In the feedback my tutor, Kwame Baah, gave me for the workshop he observed, he suggested I read an article about the function of museum pedagogy by academic, Matjaz Duh. This is my favourite article I have read since starting my PgCert because it made me contemplate about aspects of object-based learning that were not on the forefront of my mind.

The key message Duh conveys in his article is that the aim of museum pedagogy is to develop art appreciation in children and adults. According to Duh, (2015), “in the perception and reception of works of art, participants reach their own individual artistic interpretations of the given works of art. The method of aesthetic transfer emerges as the most appropriate didactic approach.” Duh also says that emotional responses need to be encouraged in museum pedagogy because they are critical to the perception and reception of objects, enabling students to reach into their own range of mental capacity. After reading this part of the article, I decided to go outside of my comfort zone and trial the emotional reading methodology during my upcoming object-based learning workshop for CSM BA Fine Art students. Consequently, I went on to curate a selection of objects that I felt would stimulate sensitive, humorous, or controversial responses that I would encourage students to share during the group discussion section of the workshop.

In addition to explaining the significance of museum pedagogy in developing art appreciation in children and young adults, Duh discusses the factors that enable museums to consider themselves as centers of learning. “To promote learning, museums and galleries have to realize the sometimes surprising fact that many actual and potential visitors prefer to learn in ways and about things that are profoundly different from the staff’s own preferences,” Duh, (2015). This suggestion resonated with me because it is very applicable to my own practice as the Curriculum Development Curator of the CSM Museum & Study Collection. Our collection has more than 30,000 objects across the landscape of art and design. As I studied fashion journalism at CSM, the objects that interest and excite me the most are related to fashion. Garments and accessories are also highly requested by CSM course leaders and visitors, so I frequently engage with them in my role.

However, I have been making a conscious effort to broaden my curatorial horizons when I develop object-based learning workshops for courses that approach me because I want to challenge myself and the students I teach. For example, when I recently worked with Foundation Architecture and Spatial Design students on the Heterotopias project, I deliberately selected peculiar, niche and random objects we have acquired in recent years through the Graduate Award for their object-based learning workshops. Not only was this an enjoyable and informative experience for me as a curator, but it proved to be a very successful strategy since the students were able to find many more objects that piqued their interest as a starting point for the diorama models they created for our window display.

References

Duh, M. (2015) ‘The Function of Museum Pedagogy in the Development of Artistic Appreciation’, Revija za elementarno izobraževanje, 1-17. Available at: (PDF) The Function of Museum Pedagogy in the Development of Artistic Appreciation (researchgate.net) (Accessed: 16 February 2024).