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.
Knowledge in Action ™
Working together to advance accessibility
Over the past year, MER and Taylor & Francis, the publisher of the Journal of Museum Education (JME) and a number of other journals from the heritage sector, have worked to make our organizations, products, and services more accessible for people with disabilities. Our shared product, the JME, has served as a catalyst for us to collaborate on these efforts. … Read More
Museum Programming for Civic Engagement on Climate Change with Miranda Massie
Interviewed by Anais Reyes This guest post is authored by The Climate Museum, inspired by the JME issue 45.1, Museums and Public Climate Action. The Climate Museum is the first museum in the US dedicated to climate change. Through exhibitions, public art installations, youth programs, panels and workshops with experts, and more, the Museum uses programming as a way to … Read More
How Many Calls to Accessibility Action Do We Need?
“…they will not feel welcome if they discover that their basic needs have been overlooked.” “In all projects we worked with handicapped people, so that we would meet their needs and their wishes.” “Merely hiring an interpreter does not resolve all barrier problems.” “…get acquainted with the local handicapped community and agencies which serve it by forming an advisory committee.” … Read More
MER Responds
The Museum Education Roundtable stands alongside those protesting violence against Black people in Minneapolis and around the country. Museum educators are bridges to and producers of cultural knowledge. We care for our communities intellectually but also emotionally, socially, and physically. As such, we have a responsibility to address structural injustice, oppression, racism, and abuses of power. Museums are not neutral, … Read More
Dear Museums Week #5: Missing You
Welcome to the fifth week of #DearMuseums. This initiative seeks to document and share stories about how this global crisis is affecting people and their work as museum educators. With each week that passes, we notice that the emotions grow more complex. This week’s post takes a look at the many moods and layers to the feeling of longing. Entry … Read More
#DearMuseums Week 4: Inequity
Are these times really that “unprecedented”? For too long, people of color have been disproportionately affected during crises. The power and privilege that is inherent in museum leadership must be used to center equity or we risk setting back the inclusive efforts within the field. These two entries–one image and one open letter– are powerful reminders of the inequity in … Read More
International Museum Day 2020
This year’s International Museum Day is centered around the theme, “Museums for Equality: Diversity and Inclusion.” To celebrate International Museum Day, Routledge (publisher of the Journal of Museum Education) has curated a collection of articles that explore these topics and how they relate to museums and the heritage sector. Five articles from JME are included in this collection. We reached … Read More
#DearMuseums Week 3: Working from Home
Welcome to the third week of #DearMuseums! This initiative seeks to document and share stories about how this global crisis is affecting people and their work as museum educators. Tune in to our blog, Facebook, and Twitter every week for selected submissions that capture the current climate through museum educator’s eyes. This week’s theme is “Working From Home” First Entry: … Read More