Welcome to Ash Research Associates—Equity based evaluation and research
Ash Research Associates is designed to work with institutions, groups and individuals who are interested in diversifying their visitor audience, their ways of thinking, their staff or their entire institution.
As demographics shift, museums are struggling to keep up, to transform how they work with diverse populations. Ash Research Associates —ARA— is dedicated to equity-based consulting, evaluation, and research for small and large informal institutions wishing to keep up with these changes, and especially those requiring assistance in working more effectively with visitors from culturally and linguistically diverse populations.
We specialize in consulting in the following areas, all in relation to equity:
• Formative and Summative Evaluation of funded projects or proposals concerning equity and access (eg NSF, NASA, DOE, private foundations or other).
•Formative Evaluation of institution seeking fundamental internal change, reorganization or renewed vision in regard to cultural and social changes and demographic shifts.
•Formative and Summative Evaluation and re-design of Informal Learning Educator professional development projects or programs focused on equity and access.
• Informal and Classroom Learning Environment design concerning equity and access, using ‘design experiment’ theory and practice (Brown, 1992).
Who will come to museums?
The challenge of working with the ‘new mainstream’ (Rodriguez, 2009) has been in the forefront of public discourse. The new mainstream refers to the shifting minority/majority shift the US is currently experiencing. Museums want and need to keep up with these changes. This shift in majority/minority demographics has been discussed in a variety of venues from Fox new to the New York Times by a variety of scholars and administrators. Relevant resources, web sites and blogs are listed on this site and are being augmented regularly.
I have suggested that we need to meet equity (more than) half way, not as outreach, or special events or dedicated days or months. These are all necessary but insufficient conditions for a fundamental systemic reboot. I am currently finishing a book called Reculturing Museums; reculturing is a term borrowed from Mclaughlin & Talbert (2009). Drafts of certain sections will appear on this site.
Please contact
dorisbash@gmail.com
If you would like a free 30 Minute consultation
or have questions
and/or comment on this blog site