A Study of Visitors to  

American Sabor 

Latinos in U.S. Popular Music 

An Exhibition by the  

Smithsonian Latino Center at the  

International Gallery of the  

S. Dillon Ripley Center 

 

 

 

 

 

February 2012 

 

Smithsonian Institution Office of Policy and Analysis

Page 2 of 14 

Preface 

AmericanSabor:LatinosinU.S.PopularMusic,anexhibitionorganizedbytheEMPMuseuminSeattleandtheUniversityofWashington,wasopenedbytheSmithsonianLatinoCenter(SLC)attheInternationalGalleryoftheS.DillonRipleyCenterinOctober2011.VisitorstotheexhibitionwerepresentedwithinnovationsandcontributionsofHispanicmusiciansandofferedthechancetoexperiencesomeoftherichnessofLatinosoundsthroughinteractiveelements.

ItwasonceagainapleasuretohavetheopportunitytoconductastudyfortheSLC.IwouldliketothanktheCenter’sDirector,EduardoDiaz,andExhibitionsandPublicProgramsDirector,RanaldWoodaman,foraskingtheOfficeofPolicyandAnalysis(OP&A)toundertakethestudy.IalsowishtoacknowledgeRanald’scontributionstotheadministrationofthesurvey.AdditionalthanksgotoOP&AstaffLanceCostellowhodesignedthequestionnaire,analyzedthedata,andwrotethefinalreport.

CaroleM.P.NevesDirectorSmithsonianOfficeofPolicyandAnalysis

Page 3 of 14 

Contents 

Preface...........................................................................................................................................................................2 

Background.................................................................................................................................................................4 

Methodology...............................................................................................................................................................4 

Findings........................................................................................................................................................................5 

Ratings...................................................................................................................................................................5 

Experiences..........................................................................................................................................................6 

VisitorCharacteristics.....................................................................................................................................7 

InterestsinInteractiveExhibitsandRegionalLatinoStories.......................................................7 

SmithsonianLatinoCenter............................................................................................................................8 

Demographics.....................................................................................................................................................8 

Discussion.................................................................................................................................................................10 

AppendixA.SurveyQuestionnaireforAmericanSabor:LatinosinU.S.PopularMusic..........11 

AppendixB.ResponseFrequenciesforAmericanSabor:LatinosinU.S.PopularMusic.........12 

Charts 

Chart1:VisitorRatingsforAmericanSabor................................................................................................5 

Chart2:SatisfyingExperiences..........................................................................................................................6 

Chart3:HowVisitorsFoundOutAboutAmericanSabor.......................................................................7 

Chart4:InterestsinInteractiveExhibitsandRegionalLatinoStories.............................................8 

Chart5:AgebyGeneration..................................................................................................................................9 

Page 4 of 14 

Background 

TheSmithsonianLatinoCenter(SLC)exhibitedAmericanSabor:LatinosinU.S.PopularMusic(AmericanSabor)attheSmithsonianInternationalGalleryfromJuly11throughOctober9,2011.The5,000‐square‐footexhibitionwascreatedbytheEMPMuseuminSeattleinpartnershipwiththeUniversityofWashingtonandcontained100artifactsincludingcostumesandmusicians'instruments;45interviewswithLatinomusicians;interactiveelements,includingkeyboardsandamixingboard;andadancefloorwherevisitorscouldmovetotheirfavoriteLatinrhythms.

ThebilingualexhibitionfocusedonfivecentersofLatinopopularmusicinAmerica:NewYorkCity,LosAngeles,Miami,SanAntonio,andSanFrancisco;tracedthemessuchastheeffectsofmigrationandimmigrationonLatinoandpopularmusic;examinedwaysthatLatinosexpresstheirhistoricalexperiencesthroughmusic;andlookedathowmusicalinnovationscrossethnicandracialboundaries.

SLCrequestedthattheSmithsonian’sOfficeofPolicyandAnalysis(OP&A)conductavisitorstudyofAmericanSabor:LatinosinU.S.PopularMusic.OfparticularinteresttotheCenterwaspublicreactiontotheexhibitandcharacteristicsofthevisitorsitattracted.

Methodology 

Inconductingthisexhibitionstudy,thestudyteamsurveyedasampleofvisitorsexitingtheexhibition.Visitorscompleted111self‐administeredsurveyquestionnaires,witharesponserateof91percent.FrequenciesofresponsestothequestionsonthesurveyareprovidedinAppendixA.

Page 5 of 14 

Findings 

Ratings 

VisitorswereaskedtoratetheiroverallexperiencesinAmericanSaboronafive‐pointscalethathasbeenappliedbyOP&AacrossSmithsonianexhibitions:poor,fair,good,excellent,andsuperior.Ingeneral,visitorswhoarebasicallysatisfiedwiththeirvisittendtomarkexcellent.Visitorswhohavecriticismswithanexhibitiontendtoselectoneofthelowerthreecategories—poor,fair,orgood.Thosewhohaveverypositiveresponsestendtomarksuperior.

JustoverhalfofvisitorstoAmericanSaborratedtheirexperiencesintheexhibitionasexcellent(53%).Aboutoneinfourvisitorsratedtheirexperiencelower(good,22%;fair,2%;poor,0%)andanequalpercentageratedithigher(superior,24%).TheseratingsareclosetotheSmithsonianaverageandsimilartotheratingsofSouthernIdentity,anSLCexhibitionondisplayattheInternationalGalleryoftheRipleyCenterfromOctober2010throughJanuary2011.1

Chart 1: Visitor Ratings for American Sabor 

 

                                                            1 Due to sample sizes, the margin of error for both American Sabor and Southern Identity was ±10%.

28%

35%

22%

47%

50%

53%

20%

14%

24%

0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%

Smithsonian Average

Southern Identity

American Sabor

Poor Fair Good Excellent Superior

Page 6 of 14 

Experiences 

VisitorswereofferedalistofsevenpossibleexperiencesandaskedtoselecttheonesthattheyfoundespeciallysatisfyinginAmericanSabor.Onaverage,visitorsmarkedthreeexperiences.

Thetwomostcommonlycitedsatisfyingexperiences—eachselectedbymorethanthreeinfivevisitors—werelearningexperiences:enrichingmyunderstanding(66%)andgaininginformation(62%).Thesewerefollowedbyapersonalconnectionexperience,recallingmemories(54%).Thethirdtierofexperienceswascomprisedofasecondpersonalconnectionexperience,connectingwiththeemotionalexperiencesofothers(43%)andanobjectexperience,seeingrare,valuable,oruncommonthings(41%).Leastlikelytobeselectedwereasecondobjectexperience,beingmovedbybeauty(28%)andanintrospectiveexperiencereflectingonthemeaningofwhatIsaw(27%).

Chart 2: Satisfying Experiences  

  

Ofthesevenexperiences,twohadstatisticallysignificantcorrelationswithratings.NearlyhalfofvisitorswhomarkedreflectingonthemeaningofwhatIsawratedtheexhibitionsuperior(48%vs.15%ofthosewhodidnotmark)andmorethantwoinfivevisitorswhomarkedseeingrare,valuable,oruncommonthingsratedtheexhibitionsuperior(43%vs.11%ofthosewhodidnotmark).

27%

28%

41%

43%

54%

62%

66%

0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%

Reflecting on the meaning of what I saw

Being moved by beauty

Seeing rare, valuable, or uncommon things

Connecting with the emotional experiences of others

Recalling memories

Gaining information

Enriching my understanding

Page 7 of 14 

Visitor Characteristics 

NearlythreeinfourvisitorsweremakingarepeatvisittotheSmithsonian(repeatvisitors,72%)andslightlylessthanhalfwerevisitingspecificallytoseeAmericanSabor(exhibition‐specificvisitors,47%).Repeatvisitorsweremorelikelytobeexhibition‐specificvisitors(55%vs.28%offirsttimevisitors)andmorelikelytoratetheiroverallexperiencesasExcellentorSuperior(85%vs.54%offirsttimevisitors).

Visitorswerealsoaskedhowtheyfoundoutabouttheexhibition.Themostcommonresponse,selectedbyalmosthalfofrespondents,wasvisitingtheSmithsonian(46%).Threeintenvisitorsfoundoutfromfriends/family/colleagues(29%).Fewervisitorsselectedtheremainingoptions:advertisement(8%),website(5%),newspaperarticle/review(3%),andSmithsonianLatinoCenterTwitteraccount(0%).Oneinsixvisitorsnotedtheirsourceasother(16%).

Chart 3: How Visitors Found Out About American Sabor 

 

Interests in Interactive Exhibits and Regional Latino Stories 

Amajorityofvisitorsmarkedthattheywereveryinterestedininteractiveexhibits(72%),andthattheywereveryinterestedinregionalLatinostories(66%).Exhibition‐specificvisitorsweremorelikelytobeveryinterestedininteractiveexhibits(91%vs.57%ofothervisitors)andveryinterestedinregionalLatinostories(81%vs.52%ofothervisitors).

16%

0%

3%

5%

8%

29%

46%

0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%

Other

Smithsonian Latino Center Twitter account

Newspaper article/review

Website

Advertisement

Friends/Family/Colleagues

Visiting the Smithsonian today

Page 8 of 14 

Chart 4: Interests in Interactive Exhibits and Regional Latino Stories 

 

Smithsonian Latino Center 

AboutoneinthreevisitorsknewthattherewasaSmithsonianLatinoCenterbeforethisvisit(28%).Twoinfivefoundoutduringthisvisit(39%)andoneinthreelearnedabouttheCenterwhenIreadthisquestion(33%).Exhibition‐specificandrepeatvisitorsweremorelikelytoknowabouttheSmithsonianLatinoCenterbeforetheirvisitsthanlearnaboutitduringtheirvisitsorwhenreadingthequestion(45%vs.11%ofgeneralvisitorsand37%vs.7%offirst‐timevisitors,respectively).Likewise,visitorswhofoundoutabouttheexhibitionfromfriends/family/colleaguesweremorelikelytoknowaboutSLCbeforetheirvisits(50%vs.19%ofvisitorswhofoundoutfromanothersource).

MorethanthreeinfourvisitorswoulddefinitelyvisitanotherSmithsonianLatinoCenterexhibitioniftheywereinWashingtonduringthenextyear(76%)andmostoftherestmight(21%).Onlytwopercentrespondedthattheywouldnot.

Demographics 

Age:Theaverageageofrespondentswas43andthemedianagewas45.Dividingtherespondentsbygeneration:1%wereoftheGIgeneration(bornbefore1925);5%,Silentgeneration(born1925‐1945);19%,LeadingBoomers(born1946‐1955);14%,TrailingBoomers(born1956‐1964);38%,GenerationX(born1965‐1981);21%,GenerationY(born1982‐1998);and2%,GenerationZ(DigitalNatives,bornafter1995).

72

66

26

32

0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%

Interest in interactive exhibits

Interest in regional Latino stories

Very Somewhat Not at all

Page 9 of 14 

Chart 5: Age by Generation 

 

Sex:Nearlyequalnumbersofwomen(51%)andmen(49%)attendedtheexhibition.

Group composition:Aboutthreeinfourrespondentswerevisitingwithatleastoneotheradult(73%).Roughlyoneinfivewerevisitingalone(19%)andoneintenwerewithatleastonechildundertheageofeighteen(11%).

Latino:Justovertwoinfivevisitorsself‐identifiedasbeingofHispanicorLatinoorigin(42%).

Race:Visitorswerealsoaskedtoidentifytherace(orraces)theyconsideredthemselvestobe.Slightlyfewerthanthreeinfourvisitorsselectedwhite(71%)andslightlymorethanoneinfourselectedAfricanAmerican/Black(28%).Fewervisitorsself‐identifiedasAsian(8%);NativeHawaiian/PacificIslander(4%);orAmericanIndian/NativeAlaskan(3%).

Residence:JustunderhalfofrespondentswerelocalvisitorsfromtheWashingtonD.C.metropolitanarea(47%);aboutoneineightwerevisitingfromanothercountry(12%).Theremainingtwo‐fifths(41%)camefromelsewhereintheU.S.Notably,localvisitorsweremorelikelytobeexhibitionspecificvisitors(67%comparedto30%ofnon‐locals).

 

Generation Z (Digital 

Natives), 2%

Generation Y, 21%

Generation X, 38%

Trailing Boom, 14%

Leading Boom, 19%

Silent, 5%GI, 1%

Page 10 of 14 

Discussion 

ThedatasuggestthatvisitorsweresatisfiedwithAmericanSabor,ratingtheiroverallexperiencesclosetotheSmithsonianaverage.Twoexperiencesweresignificantlycorrelatedwithvisitorsatisfaction:reflectingonthemeaningofwhatIsawandseeingrare,valuable,oruncommonthings.VisitorswhoselectedeitheroftheseexperiencesweremorelikelytoratetheiroverallexperiencesintheexhibitionasSuperior.Morecommonly,however,visitorsweresatisfiedwiththelearningexperiencesofferedbyAmericanSabor.Themostcommonlycitedespeciallysatisfyingexperienceswereenrichingmyunderstandingandgaininginformation.

ConsistentwithapreviousstudyofSLC’sSouthernIdentityexhibition,morevisitorsmadetheirvisitsspecificallytoseeAmericanSabor(47%)thanknewabouttheSmithsonianLatinoCenterbeforetheirvisits(28%).Inotherwords,priortotheirvisits,morevisitorsknewabouttheexhibitionthanwhowashostingit.Halfofvisitorswhofoundoutabouttheexhibitionfromfriends/family/colleagueswereunawareoftheSLCuntilvisitingAmericanSaborortakingthesurvey.ThissuggeststhatwordofmouthpublicityforexhibitionsdoesnotnecessarilycarrywithitpromotionoftheCenter.

Page 11 of 14 

Appendix A. Survey Questionnaire for 

American Sabor: Latinos in U.S. Popular Music 

Page 12 of 14 

Appendix B. Response Frequencies for 

American Sabor: Latinos in U.S. Popular Music 

IsthisyourfirstvisittotheSmithsonian?72% No28% Yes

Pleaserateyouroverallexperienceinthisexhibition,AmericanSabor:0% Poor2% Fair22% Good53% Excellent24% Superior

Whichexperiencesdidyoufindespeciallysatisfyinginthisexhibition?[Markoneormore.]

28% Beingmovedbybeauty43% Connectingwiththeemotionalexperiencesofothers66% Enrichingmyunderstanding62% Gaininginformation54% Recallingmemories27% ReflectingonthemeaningofwhatIsaw41% Seeingrare,valuable,oruncommonthings

DidyoucometotheSmithsoniantodayspecificallytoseethisexhibition?53% No47% Yes

Howdidyoufindoutaboutthisexhibition?[Markoneormore]46% VisitingtheSmithsoniantoday29% Friends/Family/Colleagues8% Advertisement3% Newspaperarticle/review0% SmithsonianLatinoCenterTwitteraccount5% Website(Whichone:________________)16% Other:_________________________

Page 13 of 14 

WhendidyoufirstfindoutthatthereisaSmithsonianLatinoCenter?28% Beforethisvisit39% Duringthisvisit33% WhenIreadthisQuestion

IfyouwereinWashingtoninthenextyear,wouldyouvisitanotherSmithsonianLatinoCenterexhibition?

2% No21% Imight76% Yesdefinitely

Howinterestedareyouin......interactiveexhibits?

2% Notatall26% Somewhat72% Very

...regionalLatinostories?3% Notatall32% Somewhat66% Very

Areyoumaleorfemale?51% Female49% Male

Whatisyourage?43 Average(Mean)45 Median

1% GI(Bornbefore1925)5% Silent(Born1925‐1945)19% LeadingBoom(Born1946‐1955)14% TrailingBoom(Born1956‐1964)38% GenerationX(Born1965‐1981)21% GenerationY(Born1982‐1995)2% GenerationZ(DigitalNatives)(Bornafter1995)

Page 14 of 14 

Withwhomareyouvisiting?[Markoneormore]19% Iamalone73% Otheradult(s)11% Child(ren)under18

DoyouliveintheUnitedStatesoranothercountry?90% UnitedStates,ZipCode:10% Anothercountry,specify:

Whatracedoyouconsideryourselftobe?[Markoneormore]28% AfricanAmerican/Black3% AmericanIndian/NativeAlaskan8% Asian(Chinese,Indian,Japanese,etc.)4% NativeHawaiian/PacificIslander71% White

AreyouofHispanicorLatinoorigin?58% No42% Yes