Brenda,

I, too, would be very interested to read your paper that results from
your survey.

Here is my response:

 1. What type of educational training do you feel best prepares museum
professionals for work in museum education at an art museum? a. academic
art history b. studio art c. education -- what kind? how common are
museum education degrees? d. other -- I'd be interested in hearing of
unusual backgrounds

An advanced art history degree provides the best background for an art
museum educator. The type of scholarship learned in an art history
program is essential to our work in art museum education. This is backed
up by  two informal studies on this topic presented at last years
National Art Educators Association Annual Conference. I have added my
notes on these presentations to the end of this email. A close second is
an advanced degree in Education. There are a few educators at our museum
that have advanced degrees in both art history and education. There are
of course exceptions. My story is one of them. I literally started
museum work in the mail room and worked my way up. I brought to the
museum a wealth of professional experience, a educational background in
the visual arts, and a desire to continue my education. Since starting
work in museum education I have earned my MA in Education. This has
opened new doors and opportunities for me that would not have been
available otherwise. If I were to hire an entry-level staff member now,
I don't think I would consider someone with a resume similar to the one
I held when I started.

The two backgrounds are necessary. You have to have a command of the
content and methods of art historian and a foundation in educational
research and theory. To be an effective museum educator you need to be
able to speak the language of art and know how people learn.

I need to think about your second question more and will get back to
you off list.

Here are my notes from the NAEA conference presentations on this topic.
These are my notes based on having attended these presentation I hope
that I have represented their work accurately.

Topic: Educating the Museum Educator: for Today and Tomorrow
Presented by: Melinda Mayer, University of Texas
Friday, March 22, 2002
1996 survey of Museum Educators
Museum Educators’ surveyed held their highest degree in the following
majors:

Education               31.2 %
Art History             30.2 %
Museum Studies  6.4 %
Studio                  11.9 %
Other                   14.4 %
Left blank              5.9 %

5 % were Ph.D., 15 % were BA, and 80 % were MA.

AVISO Newsletters were reviewed from January 2001 to the present for
job listings for Museum Educators. 180 positions were found. Based on
these postings the following lists were generated.

Desired Attributes
Motivated, energetic, creative, dynamic, innovative, proactive
individual, team worker, collaborator with strong interpersonal skills,
able to plan, develop, promote, manage, organize and implement programs,
communicate effectively in writing and orally, sense of humor desirable,
and research skills.

Desired Areas of Knowledge
Multiple intelligences, art education theory, education theory, adult
learning theory, museum education theory, Visual Thinking Strategies,
cultural issues, and art history

Skills
Research, lesson planning, master teaching, audience research,
evaluation, fund raising, grant development, budget, marketing, light
construction

Technology Requirement
Video production (online and otherwise), computer literacy, web site
development, internet/digital learning, and distance learning

Trend is from object centered to visitor centered learning.

Requirements that missing from the above lists:
Managing people, knowledge aesthetics, and supervision (leadership)




Topic: Education of Art Museum Professionals
Presented by: Yi-Chien Chen, Florida State University
Saturday, March 23, 2002
A museum can be defined as a shrine, a warehouse, a case of
curiosities, and/or a market place.

Does the museum store change the meaning of museum?

AAM does not accredit museum studies programs. There isn’t any other
governing body for these programs. What is a museum studies program?
What museum career would require a museum studies degree?

Document content analysis was conducted of AVISO job placement ads to
recognize patterns. A survey of museum studies students and museum
professional swill be conducted and reviewed for correlation. The
content analysis has been completed. This part of the research was
presented.

The content analysis divided the ad language into 5 categories:
personality, education, skills, responsibilities, and professional
museum experience.

AVISO job placement ads from April to September of 2001 were reviewed.
42 entries were found for museum education positions. Because this is
content analysis each time an element is mentioned it is counted. For
example if a position requires an advanced degree in Art History and/or
Education both art history and education are counted.
33 ads required Masters degrees of which 30 were in Art History.

Skills:
Oral communication (31), writing (26), organizational skills (16), and
computer – office (12)

Personality:
Interpersonal/team player (21), collaborative, creative imaginative,
dynamic, innovative

Responsibilities:
Educational programs (42), community outreach (30), staff management
(15), collection interpretation (14), curriculum management (14), docent
training (17), fiscal management (10)

Museum experience:
Minimum 3 years (13), Minimum 2 years (6), minimum 5 years (6),
professional experience in museum education (31), professional
experience in k-12 teaching (9)

The desirable candidate would then be a team player with a Masters
Degree in Art History with 3 years museum education experience and will
be responsible for educational programs and community outreach.

Conclusion:
The industry needs to set a standard for museum studies programs.
Museums need to be more involved in the education of future
professionals in the field.


Treden Wagoner
Coordinator of Education Technology Programs
The Minneapolis Institute of Arts
2400 Third Avenue South
Minneapolis, Minnesota 55404
612-870-3189
Toll free 888-642-2787 extension 3189
Fax 612-870-3004
Email [log in to unmask]
http://www.artsMIA.org
http://www.ArtsConnectEd.org

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