The name of a course I developed at Pratt Institute, and that is now a requirement for students in the Art and Design Education department, as well as an elective for students in other departments. Also a main course for the Minor in Museum and Gallery Practices. Also online at Kadenze.
Really synthesized all experience, knowledge and thinking to create a course that provides all the foundational elements, as well as opportunities to engage with theories and the practice of museum education. ‘Contemporary’ because it IS a contemporary critical and creative practice! With lots of impact and great possibilities for the future…
The class provides a theoretical and practical understanding of the growing field of contemporary museum education. It includes an examination of the changes occurring in art and design educational paradigms within the museum world, the evolving nature of museums as institutions with educational missions, along with learning and interpretive theories unique to the museum context. The class provides an extensive hands-on component devoted to the special methods, practices, and skills associated with teaching with artworks, and in designing educational material, projects, programs and innovative learning experiences within the art and design museum settings. The course also explores critical issues facing the field through theory, practice, and the analysis of case studies, including audience diversity, collaboration with schools and communities, the rethinking of museum missions and practices, and the potential for innovation and avant-garde practice within the field.