The inquiry-based approach in museum education often takes the form of an educator asking open-ended questions to facilitate discussions around artworks, while encouraging students in careful observation and interpretive processes. However, although art museums are emphasizing learners' experiences and their interpretative processes, adult…

Open-ended guided tours and choices on tours have become more common in art museums as educational and curatorial practices focus on visitor-centered experiences. What can museums do to help set the stage for these types of interactions between visitors, the museum, and works of art through programming and tours? In this article, the author…

Launching an ambitious cycle of educational programming can be daunting, especially when the subject of it is unavailable. With some perseverance, flexibility, and a lot of collaboration, the obstacles can be surmounted and the art can shine through. Cathy Callaway examines the Artists' Book Conference entitled "Cultural Bricolage,"…

In this article, the author presents her list of top 10 museum education myths. In so doing she also hopes to "demythtify" these aspects of the field. While the focus of the list is art museum education, art educators in schools and community sites will likely find that several of the myths resonate with their practice. (Contains 1 endnote.)

The metaphor of "art waitressing" is a valuable tool for educators who seek guidance in enacting many of the new roles in museums, particularly the role of facilitator in an open-ended interactive gallery. Though this metaphor provides a valuable model for engaging visitors, the question quickly arises of how educators can go beyond "serving" an…

Thinking about three- to six-year-olds rarely brings to mind an image of young children engaged in conversation in the formal setting of an art museum, yet these are actual comments made by preschoolers and kindergartners who spend time on the Mall in Washington, DC, visiting museums as part of their early childhood program. Today, an increasing…

This article presents an overview of new trends in museum education worldwide. (Editor/SJL)

The nation's only touring art museum was conceived by the Michigan Council for the Arts in 1971 as a way to bring art to the people. Exhibits for the 1983 California tour, the specially designed railroad cars, the school educational program, and Artrain's functions in communities are described. (SR)

Nonschool art programs have not been given serious attention and have suffered from inadequate funding, amorphous purposes, and haphazard staffing. The needs of millions of people outside school art programs should not be neglected. The educational offerings of some art museums are cited as examples of innovative programing. (CS)

The author feels that school art teaching is in danger of deprofessionalization, due to the growing cultural service field, which promotes employment of noncertificated artists in the schools and due to art educators themselves acting unprofessionally by failing to treat art as a serious discipline. (SJL)

Describes the "Museum in the Schools" program of Cornell University's Johnson Art Museum. To encourage museum use by secondary school students and teachers, workshops are designed and presented by the museum's team, based on the specifications of the classroom teacher. This article focuses on a workshop in drawing and line. (Author/SJL)

An attempt to foster greater self-confidence among prison inmates by teaching representational drawing and art appreciation encountered problems because of the wide range of skills in each class and the students' lack of experience with live models and symbolic representation. Teaching methods and drawing materials used are also discussed. (IS)

This article describes a University of Pittsburgh course for preservice teachers entitled, "Using the Museum as a Resource." The goal of this interdisciplinary offering is to emphasize the use of museum resources as a base for curriculum development. (Author/SJL)

Teaching art to female prisoners at the Milwaukee (Wisconsin) County Jail gave them a new method of communicating with each other and with the outside world. Despite the difficulties of working within a maximum security prison, there was an atmosphere of sharing among the inmates and between teacher and students. (IS)

The Brandywine Graphic Workshop, established in Philadelphia in 1973, continues to offer printmaking, photographic and research workshops, and a wide range of educational programs to young Afro-American artists. Its history, leadership, community projects, programs, and plans for its eleventh anniversary celebration are discussed. (IS)