Gen Z Likes Museums, But…

Hi! I’m so excited you’re here!

I’m Laura Del Greco, Founder of MUSAY, and I’m writing to let you in on a little secret – moving to Nashville was the best thing I could have done for MUSAY- what an incredible community!

Here are the latest fun facts, insights and happenings!

About Last Night…(at the Museum)

Museums and Gen Z are like a RomCom couple who pass one another on the street, are attracted and intrigued, but with no obvious way of meeting, (other than to brave a cold intro), stay separated until some random person, (dry cleaner, Starbucks Barista) who knows them both connects them.

Sticking with the RomCom theme, there are – especially in Act 2 – many people who make assumptions and don’t understand why this couple would even want to meet. “They’ll never like one another!” or “They’re totally mismatched.”

In the RomCom of real life, MUSAY is the “person” that connects the passing strangers; the intrigued, curious digital natives and the engaging, dynamic and event-rich third places – museums. We know they’re eager to learn more about one another and build a relationship that suits them both.

My road to understanding exactly how to make this connection happen has been long, (that’s a post for another time), and, just like in the movies, I’ve been told this relationship would never work.

“Gen Z doesn’t care about museums.”

Or, “You should focus on art students from elite universities” – a statement that is based on multiple incorrect assumptions. (Aside from the obvious biases, over 80% of museums are actually history museums!)

These responses used to frustrate me until I realized – they aren’t talking with people and museums the way we are and their misunderstanding is MUSAY’s opportunity. Here’s a bit of what we’ve learned….!

MUSAY Knows…

General Insights

• Gen Z likes to visit museums on their own terms based on their mood/vibe¹

• The #1 REASON people visit museums is…to spend time with others²  

• Gen Z is the loneliest generation (73%) – they want IRL belonging, connection & community³

(Kind of makes sense to put them together, right?)

MUSAY’s Data: Nashville Gen Z Insights⁴

• 62% of almost 100 students polled in Nashville recently visited a museum

• 86% of those indicated they were “very likely” or “somewhat likely” to visit again

• Friends Matter: Word of Mouth (WOM) is the most effective channel for museum discovery (33%)

• The content doesn’t always connect – “Highlight people having fun!!! – not just artifacts or graphics.”

What’s Happening Now?

Members of Gen Z are working directly with MUSAY to tell us:

• How MUSAY can better connect them with the engaging, interactive and event-rich spaces that are museums (this means we’re rebuilding the app)!

• Where and How to reach and engage them

• Who they trust and listen to for recommendations (Friends)

• Why they’ll get up off their sofa and go out (The right vibe – and friends)

• What they really think about museums

What’s Next?

In upcoming posts, and on our Instagram, you’ll hear from voices that are younger than mine – voices of a generation that find value in all that museums have to offer – voices that believe there is a RomCom Happily Ever After for Gen Z and Museums.

Oh…and you’ll get updated research and updates on MUSAY’s relaunch too!

About MUSAY

MUSAY is an App that transforms phones from isolation devices into discovery tools to  connect people with cultural experiences they never knew they needed—creating community around shared moments of awe while helping cultural institutions thrive.

MUSAY believes people, especially Gen Z, deserve more than endless scrolling through other people’s lives and has engaged them in its design process.  The result is an App that gets people off their sofa and off their screen by helping them find things to do that fit their vibe; with all the things to do being at museums.