Street Cred

I 'm exploring themes and trying to identify strong messages from a very very old collection of manuscripts (Ok, the very word manuscripts signifies their old-ness but I need you to empathize with me here). Yes, there are the usual Bible stories and the ancientness-factor that easily generates the wow-factor regardless of your creed (Like I said, they Are Very Old) BUT something was missing.

Where is the meaningful connection? Why does this matter to the kid who walks in, to the single mom who chills in the park out front, to the security guards I greet every morning?

What makes this important to them?
 
There has to be universal themes, humans in the 4th century were in fact humans like you and me, right? They loved and lost, like all of us! So I decided to ask a specialist/historian that works very closely with the collection. Instead of the Ah-Ha moment I anticipated, I was shot down quite quickly:

"There are many complex themes, we study them very closely, but I cannot explain them to you...and you - what you are doing for school children, it cannot be conveyed, they just need to know dates and that they are from the Bible."

It hit me.

Just like it did when I was creating a K-3 gallery activity for a 14c. Yoruba mask and the curator scoffed at me, Just like when docents and interpreters are unpaid or hourly staff. 

We lack street cred.
Additionally, I'm hit by my own insecurity - Who am I to develop educational programs, to explain, to give value surrounding an ancient object that others have studied, received PhDs published/written about for Years?

So it hit me again (now I'm pretty bruised)

Let's remind each other, encourage each other:

We build connections between the object and the person.
Emotional connections that can draw from their own experiences. 
We work in all sorts of communities. 
Sometimes they find us, and we find them.

And most importantly, 
I understand the kid, the single mom, the security guard.
and I am the kid, the single mom, the security guard. 

a framework for interpretation

If education is about the negotiation of meaning and museums are a forum for that, then our definitions of the institution must begin to allow, first, for variation in meaning and, second, for interaction between presenters and participants.

- Lisa Roberts, From Knowledge to Narrative: Education and the Changing Museum

applying meaning towards change

I am realizing that we take the understanding and action of certain museum, education, and development concepts for granted. For instance:
Community
Outreach
Participation

Today we are meeting with teachers at their school. We are going to them.
It's really exciting helping our director apply meaning and purpose to the actions we are taking towards developing stronger partnerships. She had planned a lengthy presentation about our Centre and the ed programs offered and I realized that I hadn't explained or reviewed the fundamental concepts of outreach, partnerships, and collaboration. I suggested asking them questions during the talk and providing a small group activity that would allow them to share their teaching experiences. We met for over an hour discussing the phrase, "getting to know them."

"AH," She said. "I understand this Know. What they like and dislike"
        Yes, and their strengths.
        and their needs.
 
"But these teachers, they are the hardest group in Georgia to know"

I tell her it's okay, we can't predict their responses, but we can try to show that we care about their thoughts, their ideas and their experiences.
I helped her structure the meeting in a more interactive way - allowing us to observe and collect data.

       It's getting late, and cold.
       I am hungry and tired, but we work on. Then she says.

"Sometimes I don't know why we are doing this?"

       I know, I say
       but remember what you told me when we first met -
       that you believe in the power of change.

waiting and wow-ing

Today began as one of those days. Those “what am I doing here? Where is my life going??” days.

I spent most the latter part of the afternoon struggling with the strategic planning of my escape-route from Tucson. In avoidance and a bit of loneliness (you can take the girl out of the desert but you can’t take the desert out of the girl), I went over to NMAAHC to say hi to my friend Elon, who works at the front desk. She lifted her finger to silence my usual loud laugh-that-accompanies-the-greeting, then proceeded to point toward the large conference room behind me. Expecting it to be empty (as it usually is) I was shocked to see every seat was filled. Projected on the screen was a colorful graphic drawing of a building – The Building. The Museum Building.

They were holding a meeting with The architects. I was both captivated and embarrassed. I could hear their laughter, their important laughter. I was dead quiet (even movie theaters don't silence me)

Happenstance has caught me in unexpected situations. This time I have deodorant on but I couldn’t shake off the feeling of, I am the nosy little intern. Worse, I am the little Asian intern from the smallest unit of the Smithsonian who always barges into NMAAHC asking a million questions and uses their color printer (leave it to the Asians to be missing the yellow cartridge) - and ssshhhh about the printer, I'm going to be a donor soon, I promise!!


There is a moment when you piece together present experience with foresight and the outcome is, “holy shit I’m going to tell my grandkids this!!” That moment happened shortly after I realized the breadth and scope of what was happening before me. Just a glass panel away, the NMAAHC executives and Freelon Adjaye Bond/SmithGroup were discussing the architectural plans for the future Museum. The Museum. Wow. When, when in life does one get to witness (no matter how far or clear) the making, the beginnings of a museum???

Wow. We always walk in them when they’re already built, when the marble is cracked beneath our feet, when the walls are confused from holding 17th century works and 21st century works. When the coat room has changed to digital lockers, when the guards can claim tenure-ship, when docents are second generation, when carpets are stained with thousands of trampling school shoes, when interactive installations overthrew Rodin's, when I entered a child and left an adult.

I will tell my grandchildren that I was there. That I saw the makings of The Museum before it was built, that I heard the laughter it influenced before it took shape - when it was this strong, vibrant, and eager spirit waiting to complete it's purpose for the people that would enter. And the largest Wow factor is realizing that all of us tiny tiny interns have just as strong and vibrant a laughter...as we're all waiting to be built.

a 'potential' slut...playing the Field.

We rave about how awesome museums are, how they are so0 cutting edge, how they house some of the world's most valuable stuff, and how they are sites for exploration and innovation.

Then we complain about the fight for funding and diversity, how there needs to be more community outreach and influence, how we need to create more interactive learning environments, how exhibits need to be more ground breaking, to consider the context of their environment - how there is a LOT to be done still...

Okay then, so what's going on?

"It's not about the museums, it's about the community, education, and how we are taught to interact and utilize museums," Marianna says. "It's the doldrums." She raises an interesting point.

The education system - it's policies, practices, classroom/school culture - everything, is generally set up to prepare us for mundane-passive-citizenship-factory life - from the ringing bell to the rows of desks; to be mechanical, orderly obedient participants in society. To not question, to not think critically or depict the realities of the world outside...we are shaped to teach, learn, participate in a very specific way, independent of the vastly different linguistic, cultural, familial, economic, political backgrounds we all come from. It's no surprise that most museums have similarly stagnant policies, expectations, and learning cultures that impact the values of those who influence the field - whether they are visitors or program developers or directors.

Yes, it's the system baby. So if I want to change the system. Where do I start?

As I'm looking into doctoral education programs, faculty, and their research, I'm delving into sociocultural theories that have been explored since the 60's. They explore inequalities in education and question the ongoing disparities between communities, YET that was then...and now, 50 years later, what has changed? What needs to be changed?

The tiny, tiny possibility of entering this field is helping me think about systems, the possibilities of transforming them, and what contributions have and need to be made in the field. Marianna often tells me that in order to change systems you have work with with them, "everyone keeps running away or fighting the unmovable system - sometimes you have to be friends with the enemy in order to do something." She also tells me that systems don't change.

SO why are we still so in love with museums, so much so we taking classes in them, dedicate whole summers for them - sometimes unpaid?

When extremely reluctant to end a relationship that was presently not a good fit YET had incredible potential, my friend said to me, "Joy, you can't date someone just for their potential."

Although I am not ready to break up with the museum world, with this profession that has led me to fight for social justice and community-based art initiatives, I am very much prepared to commit to it - solely for it's potential. So much so I may even enter another field in hopes of bettering it...is that cheating?

some babble on educational programming...

This weeks reading left me with a number of thoughts, so enough with the themes! Let's cut to the chase!

Different Foundations
In the context of romantic relationships, I've been thinking of the diverse foundations two people have that affect the choices, actions, re-actions, needs, and wants towards each other and the relationship itself. Similarly, In the relationship between Museums and their Visitors, or Audience and Artworks, whatever you have it, the visitor experience in the museum is shaped by the educational foundation of each person. "There is no single track that visitors muse follow to learn in museums, so educators should develop a variety of ways to engage those visitor" (Folk, p. 111). This also beings up the all-to-familiar, "learning styles" that we often use as an excuse for failing tests or ignoring the lecturer (okay, maybe just me). So yes, it is a bit of different "learning styles" but more so the multitude of experiences that an individual's educational foundation is built on should be recognized, challenged, explored and accommodated.

Museum programs should offer learning experiences for a cognitively diverse population (p. 111). This also leads to my next thought:

Immigrant Populations
Over 120 different languages are spoken in my cousin's hometown, Queens. Enough said, right?
Museums in the county cannot neglect that 7 out of 10 residents are immigrants or children of immigrants. These children are often times "a point of entry into the museum experience for their parents" (p. 114) and if family/public programming incorporates both generations for learning and engagement, the museum experience could be very very meaningful - not go mention strengthen intergenerational relationships among the families. The reality of the diverse communities shouldn't simply lead to a need for the overused said/used 'diverse programming,' it should be well embedded in the institution's philosophy, mission and goals. It's like if planners stated every single time, "This is groundbreaking: we should have elevators next to the stairs." It's a given. And diverse populations aren't crippled. Sorry.

Interactive Programming
This is talked about A LOT. Interactive spaces, technology, online guides, interactive activities, blah, blah, blah. BUT why are we still talking about it? Because we aren't doing it yet, we're doing it wrong, or we're jealous of institutions who do. The main thing is, it MUST allow/encourage human interactions as well, meaning, if it doesn't lead to social and physical interaction, than it's a bust. Why have a museum? Alls we need is a cool website, we can just learn, see, and discover with a laptop warming up our thighs. Mmmm. Cozy goodness.

Enough Said
There was a ton of stuff before and after this statement, but I dig it on it's own ;)
"...art education as a process..." (p. 113). So, there you have it, all that babble!

the fall of the expert curator, the rise of...

In the context of Obama's new health care reform, I have been thinking a lot about oppositional sides and varying perspectives. One side sees their privileges revoked and their choices stripped, fearing the fall of quality care amongst the rise of Socialism. Then the other side sees the detrimental and unfair insurance costs, desire a platform for social justice, and value basic human rights. The answer for the universal question, "How can we make it better, if this is what we have?" - depends greatly on values from both sides and where the side is viewing the issue/problem!

The museum world is not that much different. There are always and will always be opposing sides. Two main oppositions is the traditional role of the curator versus the push for public accessibility and influence. It's interesting because each side has their definition and standard of a museum and what and how it inhabits (the exhibition). The way it should be.
Like healthcare.
So there is tons of fear involved. One side fears that museums are turning into a messy public playground lacking in quality exhibitions and content. The other side fears that museums arn't evolving with the needs of society and are remaining as "elitist anachronisms" (p. 89).

"The historical circumstances surrounding curators'...challenge to their expertise have led to a collapse of the historical hierarchy within the museum, to renewed calls for general public access to exhibitions, and more broadly, to a reorientation of the museum's mission from objects to audiences" (Weil, 2003).

This is great. Why? Because low and behold, comes the rise of Education in the Art Museum! YAY!! Because no matter what side you're on, everyone needs us now! "As cultural institutions direct more attention to the needs of their audiences, art educators must address how and where subject expertise is valued" (p. 89).

This is great. Why? Because it enables educators to work with curatorial colleagues on a more significant level, shaping museum practice and bringing together the opposing sides. This also disseminates the hierarchical model of curators controlling and leading the intellectual language to the educators and than down the public. The new model enables the public to be part of the curatorial conversation, "opening up the exhibition to those outside the discipline of art history" (p. 91).

It can also be argued from the Traditionalists standpoint that the shift in the museum model is not necessarily good. However, "the most important factors in this reordering of priorities, though, were the economic pressures exerted on the art museum" (p. 93). A need and increase in government funding resulted in the need to serve the general public.

Curators can still continue with their expertise and engagement in art history and fancy collections, BUT "the skills involved in the reconfiguration of the museum in the 21st century - understanding and respecting the knowledge of the museum audience and collaboration - reside in the portfolio of the museum educator" (Zolberg, 1994).

But we already knew that ;)