top of page

Playing With Ideas: A Museum Based Inquiry

In this thesis, I am investigating the ways that alternative arts approaches such as Teaching for Artistic Behavior, creative inquiry, and play based learning can be incorporated into a contemporary arts based curriculum in the museum setting. Additionally, I was curious about the significance of the museum space and community in these learning encounters. My research was completed with the School & Teacher programs at the  RISD museum and consisted of observations, teaching experiences, and reflections in a visual journal. The culminating object of this research was a guided sketchbook, (How to Explore: A Learner's Quest) for self-guided school tours, where students are supported through inquiry based on themes that can be found in artworks throughout the museum. Students are able to choose the artworks that interest them, investigate them further, and respond to an artmaking prompt reflecting on a related personal experience. This guide can be used with learners of all ages and will be implemented at the RISD Museum in the fall, and will be available for additional use at the bottom of this page. 

Research Questions

Methodology

  • How can art educators work to include contemporary art and play based explorations into art museum education?

  • How can art museum experiences be designed for learners of various ages?

  • How can museum education embrace alternative art education approaches?

  • How can these alternative approaches to art museum education be made accessible to other learning environments?

  • What is the significance of the physical art museum space and the relationships built between the art museum educators, teachers, and youth?

Through Teacher-Based Research I explored how contemporary art and play-based learning can be integrated into museum education. This included observing K–12 museum programs, teaching a pre-visit lesson to a 3rd grade class, collaborating with museum educators, and reflecting on these experiences through a visual journal to gain insights into teaching and learning practices.

​

I also completed a Case Study on the RISD Museum School & Teacher Programs to contextualize my teaching within the institution's existing structures. This analysis, supported by literature on contemporary art, play-based learning, and community, helped to align my research with current practices and inform how my inquiry fit into the museum’s educational framework.

Literature Review

  • Contemporary Art: Children can engage with contemporary art by exploring, questioning, and interpreting it in their own ways, fostering curiosity, critical thinking, and empathy while developing interdisciplinary skills, expressing perspectives, and engaging in meaningful conversations about real-world issues.

  • Play-Based Learning: Play-based learning fosters creativity, problem-solving, and confidence by encouraging choice, exploration, and personal inquiry, leading to deeper engagement and meaningful artistic expression.

  • Community: Through dialogue, shared experiences, and inclusive spaces, art fosters collaboration, reflection, and deeper engagement, strengthening community learning and personal growth.

IMG_1963.jpg

Creating A Guide

  • Yourself & Others

    • Find an artwork that reminds you of someone.

      • What is the story behind it? Why did you notice it?

      • Create a drawing or write a note telling a story about the person you thought of. 

    • TIP: look for artworks that show people!

  • Nature & Science

    • Find an artwork that looks like something from nature.

      • What is it made out of? Is it studying that material or something else?

      • Draw a mini study of something from your environment.

    • TIP: Look closely- sometimes artists use materials from nature and make them seem like something else!

  • The Everyday

    • Choose an artwork showing an ordinary object or routine. 

      • How does the artist make it special?

      • What is a routine or object that is important to you?

  • Space & Place

    • Find an artwork that shows a place.

      • Is this a place that anyone can go? Why is it important to the artist?

      • Document a place that is important to you.

    • TIP: Sometimes artists document a place by zooming in to one detail, and other times they zoom out to show the whole thing. 

  • Power

    • Find an artwork where the subject seems powerful.

      • Are they using their power for good or bad? How do you know?

      • When do you feel powerful?

  • Pop Culture

    • Find an artwork that has an image you recognize.

      • Where have you seen it before?

      • What is an image you see every day? 

    • TIP: This image could be a character from a game, a picture from a book, a piece of sports equipment, your favorite snack, and more!

  • Work

    • This time, look for someone working around you in the museum or the art.

      • What is their job?

      • What is a job you have?

  • Time & Change

    • Find an artwork that looks like it is from a different time. 

      • How do you think it was made? What can you tell about its age?

      • What would it look like if it was made in the future?

    • Tip: Artists now look at art from the past for inspiration. 

  • Inheritance

    • Choose an artwork that was inspired by tradition.

      • Did the artist change the tradition when making it or keep things the same?

      • What is a tradition that you have?

    • TIP: A lot of traditional artworks are objects meant to be used.

​

Themes Adapted from Teaching Contemporary Art with Young People, Marshall, Stewart, & Thulson, 2021

bottom of page