Investigating Millennial Engagement at Cascadia Art Museum

Abstract

The National Endowment for the Arts has been tracking a steady decline in public arts since the turn of the 21st century. As Millennials step into the role of being the primary audience for cultural institutions, and museums prepare for the eventual passing of the baton from the Baby Boom generation, they need to understand the unique identities, priorities, and expectations of Millennials. Cascadia Art Museum identified that their institution is facing a problem attracting and retaining a younger demographic as visitors, volunteers, and donors. Conversations revealed an institution-wide perception that their audience base skews heavily towards the 65+ demographic, and the museum is interested in engaging with younger audiences, specifically Millennials and young families. The purpose of this study was to help CAM better understand the composition of their current audience and gain insight into the attitudes, motivations, and habits of the Millennial (25-44 years old) audience they seek to develop. Using a combination of a visitor survey, a non-visitor survey, and a focus group, this study collected data from 215 participants between January 28th and April 12th, 2025. This study found that Millennials are going to museums, and art museums were the most visited type of museum among this sample. Millennials are primarily motivated to visit art museums because of personal fulfillment (to learn, relax, pass time, for fun, etc.), and cost is by far the most common barrier to visiting for Millennials. It also found that Millennials who are aware of CAM had either never visited or were not visiting regularly. The study concludes by providing practical recommendations for how CAM can respond to the wants and needs of its potential Millennial audience, including cost-lowering initiatives, participatory, community-based approaches, and embedding interactivity in its galleries.