Photo courtesy of artdaily.org
As a child, I had an avid fondness for visiting museums. The thought of exploring cultures and customs different from my own never failed to stir in me a feeling of great contentment. The joy I felt wandering the various exhibits of a museum did not diminish as I grew older; rather, I became increasingly interested in the potential of experiencing a museum from within the institution itself. This passion for education has ultimately led me to aspire to someday work in the Education Department of a museum, helping to develop programming that allows guests to make the most of their museum experience.
Personally, I do not believe that you need to have an extensive art history, archaeology, or studio art background in order to have an enriching and worthwhile trip to a museum, whether it be an institution focusing on natural history, or one dedicated to the display of contemporary and modern art. However, museums can be very intimidating and unfamiliar places where visitors may have to confront artwork they have never before experienced. This is where the role of the museum educator becomes crucial. In her article “Changing Practices of Interpretation,” Lisa C. Roberts examines the transformation of the role of the museum educator, as well as the importance of interpretation in the museum throughout the 20th century. Educators are the ones that bridge the gap between the viewer and a piece of art by developing interpretive elements that allow for personal connections to be made. As Roberts explains, “visitors’ interest and attention is determined not by an object’s inherent appeal but its relevance to their own framework of knowledge and experience” (150). In order for a visitor to connect to a piece, the art must be made relevant to his or her personal experiences and interests. In addition to being pertinent to the individual, art must also be easily accessible to those guests who wish to view it.
The Dulwich Picture Gallery in the United Kingdom is going above and beyond in their efforts to make educational programming available to their community. A recent article on the Art Daily website describes the traveling exhibition newly launched by the Dulwich Picture Gallery named the Artmobile, whose function is to transport their award-winning outreach program to a variety of community venues, including schools and hospitals. The Gallery currently works with over 100 community centers and offers free programs year round. This institution has clearly understood the importance of equipping all members of its community with the opportunity to experience the Gallery, a place that they may not have been otherwise able to visit on their own.
Museums, as a whole, must be made accessible to every member of the community. Historically, museums were institutions that catered to the upper class or the elite individuals that possessed the means to indulge in the patronage of the arts, as explained in John Cotton Dana’s article “The Gloom of the Museum.” In contemporary times, museums have become more available to a wider audience, due in large part to the supreme efforts of museum educators throughout the last century. Museum education and interpretation are vital to the survival of the museum as an institution, and I hope that I am able to one day contribute to the valiant efforts of those educators, such as those at the Dulwich Picture Gallery, in their mission to promote learning in our society.
Check out these articles that inspired this entry in Museum Musings!
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