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'It's not enough for the work of art to be great' : children and young people as museum visitors

Johanson, Katya and Glow, Hilary 2012, 'It's not enough for the work of art to be great' : children and young people as museum visitors, Participations, vol. 9, no. 1, Spring, pp. 26-42.

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Title 'It's not enough for the work of art to be great' : children and young people as museum visitors
Author(s) Johanson, Katya
Glow, Hilary
Journal name Participations
Volume number 9
Issue number 1
Season Spring
Start page 26
End page 42
Total pages 16
Publisher University of Wales
Place of publication Middlesex, England
Publication date 2012-05
ISSN 1749-8716
Keyword(s) Children
young people
museum visitors
engagement
Summary This paper examines trends in the understanding of children as visitors to art and natural history museums. It begins by examining research into the qualities of engagement by museum visitors generally. It then addresses the specific challenges posed by children as visitors, and the responses developed by museums to enhance their engagement. Three strategies are identified: social/family-centred interactivity, immersive experiences and engagement through interpretive dialogue. The three examples of programs of children’s engagement examined in this paper represent a major departure from such models towards a profoundly social form of interaction. The paper argues that these strategies are museums’ responses to shifts in pedagogical theory, and have been developed to increase the engagement of the child-visitor with exhibitions. Such strategies represent a genuine engagement between adults (both museum staff and parents) and children, and an opportunity for children to define the experience of cultural engagement. The consequence of this is a redefinition of the cultural role of museums in relation to children.
Language eng
Field of Research 199999 Studies in Creative Arts and Writing not elsewhere classified
190199 Art Theory and Criticism not elsewhere classified
Socio Economic Objective 950104 The Creative Arts (incl. Graphics and Craft)
HERDC Research category C1 Refereed article in a scholarly journal
ERA Research output type C Journal article
Copyright notice ©2012, University of Wales
Persistent URL http://hdl.handle.net/10536/DRO/DU:30045644

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Created: Mon, 04 Jun 2012, 10:41:04 EST by Katya Johanson