This dissertation discovers a hybrid collaborative curation and creation exhibition project at the Florida State University's Museum of Fine Arts. This research serves as a tangible application to integrate the third place theory (Oldenburg, 1997) and constructivist museum practices (Hein, 1998) under the umbrella of participatory action research.…

The purpose of this study was to explore the ways graduate students' interpretive lenses manifested in reflective storytelling of their collaborative object-based learning (OBL) experiences with Andean textiles in the John and Mary Carter Collection. This occurred in the context of visitor-centered exhibition (VCE) development. Adapted Feminist…

As storms become more intense and sea levels rise, coastal cultural institutions are seeking ways to protect and preserve their collections within the challenging context of limited budgets and human resources. These institutions are not alone in their consideration of climate change risk; coastal colleges and universities, which are also…

Scientist-led K-12 outreach offers many benefits to scientists, teachers, and students; however, many of these programs are top down rather than collaborative. Our team facilitated a museum-based scientist-teacher partnership to co-design a lesson on shark biology for middle school students. Following the implementation of the lesson, we conducted…

Social studies teachers have long utilized field trips; yet in the 21st century, scholars are describing a bleak future for those who attempt to utilize the practice. The common reasons being cited, among others, include a slumping economy, an increase in accountability due to high-stakes testing, and rising fuel costs. While obstacles have always…

'Dancing Glass: Reflection of Art through Dance' was a collaborative project using artwork from the glass gallery at the Lowe Art Museum of the University of Miami, as a springboard for artistic inquiry in improvisational dance. Students enrolled in a Dance Improvisation course, guided by professors Carol Kaminsky and Jorge L. Morejón in order to…

Being immersed in the processes of research can develop undergraduate students' science identities and support their persistence in pursuing science careers. However, it can be difficult for students to find opportunities for engaging in authentic scientific research. The professional staff and scientific objects in natural history museums provide…

Tabling events and pop-up museums are common informal education experiences where institutions set up temporary displays in association with a specific theme. These events typically aim to engage large audiences in a short period of time. Within these informal education settings, participation is voluntary, which implies that visitors are at least…

In this article I use a visitor-focused lens to examine ways in which art therapy and art museum education share similar goals and could join their efforts to serve people and communities in mutually beneficial ways. Benefits of such collaboration include affective and social development and education of visitors, a useful framework for exploring…

The study takes a situated and material approach to texts and writing practices and examines writing ethnographically as it transpires and displayed in museums. The ethnography highlights the richness and sociality embodied in writing practices as well as the ideological, communal, and ritualistic functions that writing and texts serve in cultural…

While multiple valid measures exist for assessing outcomes of environmental education (EE) programs, the field lacks a comprehensive and logistically feasible common instrument that can apply across diverse programs. We describe a participatory effort for identifying and developing crosscutting outcomes for Environmental Education in the…

This white paper presents a selection of model schools who all have, to some degree, fostered deeper learning. Schools were selected by internet search, or through references in "deeper learning" reports and documents. It should be noted that information in these reviews is based on information from school web-sites, in some cases the…

This community-based research investigated the relationship among Holocaust knowledge, Holocaust education experiences, and citizenship values in adults residing in the US. This study contributes to the literature an inferential investigation that reports positive civic attitudes associated with Holocaust education. A moderate correlation was…

The Gifted Specialist from the Florida State University Schools (K-12) and the Curator of Education from the Florida State University Museum of Fine Arts planned a year-long project in which FSUS gifted elementary students (second to fifth grade) curated a one-gallery exhibition, entitled "Elementary Reflections," from the museum's…

This article presents results from an IMLS-funded project to evaluate the current state of collections in Florida's libraries, archives, and museums, current practices to preserve and conserve these collections, and perceived needs to maintain and improve these collections for future generations. The survey, modeled after the Heritage Health Index…