the art (muse)um

Last semester I had an internship with the Education Department of the North Carolina Museum of Art and discovered that I really love museum education. I got to teach a little bit, plan for craft activities, and work on renovating an existing gallery guide called a Tour in a Tote, that held activities that kids can do to help them engage with and learn about art as they walk through the museum.

Basically, the staff and I worked to change the Tour in a Tote from this:

to this... which not only looks much nicer but functioned in a way that was much easier for parents and kids to use within the galleries. The binder allowed the activities inside to be organized so that the guest could focus more on the art instead of trying to figure out the directions, etc.

So now I'm an intern at the Ackland Art Museum, with the Education Department, and will be working on a similar project for the Museum's family programs. And I've got to say that I really never thought I would enjoy working in education so much. I knew it was important, because in a way, my childhood experiences with museum education are the reason why I have pursued art history and hope to have a museum career. But I never thought that I'd enjoy teaching so much, or that I would be able to think about creative ways that kids and families can learn about art. 

Plus, there is a lot of value in getting kids to look at and learn about art from an early age, which makes the whole experience very rewarding. Most adults find themselves uncomfortable in a museum or feel completely at a loss when trying to understand the significance of a particular work. If children become comfortable with art and museums early on, then it will generally cause them to become adults who can engage with art and who aren't afraid to learn new things in a new environment. I consider myself living proof. 

Hopefully that explains a little bit about why I perpetually choose to spend my time in museums. And maybe you'll go visit your local art museum and realize that it's not quite as scary as you thought.

NM