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Abstract for MA Thesis.pdf (73.84 KB)

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Making Meaning and Connections: A Study of the Interpretation and Education Practices for the Medieval Collection at the Cleveland Museum of Art

Cengel, Lauren Marie
http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=kent1397568655

Abstract Details

2014, MA, Kent State University, College of Arts and Sciences / Department of History.
For nearly a century, Ohio's Cleveland Museum of Art has stood as a world-renowned collector of works of art from all corners of the earth, including ones from the European Middle Ages (ca. 500-1500 AD). The CMA has also recently undertaken a massive reinstallation project begun in 2005, which allowed it a rare opportunity to rethink its presentation of the entire collection, to refocus goals of making it more relevant and engaging for visitors, and to implement the use of interpretive technology to provide visitors an opportunity to access more information. Through a museological framework, the basic question this project examines is how the staff at the Cleveland Museum of Art has presented the history and art of the Middle Ages through the new medieval galleries, and through their interpretive and educational tools and techniques. This study argues that the interpretive and educational practices for the medieval galleries at the Cleveland Museum of Art demonstrate how opportunities for meaning-making are created for visitors. This is done with various elements of interpretation, which includes grouping and arrangement of objects, aesthetics of the galleries, informational labels and panels, and supplemental technology. These all stress a connection to the people of the Middle Ages to help visitors experience what the world was like for people who saw and used the art in that time. There are also many educational programs that focus on teaching visitors about the Middle Ages specifically, including classroom programs, traditional programs, and programs designed for all ages to make learning fun while also providing context. A study of the educational and interpretive practices at the Cleveland Museum of Art that pertain to the medieval collection demonstrates that they aim to facilitate visitor-object interactions, increase opportunities to make meaning and learn from objects, and to make the art accessible to the public. This has been done through crafting a narrative of the Middle Ages that focused on the stories of the people that lived during that time period, through providing context, and through a variety of classroom and traditional programs.
John R. Jameson, PhD (Advisor)
Kiersten F. Latham, PhD (Committee Member)
Kim M. Gruenwald, PhD (Committee Member)
141 p.
Art Education; Art History; Education; Educational Technology; History; Information Science; Medieval History; Middle Ages; Museum Studies; Museums
Museum; museum education; interpretation; museum interpretation; Cleveland Museum of Art; resinstallation; museum reinstallation; Middle Ages; medieval; medieval art; art museums; museology

Recommended Citations

Citations

  • Cengel, L. M. (2014). Making Meaning and Connections: A Study of the Interpretation and Education Practices for the Medieval Collection at the Cleveland Museum of Art [Master's thesis, Kent State University]. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=kent1397568655

    APA Style (7th edition)

  • Cengel, Lauren. Making Meaning and Connections: A Study of the Interpretation and Education Practices for the Medieval Collection at the Cleveland Museum of Art. 2014. Kent State University, Master's thesis. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center, http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=kent1397568655.

    MLA Style (8th edition)

  • Cengel, Lauren. "Making Meaning and Connections: A Study of the Interpretation and Education Practices for the Medieval Collection at the Cleveland Museum of Art." Master's thesis, Kent State University, 2014. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=kent1397568655

    Chicago Manual of Style (17th edition)

kent1397568655
1,233
© 2014, all rights reserved.
This open access ETD is published by Kent State University and OhioLINK.