See Me at Home (Part 1)

Access Smithsonian’s See Me program thrives in the digital world and connects more participants than ever to the Smithsonian’s collections. This is Part 1 of two articles that looks at the See Me program. Go to Part 2.

See Me at the Smithsonian is an interactive program for adults with dementia and their care partners. On scheduled weekdays, pre-registered participants explore some of the Smithsonian’s most beloved objects in small group discussions with multi-sensory activities.

In part one of this article, we hear from Ashley Grady, Senior Program Specialist with Access Smithsonian, who sheds light on the origins of See Me, and discusses how the move from in-person to virtual programming has changed See Me for the better.

Ashley, along with the director of Access Smithsonian, Beth Ziebarth, had wanted to create programming for adults with dementia, and their care partners, at the Smithsonian for quite some time. This type of programming wasn’t new in the museum world – early pioneers include the Museum of Modern Art in New York with their program, Meet Me at MoMA, which began in 2007. To get started, Ashley and Beth formed an advisory committee for the program in 2016. The following year, they trained staff and a few docent volunteers to begin a pilot program at the National Portrait Gallery, which debuted that October. Since then, several museums have joined the program, including the Smithsonian American Art Museum, the Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery, the National Museum of African American History and Culture, the National Museum of American History, the National Museum of African Art, and the Cooper Hewitt Smithsonian Design Museum.

When the Smithsonian closed its doors in 2020 due to the pandemic, See Me was forced to assess whether or not their regular participants would be interested in a virtual program from home; there was a question if a digital program could be engaging enough. Would the computer screen present a new barrier?

Overwhelmingly, the majority of participants affirmed that they wanted to try out a new on-screen offering. And so, in May of 2020, See Me debuted their virtual program. The format remains largely the same as the in-person equivalent: Attendees meet and take several minutes to closely look at two to three objects (viewing them from a PowerPoint). They are then given time to form responses and discuss what they see. This is a process called slow looking, learning through observation. Sometimes a teaching artist is also present to offer an additional activity or a sensory experience in relation to what participants observed.

Ashley reveals that today See Me is thriving in the virtual world. She attributes its success to many things, including the realization of just how many barriers there are for people when trying to get to the Smithsonian – transportation, parking, scheduling MetroAccess – and how exhausting those are for participants. Eliminating some of these barriers has led to increased attention spans and stamina. Additionally, participants naturally feel more relaxed and comfortable at home. During an onsite program, participants would often need a break after 45 minutes. A virtual program, Ashley reports, may run longer than 60 minutes.

There are additional benefits to virtual programming as well. One can be exemplified in the PowerPoint presentation, during which viewers can zoom in and see various angles of the work or object being presented. This aids the slow looking that is incorporated throughout the program. Another benefit is the expansion of objects that can be used. For a virtual program, educators and staff can choose items not on view in the museums to use as the inspiration for the event, as long as it’s available through Smithsonian Open Access. This gives educators the opportunity to tell stories and make connections they would not have been able to inside the museum.

With See Me’s on-screen success, totaling 247 participants in the first four months of 2021 alone (they had 213 participants in all of 2019, for comparison), when programs are offered in person again, Ashley says they will continue to offer See Me virtually as well.

In Part 2, we will learn about how See Me fosters pan-institutional relationships, and how volunteers play a part. We’ll also talk to two volunteers who tell us about their experience! Check back next week to see the conclusion.

See Me programs in English are held on the 1st and 3rd Wednesday of the month from 2:00 to 3:00 p.m. Programs in Spanish are held on the 4th Wednesday of the month from 2:00 to 3:00 p.m. Virtual programming for larger groups in community locations are available upon request.

If you’re interested in learning more about See Me please contact Ashley Grady at GradyA@si.edu.

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