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ETD Abstract Container

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Symphonic poem: A case study in museum education

Genshaft, Carole Miller
http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1196175987

Abstract Details

2007, Doctor of Philosophy, Ohio State University, Art Education.
In this case study, I examine the extraordinary work of contemporary artist Aminah Brenda Lynn Robinson and the intersection of my experience as an educator serving as a co-curator for Symphonic Poem, a major retrospective exhibition of her work in 2003. I examine the role of museum educators in developing and presenting exhibitions that empower visitors to discover their own meaning in Aminah’s complex and layered work. My examination of the case and my research related to it highlight the challenges and opportunities that face museum educators and all museum workers in an era when museums are examining their relevancy as they compete with all types of cultural and commercial events and venues for people’s time and attention. This collaboration between a curator of contemporary art and an educator provides an alternative approach to traditional museum practices and organizational structures and raises important questions concerning the training and practice of museum professionals. In addition to examining the role of museum educators in exhibitions, this work presents strategies to encourage K-12 students and visitors of all ages to critically confront issues of identity, race, and oppression that hover just below the rich patterns and button-encrusted surface of Aminah’s work. In the world the artist has created, being black is the norm, but everyone is invited to participate by sharing their memories, stories, and dreams. Art like that of Aminah Robinson helps to fill in the gaps that the modern museum created in regard to marginalizing and ignoring the voices of women and minorities. Educators in the post-museum can become border-crossers themselves in creating exhibitions, linking them with a broad range of communities, and encouraging visitors to become border-crossers as well.
Christine Ballengee Morris (Advisor)
226 p.
Education, Art
art education; museum education; educators and exhibitions; museum educators and curators; critical pedagogy in museums; Aminah Brenda Lynn Robinson; museums and civic dialogue; art and poetry; African-American spirituals

Recommended Citations

Citations

  • Genshaft, C. M. (2007). Symphonic poem: A case study in museum education [Doctoral dissertation, Ohio State University]. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1196175987

    APA Style (7th edition)

  • Genshaft, Carole. Symphonic poem: A case study in museum education. 2007. Ohio State University, Doctoral dissertation. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center, http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1196175987.

    MLA Style (8th edition)

  • Genshaft, Carole. "Symphonic poem: A case study in museum education." Doctoral dissertation, Ohio State University, 2007. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1196175987

    Chicago Manual of Style (17th edition)

osu1196175987
2,859
© 2007, all rights reserved.
This open access ETD is published by The Ohio State University and OhioLINK.