MA, Kent State University, 2016, College of the Arts / School of Art

PACE, CHRISTINE, M.A., AUGUST, 2016 ART EDUCATION ART MUSEUM EDUCATION AND WELL-BEING (161PP.) Director of Thesis: Robin Vande Zande This research looks at how well-being manifests within art museum educational programming with non-traditional participants. The specific programming studied took place onsite at the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts (MMFA) in Quebec, Canada, where this type of programming has been in practice for almost two decades. Museum educators, administrators, and program personnel were interviewed in order to explore the ways in which well-being is perceived, defined, and implemented within curriculum and teaching at the MMFA. Program observations, content analyses, and literature reviews were all conducted, coded, and analyzed as part of this qualitative, collective case study. The goal of this research is to allow those within, as well as those outside of, the field of art education to more fully understand art museum education programming for well-being, justify a need for this type of programming, and to apply information learned as a model for future programming.

Master of Arts, The Ohio State University, 2019, Arts Policy and Administration

Using the Columbus Museum of Art (CMA) in Columbus, Ohio as a case study, this thesis explores how American art museums can position themselves to become more diverse and inclusive institutions. The research comes at a critical moment when discussions concerning diversity, inclusion, equity, and accessibility are mounting in the museum field, the United States is consistently confronting problems with intolerance surrounding difference, and the nation's minority population is growing exponentially. Data was collected through semi-structured interviews with staff members and volunteers associated with the CMA and the analysis of privately and publicly available documents. By examining the CMA's initiatives, relationships, and organizational priorities, four findings emerged: the visitor-centered focus of the museum positions the institution to better address diversity and inclusion work, the museum operates as an open system that leads to collaboration and innovation, the museum's emphasis on community relationships results in increased inclusion and diverse perspectives, and the museum provides varied programming that aims to serve a diverse audience. Based on the findings, this study concludes that museums striving to make a commitment to diversity and inclusion should consider operating as an open museum system with a visitor-centered focus and an emphasis on community relationships, as it may enhance diversity and inclusion work. The study also provides recommendations for improved diversity and inclusion work at art museums across the country.

Master of Arts, The Ohio State University, 2017, Arts Policy and Administration

Using Simon Sinek's `Golden Circles' framework, this study begins by identifying what a hub for creative engagement is—a space that provides opportunities for visitors to foster creativity through participatory engagement. This study then explores how large regional art museums implement hubs for creative engagement. Using the Wonderkamers in the Gemeentemuseum in the Netherlands and the Center for Creativity in the Columbus Museum of Art in the United States as case studies, this study relies on a mixed-methods approach of synthesizing publicly available sources, curator interviews, and participant observations to understand how these spaces impact visitor creativity and visitor engagement. Participant observations reveal that visitors of all ages are attracted to hubs for creative engagement, that visitors are more likely to choose participatory over passive engagement when given the option, and—per Stuart Brown's (2010) typology of play—that social, creative, and object play occur most frequently when they participate. By comparing these findings to the curators' intentions for these spaces, this study also reveals how effectively these hubs for creative engagement meet their intended goals. Finally, this study finds that creativity and innovation are understood in largely the same way in both the United States and the Netherlands, making hubs for creative engagement an asset for art museums in more than one region of the world. Consequently, this study provides a framework for how to implement a hub for creative engagement that can be utilized by any applicable art museum.

MA, Kent State University, 2016, College of Arts and Sciences / Department of History

This thesis explores the comparative historicization of Holocaust memory in Holocaust museums in the United States and Germany. This study compares four different museums – two German, two American – that have not previously been the subject of monographic, comparative investigation: the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum; the Holocaust Museum Houston; the Jewish Museum Berlin; and the Jewish Museum Frankfurt. I explore the way in which museums memorialize the Holocaust and are shaped by national histories and patterns of collective memory. Discourse analysis is used to analyze the text panels of the four museums to determine the differences between how the American museums and how the German museums compare the Holocaust, and offer reasons for why these differences occur. The use of text panels yields universality to the study, since each of the four museums utilize text panels to display the main educational information to the public. In this study, I argue that the Americanization of the Holocaust in the American museums and the different national memories of the Holocaust in the United States and Germany account for many of the major differences in the museums. To demonstrate this, evidence from three different parts of the museums – the sections that cover anti-Semitism, Jewish resistance during the Holocaust, and the conclusion of the Holocaust museums or exhibits – is employed.

MA, Kent State University, 2014, College of Arts and Sciences / Department of History

For nearly a century, Ohio's Cleveland Museum of Art has stood as a world-renowned collector of works of art from all corners of the earth, including ones from the European Middle Ages (ca. 500-1500 AD). The CMA has also recently undertaken a massive reinstallation project begun in 2005, which allowed it a rare opportunity to rethink its presentation of the entire collection, to refocus goals of making it more relevant and engaging for visitors, and to implement the use of interpretive technology to provide visitors an opportunity to access more information. Through a museological framework, the basic question this project examines is how the staff at the Cleveland Museum of Art has presented the history and art of the Middle Ages through the new medieval galleries, and through their interpretive and educational tools and techniques. This study argues that the interpretive and educational practices for the medieval galleries at the Cleveland Museum of Art demonstrate how opportunities for meaning-making are created for visitors. This is done with various elements of interpretation, which includes grouping and arrangement of objects, aesthetics of the galleries, informational labels and panels, and supplemental technology. These all stress a connection to the people of the Middle Ages to help visitors experience what the world was like for people who saw and used the art in that time. There are also many educational programs that focus on teaching visitors about the Middle Ages specifically, including classroom programs, traditional programs, and programs designed for all ages to make learning fun while also providing context. A study of the educational and interpretive practices at the Cleveland Museum of Art that pertain to the medieval collection demonstrates that they aim to facilitate visitor-object interactions, increase opportunities to make meaning and learn from objects, and to make the art accessible to the public. This has been done through crafting a narr (open full item for complete abstract)

Master of Arts, The Ohio State University, 2010, Art Education

Art Around Town is a Columbus Museum of Art outreach program designed for family audiences. The program takes an authentic work of art from the Museum's collection into different Central Ohio locations, along with a host of family-friendly activities such as artmaking, gallery games and discussions. Art Around Town was created to provide Columbus families with a fun, free, and accessible opportunity to experience authentic art in the comfort of their own respective communities, as well as raise awareness about the Museum and its family-oriented programs and initiatives. The concept for Art Around Town was inspired by the notion of the democratic museum which is an idea championed by museum theorists John Cotton Dana, Stephen Weil, and George Hein. They argued that museums are inherently public institutions and, as such, are bound to serve and be active in their communities in meaningful ways. Museums' collections belong to all of their community members; not merely to the ones who have the means or inclination to visit the museum buildings. Art Around Town was designed with this philosophy at its core and included only very high quality, important works of art – some of which were literally removed from the Museum's walls specifically for the program. In addition, the activities included in Art Around Town were modeled on constructivist pedagogical principals, encouraging active participation for genuine learning and personal experience. The central research question that I address in this paper is: What might a museum program look like that is both pedagogically progressive and socially conscious, that serves the community while encouraging learning through experience and meaning-making? I argue that Art Around Town is such a program, presenting the evidence I gathered through a survey that was distributed to the adult (parents, grandparents, guardians, etc.) participants of the program. I also supplement the survey findings with observational data and photogra (open full item for complete abstract)

Doctor of Philosophy, The Ohio State University, 2018, Arts Administration, Education and Policy

The purpose of this study is to identify and analyze ways to expand the educational role of art museums in terms of their relationship with schools. Recently, art museums in South Korea began to emphasize their educational role and provide school programs. However, so far, these programs have only targeted to visual art education and art teachers, instead of all classroom teachers. After a yearlong internship at the Wexner Center for the Arts, located in Columbus, Ohio, I conducted a study of Pages, a yearlong collaborative art museum-school program between a contemporary art museum and school teachers who do not teach visual art. During my participation in Pages, I discovered several aspects with the potential to benefit collaborative art museum-school programs both in Korea and the U.S. Thus, overarching research question of the study was formulated as follows: What are the unique and essential components and practices of Pages that can inform collaborative art museum-school programs in Korea and the U.S.? To delve into the Pages program, I grounded this qualitative case study in constructivism. Specifically, I utilized the communities of practice framework, a contemporary version of social constructivism. This framework helped me explain the collaborative learning process of adult educators. In addition, constructivist learning theories helped me place art museums as legitimate learning institutions and to describe the practices of the educators which target meaningful student learning through connecting art museum education and school education. Finally, constructivism was used as an interpretive framework for the study: I co-created knowledge with the research participants and aimed to show their diverse perspectives. I utilized qualitative case study research as a methodology. Like Pages, several ongoing education programs at U.S. art museums require involvement of core classroom teachers. However, I chose Pages because it has several unique characteris (open full item for complete abstract)

MDES, University of Cincinnati, 2016, Design, Architecture, Art and Planning: Design

This paper proposes a visitor relevance categorization matrix that will help museum designers achieve better relevant experiences for diverse museums visitors. First, the paper will explore museum definitions, museums' different roles, and briefly monitor the museum transitions through history. It will also examine the factors that create and shape museum experiences, and introduce the possibilities of adapting information spaces in educational museums where diverse visitors will be able to decode and connect to given information in museum spaces. Then, it will analyze the existing museum visitors' categorizations and consider who the visitors are and their different identity-related purposes of each visit. The paper will present an analysis of the fundamental structures, obstacles, and processes used for creating successful communicative environments for a diverse audience. The proposed visitors' matrix is a tool for museum designers and educational museum institutions to consider while developing effective visitor experiences. This matrix will allow visitors to make connections, assess values, and create meaningful associations with museum subject matter or objects. It will drive visitor curiosity and encourage them to explore deeper and construct learning. Integrated with other methods, the matrix will assist museums' role in achieving education and a well-informed society in the 21st century's modern societies.

Master of Arts, University of Akron, 2014, Theatre Arts-Arts Administration

Informative content and visual presentation are each critical when providing a meaningful museum experience for both the casual and sophisticated visitor. For an effective learning experience to take place, knowledge must be turned into information then work in tandem the principles of graphic and exhibition design to achieve successful visual communication. This topic is important to explore because although there are experts in this field, the concepts need to be distilled for a wider audience of museum administration professionals– in all key departments of the museum personnel structure. A succinct document will greatly enhance the collective understanding of the obvious public function of museums and exhibitions, to reveal their higher purpose, which is education. This paper could provide a museum director, education director, curator or an exhibition designer with the incite needed to put together a museum show that is interesting, engaging and educational. It would also be an informative resource for those interested in the new technology developments used to aid a museum visitor.

Master of Arts, The Ohio State University, 2012, Art Education

Designing and implementing programs for undergraduate students is one of the biggest challenges for university museums, due to a number of factors. In this thesis, I examined and evaluated one university program as a case study. The Spencer Student Advisory Board (SSAB) focused on connecting student to the museum through programs and events, giving students insight into the museum field, and expanding their knowledge of art and art historical issues in a social way. My overall research question was how has the SSAB impacted participants? I also had two sub-questions, which were if the mission and program objectives of the organization are being fulfilled and what areas are most memorable for participants/ what aspects of the organization need improvement. I approached my research from a social constructivist perspective in order to investigate how participants were impacted by the social nature of the organization. Through my research methods of interviews, a questionnaire and observations, I attempted to portray a holistic representation of the organization, including a brief history of the Spencer Museum of Art. I also examined the history of the SSAB, including the formation of the organization, major events, and organizational objectives and goals. My data showed that most participants were already pursuing artistic areas, such as fine art, art history or graphic design, thus making them already aware of museum practice and arts issues. I investigated participants' motivation for joining the organization, which was organized into three categories: museum experience, personal interest and volunteer experience. My data analysis is concluded by how participants felt they were impacted by the organization, which was also organized into three categories: career development, expanding their knowledge of the museum field, and enhancing their leadership skills. In my conclusion section, I re-examined my data from a social constructivist perspective and discussed limitat (open full item for complete abstract)

MA, Kent State University, 2024, College of the Arts / School of Art

Within the practice of curating non-Western art, there is a delicate balance necessary when developing the language for didactic texts. This research investigates the dichotomy of aesthetics versus contextual meaning in the display of African art within U.S. museums, specifically analyzing two installations at the Art Institute of Chicago: the 2011 exhibition curated by Kathleen Berzock and the 2019 exhibition curated by Constantine Petridis. Through employing content analysis, this research examines the language used in didactic object labels to determine where the bias, if any, lies between highlighting aesthetic or contextual qualities. By categorizing and counting nouns and adjectives in the labels, the findings reveal a significant emphasis on contextual language in both installations, with 81.3% in the 2019 installation and 81.5% in the 2011 installation. The research contributes a quantitative approach to art historiography, advocating for the importance of contextual knowledge in the appreciation of non-Western art, and indicating a shift towards more nuanced curatorial practices that honor the cultural significance of the objects displayed.

Master of Arts, The Ohio State University, 2020, Art Education

Research suggests that museums are not reaching their full potential for including visitors with disabilities (Bienvenu, 2019; Ginley, Goodwin, &, Smith, 2012; Kudlick & Luby, 2019; Rappolt- Schlichtmann & Daley, 2013; Sandell, 2019). Recently, scholars have critiqued art museums for their lack of accessibility (Kudlick & Luby, 2019) and exhibitions that misrepresent disability history (Sandell, 2019). The history of outsider art demonstrates how artists with disabilities are discriminated against in the art world (Prinz, 2017). Creative art centers, programs which provide artistic mentorship for adults with disabilities, are often positioned within outsider art discourse (Wojcik, 2016). Due to discrimination against artists with disabilities, art museums can increase inclusion through engaging with artists at creative art centers. Therefore, I utilized action research methodology to design and implement an integrated art museum professional development workshop for artists with disabilities at Open Door Art Studio, a creative art center, and community artists. The primary objective of the study was to explore how museum practitioners can collaborate with creative art centers to develop inclusive programming for creative art center artists and community artists. Based on interviews with Open Door Art Studio artists and staff members, I structured the workshop around time in the museum gallery for discussion and a collaborative art making exercise in the museum's studio space. For the time in the studio, I paired artists from Open Door Art Studio with community artists to create collaborative art pieces. From the post-workshop interviews, I found that the workshop, especially the collaborative portion, supported social connection between artists from Open Door Art Studio and the community artists. This social connection was demonstrated in the way that artists found things in common with each other, spoke about how they enjoyed meeting each other, (open full item for complete abstract)

MLIS, Kent State University, 2019, College of Communication and Information / School of Information

This study addresses the following research question: How do visitors describe the role of a technology-based interactive in their experience with associated museum objects? In-depth, semi-structured lifeworld interviews were conducted with three visitors to the Cincinnati Art Museum in Cincinnati, Ohio. The interviews focused on the participant's experience with a touch table interactive and the associated objects located in the Antiquities Gallery at the museum. A qualitative approach that focuses on the lived experience of a small group of participants called Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) was used to analyze data collected through the interviews. This study also uses the Object Knowledge Framework (OKF) developed by Wood and Latham (2014) to provide orientation throughout the study, and to help position the ways in which the visitor experiences the objects through the technology-based interactive. The research resulted in five themes which the visitors described in their experiences with the touch table interactive and the museum objects: 1) Visitor Expectations and Assumptions, 2) Who/What is it for?, 3) Social Interactions, 4) Personal Connections, and 5) Digital vs. Real. Overall this study helps us to understand the visitor's perspective on their experience with museum objects and role technology-based interactives play in that experience. It also revealed new questions that could become topics for future research on visitor-object experience.

Doctor of Education (Ed.D.), University of Findlay, 2019, Education

Empirical evidence of docent training practices in nationally accredited museums in the United States is limited. Much information can be found in the literature on recommended educational theories that can serve as a basis for docent training practices as well as prescriptive advice for quality docent education; however, detailed information about the actual practices being implemented in docent training programs is sparse. Studies have shown that museum educators agree with and encourage documented educational theories in museums in terms of the exhibits and interpretive materials, however, when instructing the docents within their museums, the museum educators may not be utilizing the theories that they espouse. The evidence in teacher education as well as museum education shows that modeling of the intended strategies is the preferred method for instruction, but evidence of docent training practices gives little proof of this idea being practiced. The current study was designed to uncover the actual practices and theories being utilized in docent training programs across the United States in museums that are accredited by the American Alliance of Museums. Additionally, the Adult Learning Model for Faculty Development (Lawler & King, 2000), a model recommended for the planning and implementation of adult education is applied as a map to guide the inquiry regarding docent training programs.

MA, Kent State University, 0, College of Arts and Sciences / Department of History

"Pyramids of Lake Erie" uses the Cleveland Museum of Art's Egyptian collection as a case study that illustrates how museums balance the organic nature of the institution and its connection to the community in which it resides and serves with the static nature of its ancient collections, examining the dynamic relationship between American museums and historical trends from the early 20th century to the present day. The founding of the museum, and its Egyptian collection, in 1916 is examined first, arguing that an Egyptian collection is vital to the museum's power and legitimacy in the museum world and the city of Cleveland. The 1950s shifts the focus from collecting to preserving this collection due to the threat of destruction during the Cold War. Then, in the 1990s, during the museum's 75th Anniversary celebration, a travelling exhibition brought visitors and integrated technology into the museum. Finally, in 2016, a new lack of relevance of the Egyptian relics to the museum is investigated. The Cleveland Museum of Art's acquisition and display of its Egyptian collection exemplifies the modernist struggle to both understand and convey knowledge about the ancient past as well as demonstrate how current events and trends affect the manner in which museums operate.

Master of Arts, The Ohio State University, 2014, Arts Policy and Administration

This research focuses on the implementation of participatory and interactive digital media in the museum setting and the impact on different parts of the museum which react and change differently. This qualitative case study aims to explore the inclusion of educational technology in the Cleveland Museum of Art and how the implementation affects different departments within the museum differently. Rather than using traditional institutional change theory which references the institution as a whole, this research shows that an institution as the sum of various moving parts. This research will serve to fill a hole in the current literature of nonprofit arts and be available as a resource to those in the field. By understanding how the different parts are affected in different ways, a greater understanding of “institutional change” as a changing of parts rather than the whole can be gained.

MA, University of Cincinnati, 2008, Design, Architecture, Art and Planning : Art History

Cora Elma Pratt (1888-1977) educator, collector, artist, and philanthropist spent much of her life building her innovative International School of Art (ISA) in Europe, Mexico, South America, and the United States. Pratt first established her ISA in 1928 in Zakopane, Poland and later organized locations throughout Europe and Mexico. From her travels with the ISA, she acquired a notable 2,500-piece collection of international folk art, which she gave to the Miami University Art Museum in Oxford, Ohio in 1970. This study includes a mini-biography, recounting incidents and experiences that molded Pratt into a devoted art educator and promoter of international folk art in the United States and abroad. As a promoter of folk art, she aligned herself with the Brooklyn Museum, a premier institution that was setting the pace for folk art and children's art exhibitions, acquiring artwork to sell in their gift shop and organizing folk art exhibitions from the 1930s through the 1960s. During Pratt's years of involvement with the Brooklyn Museums, she and the ISA organized the first exhibition of Polish folk art in the United States, Polish Exhibition, 1933-34. This study analyzes Pratt's ISA and looks at a couple of the most prominent artists who taught with her and the workshops they conducted. This thesis also examines some of the popular pedagogical theories promoted by Franz Cizek (1865-1947) and John Dewey (1859-1952) that heavily influenced Pratt's ISA, her educational mission, and eventually, how she believed the collection needed to be interpreted in a traditional art museum environment. While today Pratt's collection remains in storage at the Miami University Art Museum, the implication of this study could allow for Pratt's collection to be interpreted as material culture instead of folk art.

Master of Science (MS), Ohio University, 2010, Journalism (Communication)

Special exhibitions are today an integral part of museum operations, with some exhibitions attracting upwards of five-hundred thousand visitors at a single museum. Often supported by prominent corporations and foundations, special exhibitions provide both the museum and the sponsor with the benefit of mutual positive publicity. This thesis sought to better understand the publicity relationship between the museum and its exhibition sponsors by examining the influence of certain exhibition factors on exhibition promotion by the museum, on resulting coverage of such exhibitions, and on visitor attendance. To do so, it examined exhibition promotion at three museums in the United States, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Art Institute of Chicago, and the National Gallery of Art, and local exhibition coverage in, respectively, the New York Times, the Chicago Sun-Times, and the Washington Post. Results showed that exhibitions with corporate and foundation sponsors were more likely to receive aggressive promotion from museums and aggressive promotion garnered more local newspaper coverage.

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), Ohio University, 2008, Curriculum and Instruction Cultural Studies (Education)

This study examines the teacher museum institute experience at the Harn Museum in Gainesville, Florida. The proposal this study is built on is that museum education in general and museum teacher programs could function as effective tools that the school system can utilize to help promoting the educational reform movement. The ultimate argument this study attempted to make is that developing educational programs and activities will help to make museums more open towards their communities and will help to attract more audiences.The study focused on the first five teacher institutes that have taken place at the Harn Museum in the years 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005 and 2006. The idea of choosing this number of institutes is to acquire enough data that will make it possible to make comparative study between these institutes in terms of the organizational and administrative aspects as well as in their professional outcome. Also choosing this many number of museums made it possible to examine different teachers' experiences based on their year of participation. The decision of using a combination of qualitative methods including questionnaire and documents analysis in this study was tied to the interest in reaching an interpretive and descriptive analysis of the museum teacher institutes' experience. The qualitative methods employed in this study have proven to be flexible and allowed developing a level of contact with the institutes' participants that eventually made it possible to learn about their perspectives and expectations. They also made it possible to produce rich and detailed data that provided a solid ground for analysis evaluation of the final results. The study showed that a well-planned and carefully executed museum teacher program will result in positive results relating to the advancement of teachers' professional development and the creation of better teaching and learning environments. The findings of this study highlighted the fact that museum and schools sha (open full item for complete abstract)

Master of Arts, University of Akron, 2023, Theatre Arts-Arts Administration

Museum policies and procedures must be flexible to address the growing movement to decolonize the museum. Policies should minimize the challenges and barriers related to leveraging collections, especially regarding objects with ambiguous provenances and objects that were acquired because of colonialism, armed conflict, genocide, or a combination of all three. Museum constituents are growing more interested in how collections are built and maintained and wish to see their own values reflected by the institutions they choose to patronize. Therefore, museum staffs bear a responsibility to tell the full story behind their collections and to strive to rectify past wrongs, ethically and legally. Further, policies must allow for mutually beneficial negotiated agreements, ranging from loans, to legal ownership agreements, to full repatriation. This interdisciplinary thesis proposes best practices for museums to follow when handling objects that were acquired because of colonialism and its related effects, with consideration given to legal, ethical, and museological perspectives—and recognizes that this work is forever ongoing and that to remain effective, policies require regular review.