“Museum hires neuroscientist to enhance visitor’s experience” –  this news was posted in both Newsweek and the Boston Globe.

Media tells us about Dr. Tedi Asher who was hired by the Peabody Essex Museum (PEM) in Salem, Massachusetts.

“What we want to create is a sense of exploration and discovery,” said Dan Monroe, the museum’s director and chief executive. “It’s to get people out of the mode of interacting with art on an unconscious level and beginning to think about what’s going on in the paintings.”

Asher’s initial one-year appointment is part of a broader strategy at the Peabody Essex, which over the next five years will completely redesign its galleries, incorporating neuroscience to devise multisensory exhibitions, unexpected gallery spaces, stories, and interactive features to heighten audience engagement.

As part of the neuroscience initiative, which is funded by a $130,000 grant from the Barr Foundation, Asher will meet periodically with an advisory group of brain scientists and work closely with museum staff as they plan exhibitions. She will also write a publication that summarizes the museum’s findings and serves as a guide for future programming.

Please read the details about this news here:

1. The Boston Globe

2. Newsweek

3. The Peabody Essex Museum

4. Post by Dr. Tedi Asher