From one Jill to another, I guess I slightly disagree with this statement.
Although I am a curator (I have worked in museum education as well), when I work on an exhibit, I am constantly thinking about the audience. Our museum strives to write for an audience reading at the 8th grade level.
Also, as a curator for a history museum, we do interpretive exhibits. When I am choosing artifacts, photographs and writing labels, I'm also thinking about learning styles. We edit our labels very carefully as a group to make sure we are meeting the appropriate reading level. I personally stive to choose artifacts and photographs that tell good stories on their own (sometimes a photo or artifact can tell a story on its own, other times it is when they are brought together that a concept is really brought to light). I think this is important because some people are more visual learners while others prefer to read to get information.
Our approaches may be different since you work for an art museum.
Ok, I'm done ranting now!
Jill L. Keehner
Jill Keehner
Curator
Kansas State Historical Society
6425 SW 6th Avenue
Topeka, Kansas 66615-1099
(785) 272-8681 ext. 425
>>> Jill <[log in to unmask]> 06/13/02 09:00AM >>>
Cecelia et al:
It's the educator's job to put the audience first, but the curator's job to
put the collection first.
This is just a reminder from a persnickety curator that without a
collection, there's no museum, and therefore no museum education!
Jill R. Chancey, Curator
Lauren Rogers Museum of Art
Laurel, MS
(phone) 601-649-6374
(fax) 601-649-6379
************************************************
Date: Wed, 12 Jun 2002 12:36:26 -0700
From: Cecelia Ottenweller <[log in to unmask]>
Subject: Re: Definition of Museum Education
Hi all,
Keni said "To me, museum education is a way of thinking that puts the
visitor, the museum's audience, first. We are the people who should
beadvocating for the public within our institutions." Amen! The
number of hats we wear!! Forget Clark Kent and "Smallville" - to be a
museum educator is a superhuman task in many ways. It's so easy for
non-profit administrations to lose sight of the real reason the
institution exists, and our job is to bring it all back to the
mission.
The comments have been great - thanks for the discussion, folks.
Cecelia
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