We argue that the art museum can and should be a place of philosophical exploration. It can be such a place because philosophy and art have important similarities. They both ask us to adopt a non-instrumental, contemplative attitude toward the world that allows us to widen our personal viewpoint and explore the complex nature of things. To…

This article describes the Miniature Exhibition Project, a collaborative project involving two intimate, at-home, miniature exhibitions curated by the co-author, Beatriz Asfora Galuban, for the co-author Asami Robledo-Allen Yamamoto. These miniature exhibitions were made to study disability, empathy, and friendship and were intended to reclaim and…

Trauma infiltrates all of society -- including museums. For guests, the trauma may lie in the context of the visit or what they bring with them from their everyday lives. Staff can develop trauma through daily interaction with stressful content or secondary trauma through interaction with traumatized guests. During the COVID19 pandemic, trauma…

Research into teaching and learning in science museums has led to innovations in pedagogy, exhibits, and educational programming. Science museum facilitators play a critical role in advancing the educational missions of their institutions, yet the roles that these facilitators have in academic research projects aimed at understanding learning…

For the past seven years, we -- a museum educator and an academic radiologist -- have co-taught Seeing in Art and Medical Imaging, a first-of-its-kind medical humanities curriculum for residents in nuclear medicine and radiology based at the Harvard Art Museums. The program aims to foster residents' close looking and clinical skills,…

Caring for many objects is one of the more challenging aspects of the museum profession. In museums that collect cultural belongings, utilizing best care practices ensures that objects of cultural heritage can be studied and appreciated by the peoples whose cultures they represent. Thus, providing collections care is necessary to support learning…

In December 2020, President Lincoln's Cottage, a museum and historic site in Washington, DC, opened "Reflections on Grief and Child Loss," an exhibit that aims to build understanding of Abraham and Mary Lincoln as bereaved parents and weaves their story together with those of modern grieving families. This exhibit was developed by the…

According to the International Committee of Museums (ICOM), museums "preserve show, communicate and promote the understanding of the natural and cultural heritage of humanity." To achieve this, they need to engage with their audiences and engage in (ongoing) dialogue. Many stories are told with the aim of reaching different publics,…

In this essay the author recalls the process of organizing and interpreting an exhibition of art and language made in response to a catastrophic fire that devastated California's Sonoma and Napa counties in late 2017. The Sonoma Valley Museum of Art invited a group of artists and writers to be part of its small exhibition planning team to help…

This paper presents an educational program for children with disabilities implemented in conjunction with a temporary exhibition of visual artists with disabilities in a museum in Greece. Through the description of the exhibition, the design and implementation of the educational program, and the creative activities offered, the authors identify…

In 1903, Isabella Stewart Gardner (1840-1924) opened a most personal museum in which the building, the collection and installations are the vision of one woman, at a time when few opportunities were available to her gender in America. In its 2019-2024 strategic plan, the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum committed to becoming a more visitor-centric…

Environmental changes are about to invade every aspect of human life (and all life) across the planet. Young people will be particularly affected by these changes; regions where large youth populations are projected to be present in the coming decades are among the most vulnerable to environmental problems. Many young people feel overwhelmed by…

Dr. Joanne Cacciatore is a research professor at Arizona State University, a bereavement educator, and the founder of the MISS Foundation. Her research focuses on traumatic grief and loss. In this interview, Dr. Cacciatore offers her thoughts on grief, some misconceptions, and her notion of fierce compassion. The interviewers and Dr. Cacciatore…

Although the number of art museums in China has increased significantly in recent years, art museum educators find it difficult to create relevant, relatable, and engaging learning experiences for children in different contexts of art museums. I conducted this qualitative, comparative case study in Shanghai, China, examining how two different art…

Museums are complex, intersectional informal learning spaces that are situated in a distinctive positionality of power, social trust, and colonialism. For many people, they serve as community spaces that empower the imagination and connect intergenerational learning, while simultaneously functioning as prestigious institutions for research and…