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

journal contribution
posted on 2012-05-01, 00:00 authored by Katya Johanson, Hilary GlowHilary Glow
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.

History

Journal

Participations

Volume

9

Issue

1

Season

Spring

Pagination

26 - 42

Publisher

University of Wales

Location

Middlesex, England

ISSN

1749-8716

Language

eng

Publication classification

C1 Refereed article in a scholarly journal; C Journal article

Copyright notice

2012, University of Wales

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