SYMPHONIC POEM: A CASE STUDY IN MUSEUM EDUCATION DISSERTATION Presented in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy in the Graduate School of The Ohio State University By Carole M. Genshaft, B.A., M.S.L.S. The Ohio State University 2007 Dissertation Committee: Dr. Christine Ballengee Morris, Advisor Approved by Dr. Vesta Daniel Dr. Amy Shuman __________________________ Dr. Terry Barrett Advisor Art Education Graduate Program Copyright by Carole M. Genshaft 2007 All works of art are ©Aminah Brenda Lynn Robinson ABSTRACT In this case study, I examine the extraordinary work of contemporary artist Aminah Brenda Lynn Robinson and the intersection of my experience as an educator serving as a co-curator for Symphonic Poem, a major retrospective exhibition of her work in 2003. The case study is a vehicle to examine the role of museum educators in developing and presenting exhibitions that empower visitors to discover their own meaning in Aminah’s complex and layered work. In presenting the case study of the exhibition, I probe the rich artistic vocabulary of the artist and scrutinize response to it through a survey which 100 visitors completed as well as through poetry written by adults and by children in the exhibition. I examine these responses in light of the desired goals and outcomes my co-curator and I had established for the exhibition. My examination of the case and my research related to it highlight the challenges and opportunities that face museum educators and all museum workers in an era when museums are examining their relevancy as they compete with all types of cultural and commercial events and venues for people’s time and attention. This collaboration between a curator of contemporary art and an educator provides an alternative approach to traditional museum practices and organizational structures and raises important questions concerning the training and practice of museum professionals. ii In addition to examining the role of museum educators in exhibitions, I present strategies to encourage K-12 students and visitors of all ages to critically confront issues of identity, race, and oppression that hover just below the rich patterns and button- encrusted surface of Aminah’s work. In the world she has created, being black is the norm, but everyone is invited to participate by sharing their memories, stories, and dreams. Art like that of Aminah Robinson helps to fill in the gaps that the modern museum created in regard to marginalizing and ignoring the voices of women and minorities. Educators in the post-museum can become border-crossers themselves in creating exhibitions, linking them with a broad range of communities, and encouraging visitors to become border-crossers as well. iii To Nelson, who has always encouraged me in all my endeavors, and to our children and granddaughter, who are my inspiration: Lindsay, Tracy and Scott, Ben, Alyssa, and Sophie Anne In memory of Sally and Phil Miller and Anne Genshaft iv ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I am deeply grateful to Aminah Brenda Lynn Robinson for the friendship and warm working relationship we have enjoyed since 1989. She has been overwhelmingly generous in welcoming me to her world where she has allowed me to witness her working process, understand her goals, and “catch” her spirit. I hope that in some small way what I have written about her will contribute to the knowledge of those who already know and appreciate her work and will make new audiences, especially teachers, aware of her artistry and the importance of her message of remembrance, respect, and hope. I am indebted to Aminah for permission to use her work to illustrate my research. Dr. Christine Ballengee Morris has been my advisor and coach since I began working on my dissertation. She has encouraged me at every turn and has given me valued direction in this long and arduous process. I am also appreciative of Dr. Vesta Daniel, Dr. Amy Shuman, and Dr. Terry Barrett who have served on my committee. The questions that they formulated for my generals have given insightful direction to my research. I thank Dr. Stephen A. Sebo, the graduate appointment to my committee, for his careful and thorough review of my dissertation. I have been privileged to work at the Columbus Museum of Art since 1984. For more than twenty years, my “work” has been to connect the public with every v conceivable type of art. I am grateful to the support of Irvin Lippman, the museum’s director during Symphonic Poem and the insight of my co-curator, Annegreth Nill. Nannette Maciejunes, the current executive director of the museum, has encouraged risk- taking, innovation, and experimentation in regard to educational components of exhibitions and programs. Nannette has been a moving force behind the new Aminah Robinson Web site and the plans for the future Aminah Robinson Center for Community Art at the museum. My colleagues in both the education department headed by Cindy Foley and the curatorial department headed by Catherine Evans have been partners in presenting the work of Aminah Robinson and supporting the type of community collaboration that is so relevant to this work. In my years as director of education at the museum, I found a sounding board in Dr. Barbara Sweney, the educator for docent programs, Jeff Sims, educator for adult programs, Merilee Mostov, educator for family programs, and Jessimi Jones, educator for school collaborations. I also thank Dr. Mary Sheridan, an exemplary teacher in the Pickerington, Ohio, school district who has developed extensive curriculum based on Aminah’s work and who read drafts of my dissertation and offered the kind of early encouragement I really needed to continue. Many thanks to my husband, Nelson, for serving as my editor. I have marveled at his writing skills since we were both in high school and I still look forward to his first novel. vi VITA May 13, 1949……………………………………….Born- Canton Ohio December 1970……………………..........................B.A. Art History, Syracuse University May 1972……………………………………………M.S. Library Science Case Western Reserve University June 1972-June 1973………………………………..Librarian, Art History Department Cleveland Public Library March 1984- August 1988…………………………..Librarian Columbus Museum of Art March 1988-1996..………………………………….Educator for School Programs Columbus Museum of Art June 1994-May 2006………………………………..Director of Education Columbus Museum of Art March 1996-March 1998……………………………Guest Instructor, Museum Education Department of Art Education The Ohio State University March 1996-March 1998…………………………... Instructor, Introduction to Visual Arts, Mt. Carmel School Of Nursing September 2006-December 2007…………………. Graduate Teaching Assistant Department of Art Education The Ohio State University May 2006-present………………………………….. Adjunct Curator of Education Columbus Museum of Art vii PUBLICATIONS 1. Genshaft, C. M. (2002) A different walk. In Columbus Museum of Art and H. N. Abrams, Publishers, Symphonic Poem: The Art of Aminah Brenda Lynn Robinson, (pp. 13-25), Columbus, OH: Author. FIELDS OF STUDY Major Field: Art Education viii TABLE OF CONTENTS Page Abstract................................................................................................................... ii Dedication ............................................................................................................. iv Acknowledgements .................................................................................................v Vita........................................................................................................................ vii Chapters: 1. Introduction..................................................................................................1 Case Study Chapters ..........................................................................2 Research Questions ............................................................................3 Purpose and Need ...............................................................................5 Fundamental Premises ........................................................................7 Methodology.......................................................................................9 Subjectivity .......................................................................................15 Theoretical Groundings ....................................................................17 Timeline............................................................................................20 Summary...........................................................................................21 2. Contextual Background .............................................................................23 History of Museum Education ..........................................................23 Mission Statements................................................................29 ix Museum Relevancy in the 21st Century ..................................30 Exhibitions: Excellence and Exploitation............................................36 Voice and a Contemporary Artist ...........................................39 Voice in a Thematic Exhibition ...............................................43 Voice and Cultural Objects......................................................45 Family Days ............................................................................50 Audiences and Exhibitions .......................................................51 Conclusions...............................................................................52