July 1st, 2011 | RESEARCH
In this article, we use two studies conducted in art museum settings as a means to discuss some of the opportunities and challenges for the field of informal art education. The first study explores artmaking processes that take place in a children’s museum, highlighting the need to consider the social nature of learning in informal environments. Second, a study with families in an art museum explores art appreciation and interpretation. Taken together—the creating and the responding—these two studies are used to point out how we might trace disciplinary processes in art beyond schools into the informal learning environments of museums. By looking across settings, applying disciplinary content as a lens, we suggest an ecology of learning opportunities for the pursuit of an education in art. Further study and documentation of informal art education experiences is needed to better understand and support the needs and opportunities for art learners in non-school environments.
Document
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Team Members
Kevin Crowley, Author, University of PittsburghKaren Knutson, Author, University of Pittsburgh
Jennifer Russell, Author, University of Pittsburgh
Mary Ann Steiner, Author, Carnegie Institute
Citation
Identifier Type: ISSN
Identifier: 0039-3541
Publication: Studies in Art Education: A Journal of Issues and Research
Volume: 52
Number: 4
Page(s): 326
Related URLs
Tags
Audience: Elementary School Children (6-10) | Evaluators | Families | Museum | ISE Professionals
Discipline: Art | music | theater | Education and learning science
Resource Type: Peer-reviewed article | Research Products
Environment Type: Exhibitions | Museum and Science Center Exhibits | Museum and Science Center Programs | Public Programs