Art Museums and Exclusionary Visions of Nationhood: The Possibilities for Docent Training. (3rd July 2021)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Anderson, Stephanie; Keenlyside, Emily
• Is Part Of: Journal of museum education. Volume 46:Number 3(2021)
• Page Start: 375
• Page End: 392
• Publication Date: 2021-07-03
• Subjects: Museum education -- docent training -- art museum activism -- decolonizing national narratives -- curriculum and pedagogy; Museums -- Educational aspects -- Periodicals; 069.15
• DOI: 10.1080/10598650.2021.1955198
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1059-8650

Abstract

ABSTRACT: Art museums around the world play an integral role in the formation and preservation of collective identity and national belonging. As part of wider efforts for social change, these institutions are being challenged to decolonize and confront racism with renewed and sustained focus. As such, they are thinking more deeply about how they engage visitors with their collections. Within this context, this article considers how docents are uniquely positioned in the collective response to these calls for action. Drawing on strategies used in museum and teacher education pedagogy, it offers a renewed approach that emphasizes docent training's capacity to create meaningful experiences that dismantle exclusionary national narratives operating within collections and exhibitions. This article responds to calls for art museums to multiply voices and become spaces for decolonization, and will resonate with other museums, galleries, and heritage institutions invested in ongoing critical learning amongst volunteer and professional educators alike.