What we do
Audience, Participant, and Community Engaged Research
How much do you know about who is visiting or participating? Do you know what your visitors are looking for, or what your communities would like to see you become? Research can help your organization to learn about who is visiting your exhibitions, participating in your classes and programs, and coming to your performances— and who isn’t. Whether it brings surprising new insights, data that clarifies observations, or updates historical information, audience research can help with planning and decision-making. We have extensive experience working with existing and prospective audiences, internal and external stakeholders and communities, using a broad array of research methodologies.
Evaluation
How do we know if a program or class is having the intended effect for participants or if an exhibition is connecting with the intended audience? Evaluation can give a deeper understanding of how well the work we do aligns with the intended goals and outcomes and give insight for future planning. Horizon brings experience in formative and summative evaluations for exhibitions, public programming, training programs, tour programs, overall visitor and participant experience, and more, as well as familiarity and experience working with funder requirements.
Interpretive Planning
Institutional Interpretive Plans
Institutional interpretive plans (also sometimes called Master Interpretive Plans) can help organizations to align their planning, processes, and guidelines for connecting with visitors. Developing IIPs can also be daunting— it is hard to know where to begin, particularly if it is the first time you or your organization is developing one. Horizon can guide and support your organization in developing an IIP that reflects your mission, vision, and values.
Interpretive Planning for Exhibitions and Installations
Interpretive planning helps organizations develop exhibitions and installations with clear goals and outcomes and lay the groundwork for successful connections with their audiences. IPs are living frameworks that help coordinate across departments, creating roadmaps for successful implementation.
Interpretive Guidelines
Development and documentation of interpretive guidelines supports the implementation of interpretive processes for organizations. IGs reflect the values and priorities of the organization, and clarify workflows and processes to support and enhance interpretive planning. Horizon can help organizations to articulate and document their work process to develop guidelines that reflect all of the stakeholders’ experiences.
Interpretive Content Review
Horizon offers content review and interpretive editing services for exhibition and installation content, from labels to printed exhibition guides and audio tour content, with a focus on audience connection for visitors and participants of all ages and experience levels.
Content Development
From Family Activity Guides to audio tours, Horizon can help with developing content to meet your audience and experience goals.
Process Design and Optimization
Every organization’s processes are different, reflecting their own unique structures and histories. Horizon can help with distilling, honing, and documenting workflows and processes like exhibition development and implementation, helping to clarify and optimize timelines, steps, and stages for large-scale projects.
Strategic Planning
Strategic planning can help organizations identify, organize, and document your goals and objectives, and can offer a foundation for the road map to prioritizing and achieving those goals and objectives. Horizon Insights can help your organization articulate and elucidate its goals and vision, and to build a roadmap to reach them.
Interpretive Writing Workshops and Professional Development
Sharing decades of experience in successful interpretive writing, including tips, tools, and real world examples, to your staff through in person and online workshops and training. Whether it’s a workshop for fifty or one-on-one sessions, we can support your staff in growing and refining their practice.