucholderfiguresandpaintings.[But]that’swhyitcaughtmyeyeimmediately,andIwentrightin.…[Reagan]fitsinwiththeevolvementofAmerica.He’srightacrossfromBenjaminFranklinandthosepicturesthere.Itmakessensetome.

Ithoughtitwasnicetokindofintersperse[amorecontemporarysubject]amongstsomeoftheolderportraits.

Concept of “One Life”

Forvariousreasons,theideaofpresentinganhistoricalfigurefromAmericanhistoryinasingleroomwasclearlyapositiveaspectofthe“OneLife”galleryamongthoseinterviewedforthisstudy.Whenaskedaboutthisconcept,anumberofintervieweesfocusedontheideathatthecuratorcanexpandononeperson’slife,allowingvisitorstolearnmoreaboutaspecificperson.

Oneroomthatgetsyousaturated,thatyoucangothroughthepersonfromayoungagethroughalloftheircareer—that’sinteresting.…Youdon’tgetside‐tracked.You’renotjumpingfromonethingtoanother.

It’sverysadthat[children]don’tseemtohaveanysenseofhistory.They’relike,“well,whyarewelookingatthis?”Theyjustwanttogothroughasfastaspossible.Ithinkit’snicetohavesomethingthatslowsthemdown.[Toalotofchildren]Reaganisjustanameinhistory.Ithinkit’swonderfulforthemtoseeaclose‐up[so]thattheycanreallyconcentrateononepersonatatime.

[Thisexhibithas]afeel‐goodvalue.Imean,Reagan’snotaroundanymore,soit’snotlikeyoucangovisithim.Thisistheclosestyoucanget,inaway,tobeingwiththeindividual

Ireallylikeit.Ilikethatit’snottoooverwhelming.…Youcanspendhalfanhourthere,butyoucouldalsospendfiveminutesthereifyouwant.Justlikeanyexhibit,Isuppose,youcouldabsorbasmuchasyouwanttofromit.ButIreallylikethisapproach.

Ithinkitmakesitincrediblyinterestingtoseeonepersonthroughthevariousstagesof[his]life.Especiallyifit’s[someonewhois]relevanttoyou,whichRonaldReagan

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was.WhenIwasinhighschool[inAustralia],hewasPresident;andwegetprettyinundatedwithAmericannewsaswell.So,it’sgreat.Itgivesyouabitmoreinsightinto[thesefigures,]ratherthanjustonepictureorpainting.Ireallylovedit.

Onthewhole,intervieweesappearedtoenjoythe“OneLife”format,andsomeexpressedthattheywouldlikefortheseriestocontinue.

Obviously,it’squitepopularbecauseyouseepeopleswarminginandout.Ihadtowaitmyturninlinetoreadthepanels.SoeitherpeoplearebeingdrawntoRonaldReaganthemanorthey’rebeingdrawntowhat’sbeingexhibited.

Hopeyoukeepdoingthis.It’saquicksnapshotofanimportantperson…

Wehavetofindanotherroomlikethiswhenwecomeback!

 

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Subject Suggestions

Whenaskedwhotheywouldliketolearnaboutinfuture“OneLife”exhibitions,intervieweesdescribedavarietyoffiguresthroughoutAmericanhistory.Thesesubjects,bothmenandwomen,rangedfrompoliticalfiguretoentertainers,amongothers.

Artistic/Entertainment

ClintEastwood

DortheaLange

ErnestHemingway

JimiHendrix

JoeDiMaggio

Political

TeddyRoosevelt

HarryS.Truman

HerbertHoover

BarackObama(eventually)

JimmyCarter

FranklinD.Roosevelt

JohnAdams

BenjaminHarrison

SpeakersoftheHouse(TipO’Neill,forexample)

JohnD.Rockefeller

AnyoftheFoundingFathers

JeffersonDavis

JohnF.Kennedy

Other

PhyllisSchlafly

SusanB.Anthony

RichardMorrisHunt(architect,BiltmoreMansion)

Industrialists

FrederickDouglass

RobertOppenheimer

BillGraham

SteveJobs

BookerT.Washington

NancyReagan

 

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Discussion

Itappearsthatoverallopinionsabouttheexhibitionwerestronglyinfluencedbypersonalviewsabout,andfamiliaritywith,ReaganandhisPresidency.Itisdifficulttosortoutthecausalityinmuchmoredetailthanthis,asthepersonalviewvariableandfamiliarityvariablearesocloselycorrelatedthatitwouldbeimpossibletodisentangletheireffects.Stillitseemsthatattitudestoward“Reagantheexhibition”were,ingeneral,moreareflectionofattitudestoward“Reaganthesubject”thananythingelse.PerhapsthekeytakeawayhereisthatessentiallyallthesuperiorratingscamefromvisitorswhodescribedthemselvesashavingstronglypositivepersonalviewsofReaganandhisPresidency.

Thereisacomplication,however,inthattheexhibitionitselfappearedtoinfluencesomevisitors’personalviewsofReaganthesubject,ratherthanvice‐versa.

Inprinciple,however,familiarity(regardlessofpersonalview)mayhavebeenadirectinfluenceonpositiveexperiencesintheexhibitionaswell.ThispositionissupportedbyanumberofinterviewswithvisitorswhodidnotnecessarilyhavepositivepersonalviewsofReaganandhisPresidency,but,nonetheless,hadapositiveexperienceofpersonalconnectionintheexhibitionviapersonalrecollectionsoftheReaganyears—anostalgiaeffect,ifyouwill.

 

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Appendix A: Survey Questionnaires

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Appendix B: Frequencies of Responses

Isthisyourfirstvisittothisbuilding,theDonaldW.ReynoldsCenter? Entrance Exit

Yes 76% 74%

No 24% 27%

 

Didyoucometothisbuildingtodayspecificallytoseethisexhibition? Entrance Exit

Yes 6% 7%

No 94% 93%

 

Overallexperience Entrance(Expected)

Exit(Actual)

Superior 8% 12%

Excellent 39% 46%

Good 45% 38%

Fair 8% 4%

Poor 1% 1%

 

Howdidyoufindoutaboutthisexhibition? Entrance(only)

Visitingthisbuildingtoday 78%

NPGwebsite 3%

Otherwebsite 1%

Friends/Family/Colleagues 6%

Newspaper/Magazine 2%

SocialMedia 1%

Other(pleasespecify) 9%

 

   

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InthecontextoftheNationalPortraitGalleryingeneral,howinterestedareyouinthefollowing? Exit(only)

  Notatallinterested

Somewhatinterested

Veryinterested

Art 1% 42% 57%

History 1% 24% 75%

Biography 4% 34% 62%

ImagesofAmerica’shumandiversity 8% 47% 45%

Imagesofinfluential/famousAmericans 2% 34% 65%

 

HowfamiliarareyouwithReaganandhisPresidency? Entrance Exit

Notatallfamiliar 4% 1%

Minimallyfamiliar 13% 11%

Somewhatfamiliar 40% 57%

Veryfamiliar 43% 31% 

HowwouldyoudescribeyourownviewsofReaganandhisPresidency? Entrance Exit

Stronglypositive 28% 38%

SomewhatPositive 26% 30%

Neutral/Noopinion 24% 17%

Somewhatnegative 16% 12%

Stronglynegative 6% 4%

 

   

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Pleaserateyourlevelofagreementwiththefollowingstatements.

ReaganwassuccessfulinpursuingtheprioritieshesetforhisPresidency Entrance Exit

Stronglydisagree 3% 1%

Disagree 7% 4%

Neutral/Don’tKnow 28% 25%

Agree 47% 48%

StronglyAgree 16% 22%

 

Reaganwasatransformativepoliticalfigure Entrance Exit

Stronglydisagree 3% 3%

Disagree 7% 3%

Neutral/Don’tKnow 20% 14%

Agree 47% 46%

StronglyAgree 23% 34%

 

ThisexhibitionrepresentedReaganandhisPresidencyinafairandunbiasedway Exit(only)

Stronglydisagree 1%

Disagree 3%

Neutral/Don’tKnow 20%

Agree 54%

StronglyAgree 22%

 

   

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Howdidyoumakeuseoftheaudio‐visualkiosk? Exit(only)

Didnotnotice 32%

Noticed,butdidnotwatch/listen 44%

Watched/listenedtoonespeech(orpartofonespeech) 22%

Watched/listenedtomorethanonespeech(orpartsofmorethanonespeech) 3%

 

Withwhomareyouvisiting?  Entrance Exit

Alone 26% 21%

Withotheradults 66% 71%

Withyouthunder18 7% 11%

 

Whatisyoursex?  Entrance Exit

Female 46% 53%

Male 54% 47%

 

AgeGroupedbyGeneration Entrance Exit

SilentGeneration(bornbefore1945) 7% 9%

LeadingBabyBoom(born1946‐1955) 20% 18%

TrailingBabyBoom(born1956‐1964) 18% 23%

GenerationX(born1965‐1981) 23% 22%

GenerationY(born1982‐1995) 31% 27%

 

Visitorage  Entrance Exit

Median: 44 46

Mean: 43 44

 

DoyouliveintheU.S.oranothercountry?  Entrance Exit

U.S. 86% 91%

Othercountry 14% 9%

 

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Appendix C: Open-ended Survey Comments

Didyoulearnanythingnew,surprising,orunexpectedinthisexhibition?

Responsesreproducedverbatimwithminoreditsforclarity.Unintelligible,illegible,andsimplepositiveornegativeresponsesexcluded.

AndyWarholinterestAndyWarhollikedReaganAntiSovietJokesChildhoodpictureChristmascard,writinghisownspeeches,startinradio

CommercialAd—NotfamiliarwithitCowboyDidnotknowhebeganasasportscasterDidnotknowhegraduatedEurekaCollege

DidnotknowofhisvisittoSouthKoreaDidnotknowtheGipperdoodledDidnotrealizehehadanyexperiencewithlivestock

Didn'tknowhewasaradioannouncer,didn'tknowthathewrotemuchofhisownspeeches

Didn'trealizehisfirstwifewasJaneWyman

EnjoycommentsabouthisuseofhumorEnjoyedtheWarholprintFeellikeIknowtheperson,RonaldReagan,inamorepersonalandpoliticalway

Freedomisonegenerationfromextinction

HeplayedharmonicaHewroteandeditedhisownspeechesHisbetterin1994abouthishealthHismoviesHisuseofhumor(Ioftenlaughedoutloud);Hisdeterminationandresolve

HowhewrotemuchofhisownspeechesHowlonghelivedHumanaspectsofthepoliticalmanIbetterunderstandtheReagan,Andropovdynamic

IdidnotknowmuchaboutReaganasapersonbeforethisexhibit

Ididn'trealizetheIronCurtainhadaphysicalcomponent

IlikedhisdoodlesIneverknewabouthisAlzheimer'sletterhewrote

Interestedinearlylife,i.e.,radioannouncer

IroncurtainwasmadeofIron,Contraaffair

Knewquiteabitabouthim—coveredhimanajournalist

LearnedaboutTipO'NeillLovehis"ranchinthesky"Lovedthephotooflaughter,howthatwasagiftofReagan’s

Manycareers,senseofhumorManycountriesopposedhisdefensespending

Moredetailthanoriginallylearnedinschool

MyfatherhadapicturetakenwithReaganthatIgrewuplookingat;thisexhibitionshowswhyIandmyfamilyrespectedhimsomuch

No,itreinforcedwhatIremember

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Notnew,butIappreciatedthefactReaganandTipO'Neillworkedtogether

Notreally,IlovedthroughtheReaganyearsandremembermostofit,butforyoungerfolksIthinkitisgreattolearnmoreabouthim

Notreally,I'malittle"Reaganwea‐y"PhotosfromhisyouthRadioannouncer,collapsedwhendischargedfromhospital,wrotemostofhisspeeches,verypositive,greatsenseofhumor—allIdidn'tknow

Reaganinhonorednow,duringhisPresidencymediamadefunofhisbeingactor

ReaganplayedtheharmonicaReaganwasanactorbefore!Reagan'sreactionafterhewasshotRegan'sentertainmentcareerRelationshipwithGorbachevRelationshipwithSovietleaderSawmeartSocietyhasbecometoocomplextobemanagedbyself‐rule

Someoftheso‐called"dud"Presidentsoflate1800s,wouldbenicetoexperiencetheirhistory,challenges,andaccomplishments

ThatNancyReaganwascriticalinprivateatRonaldReagan

ThathehadbeenaradioannouncerThathepromisedAmericanpeoplenottogotowar(nuclearwar)

ThathewantedtobeacartoonistThathewenttoIcelandThatNancywasinfilmsThatRonaldReaganwasaradioannouncer

Thatthebulletalmosthithisheart(whenhewasshot)

TheletterabouthisAlzheimer'sThemanydiverseskillsofReaganUnionPresident,workedforGEVanHeusenAdWasalreadyfamiliarWhoradioworkWouldhavelikedtoseemore,butrealizespaceislimited

Wroteownspeeches,likedseeinghandwriting

Yes,didn'tknowtherewasanactualironcurtain

Yes,GoldwaterwasafriendYes,hewasalotsmarterthanIthoughthewas

Yes,IdidYes,myimpressionofReaganismorepositive

Yes,neverreadAlzheimer'sletterbeforeYes,RadiobackgroundYes,RRlikedcartoonsanddrawings(HescaredmeasPresident)

Yes,thathewrotemanyofhisspeechesYes,VanHeusenad,TipO'Neillphotowasinteresting

   

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Arethereanyhistoricalfiguresyouwouldparticularlyliketoseehighlightedinafuture“OneLife”exhibitionlikethisone?

Asacategory,Presidentsaccountedforabouthalfofallresponses.Somevisitorssuggestedcategoriesratherthanspecificindividuals:Actors/Actresses,CivilWarEraLeaders,FoundingFathers,Internationalfocus,RevolutionaryLeaders,U.S.Presidents,Women,andWriters.

Individualfigurescitedbymultiplevisitorsarelistedonce.Unintelligible,illegible,andsimplepositiveornegativeresponsesexcluded.

DeceasedAmericansAbigailAdamsJohnAdamsLouisArmstrongLucilleBallClaraBartonJuliaChildJohnSingletonCopleyWalterCronkiteMilesDavisMarleneDietrichThomasEdisonAlbertEinsteinDwightD.EisenhowerBenjaminFranklinAlexanderHamiltonJohnsHopkinsAndrewJacksonStonewallJacksonThomasJeffersonSteveJobsLadyBirdJohnsonLyndonBainesJohnsonHelenKeller

JohnF.KennedyTedKennedyMartinLutherKingJr.BenjaminHenryLatrobeRobertE.LeeAbrahamLincolnJamesMadisonRichardNixonJackieKennedyOnassisJ.RobertOppenheimerJamesK.PolkElvisPresleySamRayburnJackieRobinsonAnnaEleanorRooseveltFranklinD.RooseveltTheodoreRooseveltDr.SeussNikolaTeslaJimThorpeHarryTrumanKurtVonnegutGeorgeWashington

LivingAmericansMayaAngelouGeorgeH.W.BushGeorgeW.BushJimmyCarterBillClintonHillaryClintonNeilDiamondBobDylanBillyGrahamTomHanksTomHarkinHenryKissingerDollyMadisonBarackObamaMichelleObamaColinPowellTimRussertClarenceThomasInternationalJohnBonhamMahatmaGandhiMikhailGorbachevNelsonMandelaMargaretThatcher

   

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Appendix D: Qualitative Interview Guide

Lead‐inquestions

Wherefrom?

Exhibitionspecific?

RepeatNPG/DWRCvisitor?

Questionson“OneLife”exhibitionformat

Indicateattheoutsetthatinterviewwillfocusasmuchonthe“OneLife”formatasonthespecificcontentofthisexhibition.Ifnecessary,givebriefdescriptionofformat:small“visualbiography”exhibitionfocusedonthelifeandcontributionsofasingledeceasedAmericanhistoricalfigure.

DoesthisexhibitionseemdifferenttoyouthanotherPortraitGalleryshows?Inwhatway(s)?

Doyouliketheideaofasmallexhibitionthatfocusesonasinglehistoricalsubject?Whyorwhynot?Whatkindsofshowsdoyouprefer?

IfyouarearepeatNPGvisitor,doyourecallanyother“OneLife”exhibitions?Whichone(s)?Whatmadethemmemorable?

ArethereanydeceasedAmericansyouwouldbeparticularlyinterestedinseeinghighlightedina“OneLife”exhibition?Whoandwhy?

QuestionsonReaganexhibitionspecifically

Didyoulearnanythingnew,surprising,orunexpectedinthisexhibition?

DiditinanywaychangethewayyouthinkaboutReaganasahistoricalfigure?

DidyoupickupanymainthemesormessagesaboutReaganandhisPresidencythatwerestressedhere?