As part of a broader evolution of our K-12 programming, the Art Institute of Chicago transitioned our docent program into a newly designed Volunteer Program, a process that was informed by rigorous research, reflection, and evaluation of our engagements with students and teachers. This case study offers a perspective on designing a new structure…

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…

Art-based education has been gaining the attention of healthcare educators as a means of promoting empathy, observation, and mindfulness in healthcare practitioners. This paper discusses using art-based education to encourage transformative learning and social justice in healthcare education. Specifically, we explore how this approach can…

This article explores the innovative concept of narrative medicine, an interdisciplinary field merging humanities, arts, clinical practice, and healthcare justice, which seeks to deepen the understanding of patient experiences within healthcare settings. It highlights the transformative impact of using art museums, such as The Art Institute of…

This article chronicles the founding of the Chicago Collections Consortium (CCC) and its growth in its first decade. The authors, two of the consortium's original founders, acknowledge the contributions of the CCC's member institutions and leadership. They also speculate on the reasons for the consortium's success and what the future might hold…

This article explores how the examination of museum objects is fostering productive conversations in the field of civilian police accountability. As part of their new hire onboarding process, civilian oversight staff visit the Art Institute of Chicago to participate in a civic wellness program where topics of bias, community, social justice, and…

At the Museum of Science and Industry, Chicago, an annual art exhibition with no ties to science content provides an opportunity to explore how juxtaposing an art gallery experience within a science museum could impact audience engagement with science thereafter. Prior evidence suggests that art gallery-based workshops have value for science…

This paper explores the development of Civic Wellness programs at the Art Institute of Chicago, with an emphasis on how Civic Wellness teaching, partnerships, and strategy are informed by social justice-oriented values. These include equity practice, antiracism, strength in community, and democratic justice-oriented andragogy. The paper lays out…

Through an energy exhibit entitled Future Energy Chicago, we explore how using collaborative and competitive facilitation formats affect aspects of the energy literacy of guests. The study takes place in an interactive, hour-long museum experience led by a trained museum facilitator. Guests were assigned to attend either a collaborative or…

Early literacy is a key predictor of grade-level reading and school success. Too often, however, young children do not have equitable access to literacy-rich environments that foster the skills needed to attain reading proficiency by the end of third grade. While high-quality preschool and early elementary programs are necessary early literacy…

Museum camps are a popular option over school vacation, but they are not always accessible to families who lack transportation and live far from the institution. This article presents an alternative format for camp: running a museum camp from within a neighborhood public school. Collaboration with school staff and community members is a key to…

This study is a collaborative project between university researchers and museum practitioners investigating ways to advance STEM learning opportunities for young children and their families in museums. The focus of the work is on how the knowledge resources that are available to families (e.g., prior knowledge, information provided by the museum…

We can support students' deep engagement with content through innovative delivery. The techniques developed at the Field Museum in Chicago to share science knowledge through storytelling can provide inspiration for both formal and informal educators.

For years, museums of all varieties, including art museums, science centers, history museums, zoos, and aquariums, have conducted education evaluation. However, museums are all too often faced with the challenge of allocating staff time, expertise, and other resources toward conducting evaluation, particularly evaluation that moves beyond program…

Research supports the common understanding that spending enjoyable time in nature is one of the most reliable ways of reducing stress indicators such as heart rate and blood pressure. This article describes a pilot program in which the Chicago Botanic Garden leveraged nature's stress-reducing qualities to complement a program for veterans in…