As museums continue to shift from being object-centered to visitor-centered, they also need to reconsider their exhibition development
practices to become more relevant to their communities. In alignment with this premise, this double case study investigates two exhibitions
that were curated using the supported interpretation (SI) model for visitor-centered exhibitions. They were the Mixing It Up: Building an
Identity exhibition, taking place at the gallery of the Tempe Center for the Arts in Arizona, and Contemporary Latino Art: El Corazón de San
Antonio, an exhibition that took place at the former Texas A&M University-San Antonio’s Educational & Cultural Arts Center. In this
dissertation, I examine how SI was implemented at these two exhibitions and how it can be implemented at future ones in other art centers or
similar venues. Supporting questions explore the strategies and processes that were used at Mixing It Up and El Corazón, and insights on how
the model worked in these two instances. This study was informed by the constructivist paradigm of inquiry. In it, I used a
hermeneutic/dialectic methodology and qualitative methods of data collection. At the Mixing It Up exhibition, I conducted observations and
unstructured interviews using a maximum variation sampling strategy, and I also analyzed secondary data gathered through one of the
interactive components of the exhibition. At El Corazón, I worked exclusively with secondary data gathered through the visitors’
participatory opportunities embedded in the exhibition interface. Moreover, I used self-reflection and Serrell’s (2006) Framework for
Assessing Excellence in Exhibitions from a Visitor-Centered Perspective as a professional development tool to go deeper into an understanding
of SI and its implementation at these two exhibitions. The findings of this study reveal that both exhibitions included interpretive elements
that encouraged visitor participation and validated a multiplicity of voices. But they also show that those components made the exhibitions
more meaningful for visitors allowing them to make personal connections with the art on display by themselves or with others. Additionally,
as this study investigates how SI worked at these two exhibitions, it also sheds light into possible ways in which it can be implemented at
other institutions in the future, and provides recommendations for future applications of it as well as areas for further
research. / A Dissertation submitted to the Department of Art Education in partial fulfillment of the requirements for
the degree of Doctor of Philosophy. / Fall Semester 2017. / October 10, 2017. / art museum education, interactive exhibitions, Latinx art exhibitions, supported interpretation (SI) exhibitions,
supported interpretation (SI) model, visitor-centered exhibitions / Includes bibliographical references. / Pat Villeneuve, Professor Directing Dissertation; Carolyn Henne, University Representative; Jeff Broome,
Committee Member; Ann Rowson Love, Committee Member; Linda Schrader, Committee Member.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:fsu.edu/oai:fsu.digital.flvc.org:fsu_605029 |
| Contributors | Viera, Alicia (author), Villeneuve, Pat, 1955- (professor directing dissertation), Henne, Carolyn (university representative), Broome, Jeffrey L. (Jeffrey Lynn) (committee member), Love, Ann Rowson, 1967- (committee member), Schrader, Linda B. (committee member), Florida State University (degree granting institution), College of Fine Arts (degree granting college), Department of Art Education (degree granting departmentdgg) |
| Publisher | Florida State University |
| Source Sets | Florida State University |
| Language | English, English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Text, text, doctoral thesis |
| Format | 1 online resource (316 pages), computer, application/pdf |
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