Open Forum

Hi All,

I was wondering if any institutions have a statement or philosophy about the way children interact with the Museum. I'm thinking less "no running" and more "Museums are centers for discovery and exploration" type statements. I know the Tacoma Art Museum has a philosophy shared on the School Field Trip Page. Does anyone else have something similar? And is it available for the public to see or just an internal document? Thanks!

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Annie Young
Education Coordinator
Natural History Museum of Utah - University of Utah
Salt Lake City UT
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Check out the Exploratorium in San Francisco.   Not sure it makes it to their website, but their intro panels encourage discovery, fun and interaction in positive ways.

Children's museums may also have positive statements, too.

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Kathryn Boardman
Faculty
Cooperstown Graduate Program - SUNY at Oneonta
Cooperstown NY
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Original Message:
Sent: 02-10-2020 05:16 PM
From: Annie Young
Subject: Statements about children in Museums

Hi All,

I was wondering if any institutions have a statement or philosophy about the way children interact with the Museum. I'm thinking less "no running" and more "Museums are centers for discovery and exploration" type statements. I know the Tacoma Art Museum has a philosophy shared on the School Field Trip Page. Does anyone else have something similar? And is it available for the public to see or just an internal document? Thanks!

------------------------------
Annie Young
Education Coordinator
Natural History Museum of Utah - University of Utah
Salt Lake City UT
------------------------------

Hi Annie, 

I will admit, we struggle with a balance of this here at my institution. We are a public museum that welcomes all ages, however, majority of our visitors are families. Many of which have never visited another museum before. I am a strong believer in positive language and engagement that moves away from the NOs and DON'Ts onto the whys and hows to allow for self-discovery. However, I know I am sometimes alone in this school of thought, being an interpreter and all. Anywho, we still run into lots of traditional language use and/or signage. Typically our retired community can grumble a bit at seeing children in the galleries and them not being quiet enough for their personal enjoyment. There is a fine line, I suppose, but for me, I would look at your mission statement and see how transitioning to new inviting and exploratory language could help navigate that change. 

I also really enjoy a short video from the Columbus Art Museum I found a number of years ago. I do not believe they still utilize it, as I couldn't locate it on their website. I did find it on their YouTube page. Here is a link. The video is titled Dos & Don'ts, but creativity is eyecatching and sets boundaries for the young guests or really anyone who hasn't experienced a museum before. You could change the language to focus on the exploratory goal you are trying to achieve. Another thought, you could engage your guests by asking for their opinion on how they see the exhibit and "expected" behavior there. 

Good luck!

------------------------------
Megan Osetek
Coordinator of Interpretation
Kalamazoo Valley Museum
Kalamazoo MI
------------------------------

Original Message:
Sent: 02-10-2020 05:16 PM
From: Annie Young
Subject: Statements about children in Museums

Hi All,

I was wondering if any institutions have a statement or philosophy about the way children interact with the Museum. I'm thinking less "no running" and more "Museums are centers for discovery and exploration" type statements. I know the Tacoma Art Museum has a philosophy shared on the School Field Trip Page. Does anyone else have something similar? And is it available for the public to see or just an internal document? Thanks!

------------------------------
Annie Young
Education Coordinator
Natural History Museum of Utah - University of Utah
Salt Lake City UT
------------------------------

Original Message------

Hi Annie, 

I will admit, we struggle with a balance of this here at my institution. We are a public museum that welcomes all ages, however, majority of our visitors are families. Many of which have never visited another museum before. I am a strong believer in positive language and engagement that moves away from the NOs and DON'Ts onto the whys and hows to allow for self-discovery. However, I know I am sometimes alone in this school of thought, being an interpreter and all. Anywho, we still run into lots of traditional language use and/or signage. Typically our retired community can grumble a bit at seeing children in the galleries and them not being quiet enough for their personal enjoyment. There is a fine line, I suppose, but for me, I would look at your mission statement and see how transitioning to new inviting and exploratory language could help navigate that change. 

I also really enjoy a short video from the Columbus Art Museum I found a number of years ago. I do not believe they still utilize it, as I couldn't locate it on their website. I did find it on their YouTube page. Here is a link. The video is titled Dos & Don'ts, but creativity is eyecatching and sets boundaries for the young guests or really anyone who hasn't experienced a museum before. You could change the language to focus on the exploratory goal you are trying to achieve. Another thought, you could engage your guests by asking for their opinion on how they see the exhibit and "expected" behavior there. 

Good luck!

------------------------------
Megan Osetek
Coordinator of Interpretation
Kalamazoo Valley Museum
Kalamazoo MI
------------------------------