This dissertation describes the effects of a somatic mindfulness project on the way participants interact with and respond to works of art in a gallery setting. The study begins with a critique of Descartes' philosophy, Cartesianism, which emphasizes the role of the mind over that of the body and senses and argues that this thought continues to affect education even today. By contrast, phenomenology and mindfulness practices attempt to overcome Descartes' legacy by focusing on the importance of the body in lived experience. In particular, this study uses a phenomenological framework to conduct mindfulness on the relationship between the body and the perception of art. To do so, I utilized several phenomenological techniques for gathering data, including observations, video, and interviews, and I also created a unique method to analyze the data using a phenomenological verbal (written) description and visual (through photographic paintings) description. These techniques worked together to express the moment of reversibility between the meditative body and the artworks in the gallery setting. In sum, the findings of this study show that meditation changes the perceptual experience for different people in different ways. Another finding is that different forms of meditation may work better for some people than others. The findings of this study suggest that if art teachers are interested in using meditation, they need to be familiar with multiple forms of meditation. Also, they need to consider the role of the environment, as well as that of the artworks, in creating a wholistic meditative mood.

This study explored how workers in two small museums on Vancouver Island were responding curatorially and pedagogically to the social issues of our times. It was inspired from my own work in a small museum, as well as the idea that museums can be agents of change in our deeply troubled world. Specifically, I investigated how these small museum workers integrated new critical and creative practices into their daily work and the challenges and constraints they faced. Adopting institutional ethnography as inquiry, I used interviews, participant observation and focus groups to explore how the study participants navigated community relations, historical discourses, exclusions and institutional restrictions. My findings show the participants tackling issues of power and privilege by enacting cultural democracy through shared curatorial authority; actively engaging with a diversity of communities; integrating women’s lives and issues in the exhibits; using the archives to share lesser-known histories; and employing a variety of aesthetic and embodied practices to raise awareness and engage community. While some visitors and members were resistant to the changes, my study suggests that most welcomed the new stories and practices, which speaks to how the participants mobilisd pedagogies of challenge and care. Challenges remained in the forms of a gendered bureaucracy; lack of funding; and job precarity. I conclude this study with recommendations for how small museums might be further supported in this important curatorial and pedagogical work. These include the development of regional and collaborative learning frameworks; the re-imagining of governance; and the adoption of ‘decent work’ principles in these institutions. / Graduate

Master´s thesis is focused on educational materials for children visitors of Technical Museum of Brno. Supporting materials are divided into two categories. Materials in the form of a printed guide for parents with children, folding worksheets and worksheets for school groups accompanied by a teacher. Educational tool for school groups are color-divided into three age groups for elementary schools. Supplementary materials are methodological sheets for teachers.

Environmental and sustainability education is a widespread concept nowadays, with several frameworks and competencies supporting it, such as normative learning and forest schools. However, not all of these frameworks are as accessible for every teacher, since they tend to be based on a certain approach the school has to take as a whole, or personal knowledge of the teacher that might not have been acquired yet. This qualitative study focuses on the perception of museum employees on environmental history, with the aim of providing information to history teachers on how museums can help in taking the first steps towards the integration of sustainability education in history. Eight different museum employees from two different countries were interviewed about their perceptions on history and sustainability education –also known as environmental history. The results clearly showed that sustainability and environmental history are active components in current museum education, although the intensity and perceptions of it varied. Answers from the participants showed a clear awareness, both for the topic as for potential improvements. Challenges and obstacles that were found mainly consisted of resources, people, and time. The aforementioned findings contribute to the limited understanding that currently exists on sustainability education at museums. Additional research is required in order to create a more enhanced view of how museum visits can be implemented in sustainability education.

Syftet med den här uppsatsen var att bidra med kunskap om vilket historiemedvetande fyra historiska museer i Stockholm skapar i sina pedagogiska material riktat till barn. Utifrån en diskursanalys undersöktes materialet utifrån analysverktygen transitivitet och modalitet för att ringa in huruvida museerna lägger någon värdering i kunskapsinnehållet och vilket sanningsanspråk de tar. Det undersökta materialet var sex olika broschyrer riktade till barn, hämtade från Armémuseum, Historiska museet, Nordiska museet och Vasamuseet. Då museerna skiljer sig åt i innehåll, använde de olika typer av värderande ord utifrån på vad de presenterade, beroende på om de ville skapa en positiv eller negativ bild av skedet eller objektet. Större likhet fanns i vilket sanningsanspråk museerna tog i sitt material, då alla museer nästan uteslutande använder sig av ett högt sanningsanspråk, som inte gav utrymme för några alternativa tolkningar på historien. Undersökningens slutsats blev att museerna producerar en homogeniserande historieskrivning. Det beror troligtvis på att materialet är riktat till barn och därför finns det viss förenkling i hur kunskapen presenteras. Men syftet med materialen var inte nödvändigtvis att ge barnen historisk kunskap, utan att genom berättelser låta barnen bli en del av historien och göra den mer tillgänglig för att skapa ett historiemedvetande. / The purpose of this essay was to gain knowledge on how four historical museums in Stockholm creates historical consciousness in educational material directed toward children. Using a discourse analysis, the aim was to, with the help of the analysis tools transitivitet and modalitet, point out what values the museums put in how they present the knowledge and what level of truth they claim. The material consisted of six brochures from the Army Museum, the Swedish History Museum, the Nordic Museum, and the Vasa Museum. Since the museums varies in content, they differed in what words they used to describe the exhibitions they presented, depending on if they wanted to create a positive or negative image of the historical period or object. The level of truth they claimed in their material was more alike between the museums. None of them gave any leeway for alternative interpretations of the history they presented. In the end, the museums create a homogeneous picture of history. The reason for that might be the fact that the material is aimed toward children and therefore simplified. But the purpose of the material wasn’t necessary to give the children specific historical knowledge, but through storytelling let the children be a part of history and make it more available, to create a historical consciousness.

In seeking to create a richer learning environment in a junior high art classroom, the author develops a theory of presence. Closely connected to object-centered learning, a theory of presence in the art classroom places value on students being in the presence of, interacting with, and responding to artworks, artists, and other individuals and objects from the visual arts community. The author then describes how curricular plans are influenced by this theory of presence. Using an action research methodology, the author engages in the spiral process of planning, acting, observing, and reflecting on curriculum that explores the possibilities of connecting students with objects, artifacts, and people that privilege physical interaction and presence. Guest artist visits, utilizing a local art museum, and other methods are explored as possibilities for this to be achieved.

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