Museum Visions: A Blog Space

The Journal of Museum Education’s issue On the Floor: Museum Teaching Techniques in the 21st Century includes the article “Empowering Identity Through Art: Bilingual Co-Teaching at the Blanton Museum of Art.” Here, one of the co-authors, Sabrina Mooroogen-Phillips, describes the “intimate task of unraveling our culture” with teachers. In the fall of 2018, The Blanton Museum of Art in Austin, … Read More

“Once a year, tens of thousands of people gather in Nevada’s Black Rock Desert to create Black Rock City, a temporary metropolis dedicated to community, art, self-expression, and self-reliance. In this crucible of creativity, all are welcome.”                                               … Read More

A few weeks ago, museum technology professionals from across the globe convened in Denver for the 2018 Museum Computer Network Conference, Humanizing the Digital. Following two and a half days of intensive workshops, talks, and sessions, the conference closed with 45-minute “unconference” sessions proposed by attendees through the course of the conference. Along with Seema Rao of Brilliant Idea Studio, … Read More

re·spon·sive·ness /rəˈspänsivnəs/ noun 1. the quality of reacting quickly and positively. As museum educators, we invest a lot of effort learning and honing teaching strategies and skills that enable us to be responsive to the varied backgrounds, interests, and preferences of visitors. We practice creating an inclusive, audience-centered environment and facilitating dialogue through open-ended questioning, active listening, paraphrasing, linking, and … Read More

I was thrilled to be asked to create some illustrations for a recent issue of the Journal of Museum Education. While not an illustrator by trade, I often use illustrations on the blog that I publish about issues in the museum field. Over the years, I have used pictures to help people understand museums’ lack of neutrality, the myth of … Read More

Each year, the Museum Education Roundtable compiles a list of board-member-recommended reads near the holiday season, perfect for gift-giving or for making use of cozy winter nights. Have a look at this year’s picks, below: The More We Look, the Deeper It Gets: Transforming the Curriculum Through Art by Nicola Giardina What is this book about? Hot off the presses, … Read More

The Journal of Museum Education’s recent issue Woman/Trans/Femme in the Museum brought together some of the most important thinkers in the museum field (as well as my illustrations). Collectively, the authors are working to make museums more diverse, equitable, accessible, and inclusive. Their hard work and thoughtfulness show in every essay. Yet, in reading the journal, I was struck by … Read More