This essay examines the educational practices at the Moderna galerija, a national museum of modern and contemporary art in Ljubljana, Slovenia, in the last twenty years. Its aim is to reflect on the museum education in relation to broader historical context, of the former Yugoslavia (the country Slovenia was a part of until 1991) and discuss how…

This article explores the role of play in an art museum. Reflecting upon a kindergarten field trip to the Warhol Museum in which children's play was the centerpiece of the museum experience, the author examines what early childhood theorists have written about the value of play in young children's lives. She shows how the Warhol's program for…

This case study of "Listen, Look, & Do," a multi-visit preschool program at the Smithsonian's National Postal Museum, provides a model for how other history museums can program for young learners in their neighborhoods. In striving to meet local community audience needs identified by annual evaluations, staff created a program that shifted its…

Technological innovation is sweeping the world into an unimaginable future. These forces are affecting all aspects of how people live and work. What will be the role of museums and museum educators in this future? This article surveys some of the technologies that have profoundly affected museums and museum education and poses some questions: what…

This paper explores the potential of digital media technologies and new storytelling techniques in giving objects an emotional dimension and thus encouraging affective learning. The use of new immersive and participatory techniques is a means of contextualizing real objects, and perhaps a more effective way to reach diverse audiences and create…

Changes in the content and structure of museum/school programs reveal serious questions about how museums are perceived as essential educational resources. In this article, the author examines this relationship as symptomatic of the continuing marginalization of museums in public policy and recognition and, ultimately, public support. She urges…

Across the United States, museums are considered an integral part of the community fabric and an important factor in the quality of life, "Arts and culture helps foster creativity, bridges class divides, retains college graduates, recruits companies, and raises the quality of life." But across the nation, museums contribute far more than just…

In the past five years the Rubin Museum of Art has had significant shifts in the organizational structure and interrelation of visitor services and education due to various financial and administrative changes. Though varying levels of integration have existed in the institution's history, due to budget constraints in early 2009, the two separate…

At a time of economic recession, museums are called upon more than ever to demonstrate their public value while simultaneously finding funding for their work. This series of case studies examines how three museums balance mission-based programming with generating revenue for their organizations. The Newseum, in Washington, DC, has repurposed…

Museum educators at small museums are sometimes thrust, solo, into building budgets from scratch. In this case study an emerging professional discovers that she has limited funding for an existing program that she was hired to run. She finds that she has to rebuild the budget to discover the program's true costs, and that sustainability depends…

The discussion of public value is in the air among museums and other cultural institutions as they strive to achieve strategic impact "for and with" their "communities," rather than merely operational impact "for themselves." At the most basic level, it is about ensuring that their work is fully and meaningfully connected to the fabric and true…

Though adopting a Public Value orientation to guide museum planning and positioning has advantages, its implementation, particularly with regard to the role of the public, is complex. Here, the terrain of Public Value is emergent, fluid and contested. This paper examines various views of the role of the public in Public Value including that of…

In this article Bernstein and Gittleman address the role of risk in creating an exhibition that is of value to the public and is aligned with their cultural institution's core values. Through an examination of the development process, the authors present lessons that can assist others who are interested in undertaking an exhibition with similar…

Collaborative processes by nature are not neat and tidy; and if mismanaged, they can lead to chaos rather than creative productivity. However, when a museum and a group of teachers establish a respectful peer community that maximizes all the members talents, truly impactful teaching and learning result. This article analyzes the "Great Chicago…

A recent survey of recession-driven museum staff reductions suggests the possible loss of tens of thousands of museum personnel nationwide and identifies educators as among those most severely impacted. Survey findings are summarized, and the implications for both affected personnel and downsized institutions are considered.