A Comment Wall to Remember

A blog post by Collections Manager Joanna Church. To read more posts by Joanna click HERE.

For many museum professionals, the exhibit comment book is a mixed blessing. We set them out optimistically, hoping for substantive, reflective remarks from our visitors … but all too often, those remarks are voiced or thought, but not written down.  In the case of a particularly empty book we’ll welcome “nice exhibit”, “I liked it”, or even a disheartening “your layout was terrible” (well, at least they were paying attention!), but that’s hardly what we’re looking for.

Sometimes we get lucky.  The “Voices of Lombard Street” book often receives written responses, and the movie posters in last summer’s “Cinema Judaica” prompted some great comments from kids and adults.  But that success pales in comparison to my new favorite thing, the comment wall from our just-closed “Paul Simon: Words and Music” exhibit.

I can claim a little credit – since some of the albums used to construct the ‘wall’ belong to my parents  [read more on that here] – but I have to give props to Rachel, who suggested the idea of letting visitors put their notes right onto framed albums.  A genius plan: easy to install, and sticky-note comment walls or boards are a little more interactive and entertaining than the traditional book. I had moderate hopes, expecting a moderate number of comments.

Happily, through some magical combination of factors, the wall o’ albums was a roaring success. Over the course of three months, we had over 300 sticky notes left for us; far from having an empty wall, we had to periodically remove comments just to make room. (One visitor even complained that they couldn’t see the album covers anymore.)  And these weren’t just “great exhibit!” comments, though of course those are gratifying to receive. These were deeply personal reactions to the exhibit experience – so personal that many of them were addressed directly to Paul Simon himself.  Here are a few:

“You explain your creative process very well – most artists can’t. That makes you even greater. Thanks!”

“I like the song ‘Mrs. Robinson’ you are amazingly good at writing songs.” (from a 13 year old visitor)

“Sometimes you were the key to my soul’s survival”

“Okay Paul – why say you were from Kew Gardens when you grew up in Kew Gardens Hills??”

“This exhibition makes me miss all those that I used to enjoy the music with. Thanks for the beautiful sounds Paul”

Favorite songs and albums were called out, along with the memories they evoke of important times, places and people in our visitors’ lives. Some comments were humorous; others were poignant. One required multiple pieces of paper, and another started a debate with later commenters drawing arrows to indicate their responses. Based on the evidence, I must conclude that the “Graceland” tour did in fact offer the Best Concert Ever, and that Simon’s music (and this exhibit) are an excellent way to bond with one’s parents… while the parents are busy remembering their own youth. Some examples:

“My first album [was ‘Bridge Over Troubled Water’], along with ‘Free to Be You and Me.’ Thanks, Mom and Dad!”

“I sang songs from this album [‘Parsley Sage Rosemary and Thyme’] in my junior high variety show”

“I close my eyes (because that’s the way I always listened to Paul or Paul & Art) and I’m still in my twenties. Sigh…”

“I walked through snowstorm to get 45 [of ‘Sounds of Silence’]”

“I’m 23 – not alive in the 60s/70s. But S&G were one of the first musicians I listened to. So glad I could see this! and with my dad, who played this music when I was a child.”

“This song [‘Bridge Over Troubled Water’] got me through lots of tough times as a teenager. It was like a life line to me!”

“Paul Simon – major reason I wanted to learn acoustic guitar. (Why did I think ‘Bookends’ wouldn’t be hard?)”

“Ok – greatest concert – Graceland @ Merriweather Post – dancing in the aisles”

I had a lot of favorite notes, but this one left on the last day spoke to me in particular, since it mentions the artifacts. Perhaps the writer is a new recruit to the museum field?

Altogether, the stories and notes left by the stream of visitors proved to be a vital and engaging part of the exhibition.  I often went into the gallery to find people studying the comment wall as thoroughly as they did any other text or artifact.

I’ll try to keep my expectations realistic for our next exhibits, but we’re a little bit spoiled now thanks to these great insights into our audience’s experience.  Help us out by making sure (whatever museum you’re in) to leave a response.  After all, you might not appreciate it if museum staff resort to creeping up behind you with pencils poised, ready to jot down overheard thoughts and questions.  So keep on writing those comments!