So, after my earlier post, I started wondering about my own institution… Are we a Mac or a PC at heart (according to the rad Hunch infographic)?!?

To start with the core demographics, PCs are 22% more likely to by aged 34-49, while Macs are more 22% more likely to be aged 18-34. According to the 2011 NSW Guess who’s going to the gallery? report 2/10 gallery visitors in NSW will be aged under 34, and 3/10 will be aged between 35-54. (PC 1 – Mac 0).

And what else? Well, PCs are 18% more likely to live in the suburbs and 21% live in a rural area, while 52% of Macs live in the city. In NSW at least 50% of people will live in the Local Government Area of the gallery that they are visiting… so, given that my gallery is located in a regional centre, I guess we don’t quite count as being a city… (so PC 2 – Mac 0).

Finally education… according to Hunch, 54% of PCs have completed a 4 year college degree or higher, whereas 67% of Macs have done the same. In NSW 55% of gallery visitors will have an undergrad degree or higher… which again means that PCs get one up. (PC 3 – Mac 0).

So we are looking pretty much as if we are a PC at my institution, if these basic stats for NSW hold true. But what about our fashion, taste and aesthetics?

Well, PCs are 21% more likely to prefer impressionist art, whilst Macs prefer modern art and are design enthusiasts. I think our gallery sits well with both these areas… Some of our big exhibitions are more traditional, like the Hans Heysen exhibition. But CURIOUS COLONY A twenty first century wunderkammer was a huge hit, and the high school exhibition ARTEXPRESS is always popular. And our annual Look Hear art and design talks are always popular with a hip young crowd who would probably describe themselves as being designer/chic (even if they’re really just hipsters)… Not to mention that right now, visitors to the NRAG can buy raffle tickets to win a vespa decorated by a contemporary artist, which is the Mac vehicle of choice.

So I think once we include fashion we can get the rating closer to PC 3 – Mac 3… But when I look at the full list, I think that all things considered, my gallery really is a PC. No matter how fashionable and contemporary visitors to my gallery might look, those core demographics probably hold the truth of where my institution lies. So when we think about our audience and the web, it’s probably worth keeping in mind that our audience is less likely to be made up of computer savvy gear-heads and early adopters, and more likely to be those for whom the computer is less natural and intuitive. And that we probably can’t go wrong if we serve chardonnay at openings.