FOCUS GROUPS Introduction Inclusivity LLC conducted seven (7) focus group sessions from March 19 to March 31, 2021, with individuals engaged with the Museum of Fine Arts (MFA). Participants included board members, docents, and full-time staff. Sessions were segmented by the individual’s involvement with the organization, and the MFA was discouraged from placing direct reports in the same groups as their supervisors. Focus group sessions were facilitated by trained Inclusivity focus group moderators. In order to protect anonymity, participant names will not be provided and focus groups were not recorded. A documenter was present during each group to take notes on major themes that came out of the discussions. Groups begin with an icebreaker question to get the group comfortable with sharing/speaking up. Participants are subsequently asked a prepared series of questions about (1) community perceptions of the organization, (2) the organizational culture, (3) organizational strengths, (4) challenges, and (5) diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI). In closing, participants share their reasons for working with the organization. The following sections highlight and expand upon the main themes observed.
• Community Outreach
• Diverse Curation
• Passion for Art
• Accessibility
• Early Exposure
• Financial Strain
• Strong ED
• Making Progress
• Change
Opening Discussion The initial question serves as an “icebreaker,” asking participants to share their thoughts on what is going on in the community. Participants used a wide lens when sharing their insights. Events throughout the nation as seen through media coverage and heighted virtual interactions with friends and peers in other states have created reverberations in our own community. Specific mentions included civil unrest, racial injustice, social isolation, and a fear for the aftermath of related events. Many participants acknowledged racial divide within the local community but consider it to be more inclusive than other communities who were seeing unrest; this is not to say challenges do not exist—simply that they are perceived as being less pronounced locally. Focusing on the immediate community, top-of-mind happenings were heavily weighted towards COVID. This included equitable access to vaccines, inconsistent mask wearing by citizens, a desire to get back to volunteering, and returning to capacity. While many were stunned by the hatred and divisiveness that came to the surface during the pandemic, others commented on the opportunity this time presented to reconnect with people they had not spoken with in decades; this reflects disparity in “lockdown experience” by the various cohorts of participants. The groups shared a full array of sentiments, from overwhelming fear and concern for division they see within the local community to pure optimism for this “new world.”
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M U S E U M O F F I N E A R T S S T. P E T E R S B U R G
