Final Research Project 04/01/2019

Why aren't some students engaged with artwork during interpretive museum tours?

What problem, issue, or phenomenon do you want to explore through the final project?

I want to explore the reasons that students aren't engaged during interpretive museum tours.

What will be the sub-questions (categories) you want to explore for or discuss about this inquiry?

Some sub-categories for my inquiry could be: What does the students background have to do with their engagement levels? Are females or males more likely to be engaged during interpretive museum tours? Will a historical reference help the students become more engaged? Will the student's feedback be beneficial to me as a tour guide?

How will you integrate art with your secondary field knowledge in the final project?

I will integrate my knowledge of art in this project by referencing my knowledge into the interpretive questions and lessons into my tours.

- - Please summarize at least three points from the reading and explain how can they help you approach and/or understand your research inquiry, concept, or methodology. The citation must be clearly notated in your blog post.

I read New Angles on Interpretation. This reading is about interpretive experiences in the new Hamilton building at The Denver Art Museum. The Four Interpretive Explorations that The DAM utilizes is: making human connections, engaging visitor response, engaging visitor creativity, incorporating multiple voices. This can benefit my understanding of interpretive museum tours because it allows be to see and read about the interpretive strategies that I will use in my own tours.

These explorations "aren’t intended to align precisely with the four major ways people react in museums, but they do reflect the same underlying belief that people process information and connect with art in multiple ways that vary from person to person, object to object, and even day to day."(Denver Art Museum,2006) I think this is extremely important to understand when you're an interpretive tour guide. I haven't really considered that not all of these students think the same. That is why it is important to utilize all of these elements on an interpretive tour. The last point that I want to discus is how The Denver Art Museum sees the importance of how you say something and why it matters. I learned that it is very important not to ever talk down to students. It is important to also remind yourself that you need to condense your vocabulary to their level, otherwise they will not understand you and feel confused. I was also reminded to incorporate a little of humor into my tours! These tours are supposed to be fun as well as educational!

Works Cited

Denver Art Museum(2006). New Angles On Interpretation. Retrieved from https://denverartmuseum.org/sites/all/themes/damthree/files/new_angles.pdf.