Traditional or Contemporary Art? A Study of Educational Approaches to Children in Two Chinese Art Museums

Abstract

Although the number of art museums in China has increased significantly in recent years, art museum educators find it difficult to create relevant, relatable, and engaging learning experiences for children in different contexts of art museums. I conducted this qualitative, comparative case study in Shanghai, China, examining how two different art museums, one contemporary art-based, and another one traditional Chinese art-based, conceptualize museum education for children. The research data included face-to-face, semi-structured interviews with museum educators and a content analysis of documents gathered from the museums’ websites. Using the frameworks for the contextual model of learning and constructivism theory in museum learning, I compared and contrasted the two art museums educational approaches in creating connections between educational programming and children’s learning. I found that both art museums were able to connect programming to children with their current exhibitions, but using two different approaches.

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