This research explores the relationship between narrative, empathy and anxiety in art museum education. The study begins from my personal experience with anxiety and is methodologically rooted in narrative inquiry and friendship as method. In this study, I propose a creative method of narrative postcard writing called (fe)mail – rooted in a feminist ethic of care that seeks to understand and empathize with the experience of others through correspondence. This research asks relevant questions about the future of art museum programming for mental illness and the act of writing (fe)mail as a reflective practice for academics and educators in the field of social science. In my narrative analysis of the program and the data, I also problematizes my role as researcher, educator and friend throughout the study by considering my own biases, expectations and personal educator agenda. The study is divided into two parts. The first comprises correspondence and analysis of (fe)mail between myself and my best friend/co-participant, Atleigh. In Part I, I conduct a narrative analysis of the (fe)mail data produced between us in order to answer the following questions: What qualities of (fe)mail will appear in the exchange? Can (fe)mail be used as a tool for self-care during the research writing process? In Part II of the study, (fe)mail is brought into the museum by way of a virtual museum program for six women in order to answer the following questions: In what ways does the museum program create a sense of community among participants? In what ways might (fe)mail create empathy for works of art, the self, and others as part of a museum program?
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:unt.edu/info:ark/67531/metadc1873840 |
| Date | 12 1900 |
| Creators | Galuban, Beatriz Asfora |
| Contributors | Evans, Laura E., Brown, Kathy, Savage, Shari |
| Publisher | University of North Texas |
| Source Sets | University of North Texas |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis or Dissertation |
| Format | vii, 229 pages, Text |
| Rights | Public, Galuban, Beatriz Asfora, Copyright, Copyright is held by the author, unless otherwise noted. All rights Reserved. |
Page generated in 0.0016 seconds