Discovering the History of Museum Education

Author(s): Emily Curran

Source: The Journal of Museum Education, Vol. 20, No. 2, Retrospection (Spring - Summer,
1995), pp. 5-6
Published by: Taylor & Francis, Ltd.
Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/40479021
Accessed: 11-12-2017 17:03 UTC

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The Journal of Museum Education

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 Lessons for the practice of education
in these two stories may be difficult, but
worth stating. Perhaps every exhibition
needs a forum, a place for the expres-
sion and communication of memory
and observation. Throughout the muse-
um, apart from the identifications of
objects and contexts, it may be useful to
emphasize the continuities of things, the
threads and ribbons that interlace arti-
facts with their human observers.
Perhaps, among these observers, there
will be a witness who feels invited to
speak up and offer an example from the
personal past in the public space.
There is power in reconstructing the
everyday lives of objects through mem-
ory and human presence. For every visi-
ble thing, there is an invisible context
that needs to be evoked, or rescued
from where it lies silently in human
experience.
NOTES
1. Edward T. Linenthal, "Can Museums Achieve a
Balance between Memory and History?"
Chronicle of Higher Education, February 10,
1995, p. B1.
2. Erich Fried, "My Doll in Auschwitz," in
Children and Fools (London: Serpent's Tail,
1992), pp. 49-62.
3. Ibid., pp. 51-52.
4. Ibid., p. 58.
This content downloaded from 147.91.75.196 on Mon, 11 Dec 2017 17:03:05 UTC
The history of museum education is elu-
Discovering the sive. Museum educators barely have
time to pause for breath before moving
History of on to the next project. Our institutional
memories fade as people move on to
Museum Education new positions and ephemeral experi-
ences are left undocumented.
Looking back through past issues of
EMILY CURRAN the Journal of Museum Education, I am
struck by how valuable it is as a record
of the evolving thought and practice in
museum education. Remarkable
changes have taken place during the
journal's two decades.
But what of the many years of mus-
eum work that preceded the journal's
beginning (as Roundtable Reports) in
1973? Before that time there was no
publication devoted to museum educa-
tion. Very little of the early history of
education in museums is readily avail-
able. Museum education is a neglected
topic within both the history of educa-
tion and the history of museums. It is
rarely mentioned even within more spe-
cialized areas such as the history of art
education. Yet museum education is not
a recent phenomenon; education has
been an integral part of the mission of
American museums since their concep-
tion. Understanding the history of
museum education is critical to under-
standing the history of museums in this
country.
Without a historical perspective,
common assumptions are absorbed into
the discipline of museum education
with little scrutiny. As an example, con-
sider the pervasive misconceptions that
surround Benjamin Ives Gilman, former
secretary of the Museum of Fine Arts,
Boston, and author of Museum ¡deals of
Purpose and Method (1918). Gilman's
writings have often been considered
completely apart from the context of his
work. He has been cast as an elitist
upholder of cultural standards, as
opposed to his contemporary John
Cotton Dana, former director of the
Newark Museum, who is remembered
as a populist advocate for the general
public.1 Many have interpreted
Gilman's conception of the "esthetic"
purpose of art museums as excluding
education or broad public participa-
Emily Curran is executive director of the tion.2 Gilman has even been pitted
Old South Meeting House, a museum and against the idea of democracy itself in
historic site in Boston. She holds an M.S. an imaginary debate framed as taking
in museum leadership from Bank Street place "between those who believed the
College in New York City. museum to be, in Gilman's words, 4aes-
Spring/Summer Í995 • 5
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thetic in primary purpose' and those century prefigured later museum educa- early 20th century, both institutions
who regarded it with [Francis Henry] tional approaches, such as object-based developed innovative new ways to reach
Taylor as the fcmidwife of democracy.'" 3 teaching, education that is responsive to children using objects and documents.
But in many ways there were few differ- the needs and interests of the individual These educational methods and activi-
ences between the spirit of Gilman's learner, age-appropriate activities, and ties are recorded and preserved in pub-
work and that of John Cotton Dana. To the goal of lifelong learning. It is fasci- lications, publicity pieces, and newspa-
see them at opposite ends of a spectrum nating to find that many of today's per clippings in the museums' archives.
is to misunderstand their objectives and innovations in museum education have Most museums have similar materials
practice. a surprisingly long history. that can be mined for information.
When I researched the educational The early educators at the Museum I encourage each of you working in
programs that Gilman and his col-
of Fine Arts confronted difficult ques-museum education to explore the past
leagues were developing at the Museum tions in pursuing the educational goals educational philosophies and practices
of Fine Arts in the early 20th century, of making the museum truly available of your museum. To date, very little
what I found challenged the assump-to the public. Today's museum profes- research has been done in this area.
tions that I had encountered for so sionals wrestle with many of the sameMost of the history of museums that
many years. Under Gilman's leadership, questions: exists concentrates on museum collec-
the Museum of Fine Arts placed a major • How do we interpret the object? tions, exhibitions, and architecture
emphasis on public service, with educa-• Who is our audience? rather than on educational work. Now
tion at the heart of this endeavor. Far • What kinds of objectives and pro- that the role of education is considered
from his image as a defender of pure grams are appropriate for different age central to the very essence of American
esthetics, Gilman asserted that uin angroups? museums, it is especially important that
exhibition of fine art the scholar of • How do we make the museum we understand the history of the philos-
whatever name, indefeasible as his more relevant and meaningful to the ophy and practice of museum educa-
rights are, must in the last analysis yield general public? tion. By exploring and sharing the his-
to the visitor pure and simple. ""* • What is the relationship between tory of museum education, we can
Gilman created the first "docent" pro- education in museums and education in make significant contributions to the
gram in the United States. The docent schools? understanding of the past of our field
program actively sought a broad audi- • How can museums reach new and to shaping its directions for the
ence that included recent immigrants, potential visitors? future.
such as Syrian women "carrying their • What role do admission fees play
children," downtown department store in how people use museums and how
workers, and enlisted men during often they visit? NOTES
World War I. • How can we ensure that museum
1. Edward Alexander, Museums in Motion
Discovering Gilman's work was educational programs reach broad and
(Nashville, Term.: American Association for State
exciting, but the work of his forgotten diverse audiences?
and Local History, 1979), p. 15; Barbara Franco,
colleagues was even more rich. While Although the answers to these ques- "Evolution of the Field: Historical Context," in
Gilman's work and philosophy were tions today differ from those of 80 years Patterns in Practice: Selections from the
well documented by museum publica- ago, the exploration of these issues over Journal of Museum Education (Washington,
tions and his own prolific articles and a significant time span suggests that D.C.: Museum Education Roundtable, 1992), p.
addresses at the annual meetings of the museum education is actually a distinct 9; Theodore Lewis Low, The Educational
American Association of Museums, the area of education with its own issues Philosophy and Practice of Art Museums (New
work done by his colleagues had sunk and philosophies. After nearly 100 York: Teacher's College Press. 1946), p. 62;
into obscurity over the intervening years of practice in museum education, Barbara Y. Newsom and Adele Z. Silver, The Art

years. Many of his colleagues were it is time to reflect upon and reclaim Museum as Educator (Berkeley, Calif.: University
of California Press, 1978), p. 15.
women, including Laura Scales and these histories and use this knowledge
Deborah Kallen, both of whom were to strengthen the practice of museum 2. Edward P. Alexander, Museum Masters: Their
active presenters at AAM annual meet- education today. Museums and Their Influence (Nashville, Tenn.:
ings. They created afternoon and week- The rich history of museum educa- American Association for State and Local
end programs to reach children and tion has been largely unexplored. History, 1983), p. 303; Alexander, Museums in
adults from settlement houses. These Buried in the archives and files of indi- Motion, p. 12; Newsom and Silver, Art Museum
programs were quite different from vidual institutions, this history has as Educator, p. 14; Ken Yellis, "Who Is Ben
Gilman?" in Museum Education Anthology,
those for school groups. Through story remained isolated and local. My
1973-1983 (Washington, D.C.: Museum
hours, "research games," and design research focused on the Museum of Fine
Education Roundtable, 1984), pp. 163-64.
classes, the museum gave children a Arts, Boston, but other institutions were
range of educational experiences with pioneers in developing early museum 3. Newsom and Silver, Art Museum as Educator,
art that took place outside the school. education programs. Just two examples p. 16.
These programs were designed to en- include the museum where I currently 4. Benjamin Ives Gilman, Museum Ideals of
courage children to enjoy art and be- work, the Old South Meeting House, Purpose and Method, 2d ed. (Cambridge, Mass.:
come familiar with the museum setting. and a museum where I worked for Riverside Press, 1924), p. 89.
Many teaching methods used by many years, the Children's Museum in
these educators in the early part of this Boston. In the late 19th century and

Journal of Museum Education • 6

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