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Education at the Museum of Glass
by Susan Warner
Stepping into the Grand Hall at the Museum of Glass, the visitor immediately encounters an energetic space. Colors vibrate and pulse from the magical glass triptych, Gathering the Light, by Cappy Thompson.
On the far wall, Viola Frey's monumental ceramic figures stare intently out against a glowing blue backdrop, contemplating The Decline and Fall of Western Civilization, and through a tempered glass wall, the reflecting pools merge and integrate with the Thea Foss waterway, creating a contrast of white, textured concrete and sparkling blue-gray waters.
Cappy Thompson
Gathering the Light, 2003
Blown sheet glass panes, reverse painted with vitreous enamels, laminated onto stainless steel
11 1/2' x 15'
Photo: Al Abbott, TRIO a.d.s., 2003
Energy and vitality infuse the halls, establishing an environment that is far removed from the hushed and hallowed walls of traditional museums. Embracing the concept of museums as a community-meeting place for the exchange of ideas, the Education Plan for the Museum was crafted through intense conversation with potential audiences. Meetings were held with local school districts, universities, service clubs, libraries, theaters, senior centers and social service organizations, including the local juvenile detention facility. From these conversations, partnerships and friendships grew to sustain and support the concept of dialogue through art. What emerged from these diverse interactions was the conviction that multi-disciplinary active learning is a paramount direction for the Museum, both within its public programs and in its obligation to assist schools in meeting state academic learning requirements. Rejecting traditional notions of museums as quiet places for passive learning, staff embraced the value of entertainment and integrated project-based learning as a jumping off point for personal and family growth.
Photo: Russell Johnson, courtesy of the Museum of Glass, 2002
Museum education at the Museum of Glass is enhanced by the presence of the Hot Shop amphitheater. In this technologically sophisticated space, two hundred guests can observe the creative process of glass making. The configuration of the space and the technology that supports the visitors' experience present glass making as choreography, blurring the traditional separation of the visual, performing and literary arts. A trained staff person, known as a switcher, provides audio–visual interpretation. The switcher controls three cameras located high above the Hot Shop floor. These cameras track the complex movement of the artists and project the action onto a big screen, making it easier for visitors to see. The switcher can also access pre-loaded computer files of literary, performing and visual art images or video for the screen when cued from the floor. These interpretive aids demonstrate a fact, an inspiration or historical moment; further enhancing visitor engagement and understanding of the process. A Hot Shop Master of Ceremonies, on the floor with the glass blowing team, guides the entire experience with entertaining dialogue and interaction, designed to establish intellectual access points to a holistic understanding of the glass blowing process and its connection to thematic content of art displayed in the galleries.
Photo: Russell Johnson, courtesy of the Museum of Glass, 2002
The Studio is perhaps the best place to experience a mini snapshot of museum education at work. A small space off the Grand Hall, the Studio is a richly textured learning environment in which the visitor can focus on creative moments. Artwork by internationally recognized Seattle artist, Ginny Ruffner, anchors learning activities by creating an environment in which inter-generational visitors can explore ideas associated with discovery, nature, layering and symbolism. Between the hours of 11:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. each day, a professional artist provides visitors with materials and supplies with which to explore their own inner worlds. Projects are usually modest in scope and can be completed within a 15 – 20 minute framework. For example, nature poet Dr. David Francis helps visitors connect to the literary inspiration of art in the galleries with his ingenious poetry machine. Words and letters are churned and randomly spewed out for the visitor to make a poem. Through this activity, visitors connect with their own personal or family experiences, heritage and culture, while following an idea from concept to creative solution.
Photo courtesy of the Museum of Glass, 2003
Another example of this technique at work is the Contemplation Station. Five comfortable red chairs sit in a circle in the Michael Kenna: Japan exhibition. On each chair, visitors find a clipboard with detailed instructions on how to compose a haiku poem in response to the exquisite, subtly toned black and white photographs. Books on a simple shelf are also available for consultation. Visitors use the station pro-actively to understand:
· Poetry as the dominant influence on the naturally-inspired visual art in the exhibition;
· The connection between literary and visual arts as a contextual whole;
· Zen poetry (specifically Haiku and Renga) as a historical framework for the nature/poetry/art association found in the exhibition; and
· The association of words and images as a vehicle for the acute observation of life.
Photo courtesy of the Museum of Glass, 2003
The haiku activity stands at the core of the station. From this entry point, the visitor can expand on knowledge by attending a poetry reading and/or a lecture.
Image: Collaborative effort of the Remann Hall Women's Project, 2003
The same methodology used in the Contemplation Station is seen at work again on a larger scale in the Museum's Remann Hall Women's Project, which is planned and implemented in partnership with Pierce County Juvenile Court. Remann Hall is the residential unit for juveniles sentenced for a variety of crimes within Pierce County. Students at the facility are able to work with professional artists, sponsored by the Museum, to design and complete sophisticated projects, including installations, exhibitions, websites and publications. The experiential process makes the learning authentic for students, since the subject always relates to their own life experiences. Expectations are high. Students must present ideas professionally, create action plans and timelines, and bring the project to fruition. After their release from detention, students are able to continue to work with the Museum in a volunteer capacity, helping in the Studio and/or participating in a mentorship program offered by the YWCA in partnership with the Museum.
Academically, methodologies utilized in the programs mentioned above are well expressed in the pilot program, Science of Art, which is offered twice a year at the middle and high school levels. The goals of invigorating science education and creating real–world applications make the program popular with many schools. Like most Museum of Glass programs, Science of Art is supported by an extensive network at the university level and includes partnerships with the University of Puget Sound, Pacific Lutheran University and the University of Washington.
Prior to each Museum visit, teachers receive a layered curriculum with multiple lesson plans, adaptable to the middle and high school grades, which prepares students for their field trip. On arrival at the Museum, students engage in animated conversation and demonstrations led by university professors/students, art docents and museum educators in the Hot Shop, galleries, theater and Studio. All activities build on the pre-visit lesson plans, creating a comprehensive study of particular art and science concepts. With each field trip students:
· Experience and interpret exhibitions of contemporary art;
· Witness the scientific processes involved with the creation of art in a glass blowing studio;
· Interact and learn from scientists and university students who develop and present Science of Art demonstrations, lectures and experiments;
· Work with professional artists to create artwork in the Studio;
· Gain an understanding that science is a necessary component of art and, by implication, other areas of life;
· Fulfill the State's Essential Academic Learning Requirements in art and science, as well as other core subjects; and
· Participate in intensive project-based evaluation
Photo courtesy of the Museum of Glass, 2003
Seeking a more effective evaluation strategy than the standard survey-and-exit form, the Museum looked again to project-based learning and adopted a project-based evaluation for Science of Art. The new evaluation builds on careful observation of the pilot program and more closely matches the innovative teaching methodology engaged by the partnership network. The new evaluation is currently being tested with two of the Museum's partner schools, the Tacoma School of the Arts and Wilson High School, and is applied to one unit, The Sound of Glass. This exciting interactive unit, developed by Dr. Greg Youtz of Pacific Lutheran University and Dr. Rand Worland of the University of Puget Sound, examines the musical properties of glass, how glass was used historically and equates instruments with the scientific attributes/properties of sound waves. Students in the project-based evaluation receive a set of criteria based on the curriculum, which, if fully understood, will enable them to create a glass instrument or orchestra (in teams) that function musically, while demonstrating the scientific principles at work. Such an approach may also have the potential to partially fulfill, once fully developed, science specifications for design in the Washington Assessment of Student Learning.
The Museum of Glass is an exciting learning laboratory that remains fluid and flexible. As a young institution, the Museum must remain adaptable and responsive to visitor learning needs and expectations, with the hope of continued growth through experimentation. In a time of rapid change for education in the United States the agility with which museums can devise programming that meets the needs of academia and the general public will ensure an increasingly important role in the dialogue of community learning.
Susan Warner joined the Museum of Glass as the director of education in February 2001. The Museum, located in Tacoma, Washington opened in July 2002. Susan has twenty years of management, arts administration and museum education experience. Prior to joining the Museum, Susan was the education director at the Seattle Children's Museum.
Prior to coming to the Northwest, Susan was curator of decorative arts for the Dayton Art Institute. Susan has been recognized regionally and nationally for creating exceptionally innovative education programs with at-risk youth.
In 1998, Susan was the recipient of the President's Committee for Arts and Humanities/ National Endowment for the Arts Coming Up Taller award, which is given for outstanding service to children and youth at risk.
Additionally, Susan has managed a statewide program, the Experimental Gallery, for the Seattle Children's Museum and Washington's Department of Social and Health Services, Juvenile Rehabilitation Administration. The Experimental Gallery is a 1999 and 1997 semi-finalist in the Innovations in American Government program. In 1997, Susan received Washington State's Gold Apple award for excellence in education.
Susan received her BA in History from Southampton University, England and her MA in Education from Antioch University in Seattle.
Susan Warner
Director of Education
Museum of Glass: International Center for Contemporary Art
1801 Dock Street
Tacoma, WA 98402 -3217
253-284-2128
© December 2003 New Horizons for Learning
http://www.newhorizons.org
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