Museum Visions: A Blog Space

2017

This space was created by the Museum Education Roundtable to expand upon the most recent Journal of Museum Education (JME) issue, reflect on member events, and address timely issues that we face in the field of museum work. Read about how to write for our blog here.

Making a (Museum Book) List, Checking it Twice

As everyone begins to put their final touches on their holiday wish lists, consider adding some books that will help inspire, recharge, and re-imagine your museum work in the new year. The Museum Education Roundtable Board of Directors have shared some of the books that they have found valuable and wish list worthy, including: Bone Rooms: from Scientific Racism to … Read More

Update from the MER President

Whew! What a year! I  know what you’re thinking. Rest assured, this post isn’t about politics. Each August, the MER Board of Directors convenes for its annual retreat. Since many of our board members work in amazing museums, our retreat venues are guaranteed to be unique and inspiring. This year was no different. We were fortunate to be warmly hosted … Read More

Does Museum Education Have a Canon?

Recently I found myself in a series of intense meetings at the Wien Museum where I work, discussing the curation of a small, temporary exhibition culled from our permanent collection.  Made necessary by a large special exhibition that will occupy the entire first floor of the museum, the gallery will showcase highlights from the museum’s seventeenth- and eighteenth- century collections, … Read More

Changing Museum Practices to Change the World

In June, I was fortunate to have the opportunity to participate in two European museum conferences. Communicating the Museum (CTM): The Power of Education was held in Paris from June 19-22nd. CTM is “the world’s leading arts communication conference encourages dialogue between museums, drives innovation, inspires new ideas, explores trends in communication strategies and fosters lasting relationships among worldwide institutions.” … Read More

Polyvocality and Representation: What We Need Now

“REPRESENT.”   It was an unhesitating one-word answer given during an in-community consultation. This past week, we conducted this consultation at the regional Korean-American Community Center to solicit feedback on the early concepts of an interpretive plan for a new installation of the Korean art collection at the Detroit Institute of Arts. The Korean project is part of a larger … Read More

Beyond Borders: Expanding Our Access

Our colleague Jon Carfagno candidly outlines in his May blog post, “Retelling the Story of Museum Education Roundtable,” the process we at the Museum Education Roundtable (MER) recently embarked towards an exciting organization-wide transformation. We reflected on our purpose, our audiences and our future to redefine our brand, mission, vision and role. Throughout this process of reflection and change, we … Read More

Retelling the Story of Museum Education Roundtable

“Sharing, teaching, listening, guiding, forecasting – an ongoing organizational quest to inform, engage and inspire through compelling educational experiences. We are Knowledge in Action. “ These words form the conclusion of Museum Education Roundtable’s recently redefined brand story. More importantly, they mark the culmination of a multi-year project intended to chart a course for our future. Origins and Background During … Read More