Beginnings in art museums of the United States At the turn of the twentieth century, art museums were very new institutions to the average visitor, who was seen wandering with no clear direction through the galleries, and with no clear idea on how to appreciate and study the exhibitions. In 1906, architect
J. Randolph Coolidge Jr. was appointed the temporary director of the
Boston Museum of Fine Arts. He experimented with a guiding system in the galleries, to help visitors orient themselves throughout their walk across the exhibitions.
Art Museum Volunteers as Museum Educators An article published in the June bulletin of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston in 1906 features one of the first uses of the term docent and the description of its functions. It said, After the conclusion of WWII, art museums' priorities shifted once again to an increased focus on education. Schools across the country began making field trips to museums for educational programs, and at the same time a greater emphasis was being placed on collecting and volunteerism. This emphasis on volunteerism, combined with the increase in student attendance, led to a greater level of importance given to museum education and museum educators. By 1946, museum leaders like Otto Wittmann, the then associate director at the
Toledo Museum of Art, were advocating for the use of volunteers (docents), and the development of museum educator training, for expanding education programs. Throughout his career, Coombs encouraged and impulsed the professional development of people responsible of non-formal education, which will be determining for the development and professionalization of the educative areas in institutions devoted to non-formal education.
Museum education workers A 2019 demographic study demonstrated a long-standing homogeneity among art museum educators, who tend to be White, heterosexual, cisgender women between the ages of 26-40 with spouses but without care-taking responsibilities. These demographics point to historical conditions of low pay and pervasiveness of unpaid internships, which limit participation to those with access to other sources of income. Unpaid internships have become prerequisites to securing future employment in the field, as they offer opportunities for networking and demonstrating one's employability, creating a “cruel paradox” in the field in which paid employment is restricted to those with the economic resources to contribute
unpaid labor. The titles of museum educators are important for two reasons. One reason is that they evidence the field's struggle for vocabulary to define what it is museum educators do. The second reason is that these job titles may reflect differences in the positions themselves, and growing differences in the roles of education departments across museums. Including Director/Chair of Education, Director of Education and Public Programs, Curator of Education, Education and Interpretation Supervisor, Head of Interpretation and Participatory Experiences, Director of Education and Curator of Public Practices, etc. There is a growing number of graduate programs in museum education, including: a Master's and PhD in Arts Administration, Education, & Policy from
Ohio State University; a Master's from
Bank Street College of Education; and a Master's from
Tufts University in Museum Studies; and others.
Effects of COVID-19 Pandemic The American Alliance of Museum and Wilkening Consulting released a survey snap shot of COVID-19 Impact on United States Museums The survey includes information on museum closures, visitation numbers, furloughs and lost revenue. The staff positions most affected by layoffs and furloughs due to COVID19 at the surveyed institutions were Guest Services/Admissions/Front of House/Retail (68%) followed by Education (40%). 67% of surveyed museums reported needing to cut back on education, programming, and other public service due to budget shortfalls and/or staff reductions. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, almost 95% of museums worldwide had to close their doors for at least part of 2020. The widespread impact of COVID-19 is further illustrated by the fact that 99% of arts organizations of all kinds in the U.S. had to cancel events in 2020. Due to these forced closures and out of the interest of abiding by pandemic safety guidelines, museums began turning to the digital realm for programming and educational efforts. Many museums created or added onto virtual education programs, including; Zoom or video-conferenced events, new social media channels and groups, take-home art activities, virtual tours, and more. == Theory & Practice ==