Baseline Study: Page Museum and La Brea Tar Pits

The Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County (NHMLAC) contracted Randi Korn & Associates, Inc. (RK&A) to conduct audience research for the Page Museum (the Page) and La Brea Tar Pits (Tar Pits) as part of an overall strategy to examine the site’s current state and determine plans for its future. How did we approach this study? We designed the study to examine and compare Page Museum visitors’ and non-visitors’ perceptions of the Tar Pits and Page Museum; the meaning they construct from their experience; and their knowledge of current scientific research happening at the site. We conducted in-depth interviews with individuals in Hancock Park, where the Page Museum and Tar Pits are located, about the Page Museum and Tar Pits. Interviews were conducted at six locations around Hancock Park in an effort to reach a variety of visitors and non-visitors. All locations were chosen because they are park exits and/or have high foot traffic. All interviews were audio-recorded and transcribed to facilitate analysis. What did we learn? Among Page Museum visitors and non-visitors, awareness of and interest in the Tar Pits is high, but awareness of the Page Museum is low. Nearly all visitors and non-visitors were aware of the Tar Pits prior to arriving at Hancock Park, and almost all had visited at least one Tar Pit. However, less than one-half of visitors and only one-third of non-visitors were aware of the Page Museum prior to arriving at Hancock Park. Although awareness of the Tar Pits is high, results indicate that the outdoor Tar Pit experience is disappointing to some visitors and non-visitors and incites only moderate levels of interest and curiosity. Page Museum visitors have a thorough and specific understanding of what happened in the Tar Pits, and seem to learn more and develop a deeper appreciation of the significance of the Tar Pits compared to non-visitors who only see the outdoor Tar Pits. Page Museum visitors also have a more accurate understanding of the work scientists are doing in the Tar Pits and the Page Museum compared to non-visitors. Both visitors and non-visitors have a generally accurate understanding the Tar Pits’ connection to the Ice Age; however many in both groups have an inaccurate understanding of the Ice Age itself, describing it as a time when the Earth was covered with ice. What are the implications of the findings? This study reveals a wealth of information about Hancock Park visitors’ relationship to the Tar Pits and Page Museum. Most noteworthy is that even though all park visitors in our sample are similar demographically, visitors to the Museum learn more about the significance of the Tar Pits and the work scientists are doing than non-visitors. The fact that Page Museum visitors leave the park with a more developed sense of the site compared to those who simply visit the outdoor Tar Pits may be due to the wealth of information available in the Museum. While it would be ideal for these park visitors to visit the Museum, some of them simply may not feel inclined to do so. Thus, the park may need to provide other interpretive options for them if learning is going to take place. Increasing awareness of the Museum by highlighting the connection between the Tar Pits and the Page Museum is another opportunity to encourage visitation and further education.

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