Abstract
Museums need to continue to make advances in diversity and equality at all levels within the institution. Teen programs are seen as serving a particular audience rather than as a resource that can help the institution achieve these goals. Many museums work to diversify their collection through acquisitions, but it is also essential to diversify the acquisition methods. This can lead the museum toward more authentic diversity and equity, as it draws on more than the established methods, aesthetics, and narratives. Museums must create pathways and programs to push directly against the existing structures to deeply understand how to reimagine itself. This session focuses on teen programs as a path for making museums more equitable and civically engaged in the communities that the museum serves. The goal is for participants to see beyond the surface outcomes of teen programs (i.e., diverse audiences, attendance numbers, and a pipeline for future museum workers) and begin to understand these programs as profoundly related to social justice-based work. Outcomes would include a better understanding of how to advocate for teen involvement in museums, ideas for current programs to have a more influential position, examples of practices and projects that have created change in the institution, and a call to work with teens to make change now.
Presenters
Christina AldermanDirector, Family and Teen Programs, Museum Education, RISD Museum, Rhode Island, United States
Details
Presentation Type
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session
Theme
2023 Special Focus—Museum Transformations: Pathways to Community Engagement
KEYWORDS
Teens, Community, Engagement, Acquisition, Inclusive, Inclusion
