Advice giving in contested space

Shortly after the ratification of the peace accords, the national museum of Northern Ireland created an exhibition on the legacy of The Troubles, a term used to refer to the previous 30 years of violent civil strife. This exhibition aimed to address the conflicted understanding of this time period through the inclusion of multiple stories, artifacts representing both communities, and ongoing input from museum visitors. As anticipated, the exhibition was contested even prior to its opening. An evaluator was contracted to assess visitor satisfaction and learning outcomes, and provided with an evaluation advisory group (EAG) that consisted of two high-ranking museum staff and a high-ranking museum professional who had worked on regional and national issues for museums. This case study will describe how this EAG provided the necessary political coverage to allow the evaluation to be designed, carried out, and used.