A Museum Education

Art has the power to inspire. Art can offer a new perspective that helps us better understand the world around us. At the Georgia Museum of Art, our belief in the power of art means that we strive to create a sense of connection to the visual arts in ways students and the community never previously imagined.

This fall, teaching at the museum is as significant as ever, with several classes meeting every week in our building and many others scheduling visits to the Collection Study Room or the galleries. The classroom experience is always enhanced by incorporating the visual arts.

Callan Steinmann, curator of education at the museum, works to bring people and art together, especially through connecting the academic audience at UGA with the museum’s vast permanent collection and visiting exhibitions. During the fall semester, she is teaching introduction to museum studies in the first-floor education resource center at the museum. The class gives students who are interested in pursuing a career in museum work a chance to experience the galleries and learn firsthand how an institution like the Georgia Museum of Art functions behind the scenes. Students learn about things like collection management and care, curatorial practice, exhibition design and installation, visitor experience, education and interpretation. All of these aspects come together to make the museum a success.

The inner workings of the museum provide a unique opportunity for students to learn about how a museum functions in detail. “There is so much exciting potential for faculty to use the museum as an extension of the classroom,” said Steinmann. “Our collection and galleries provide unique opportunities for object-based, experiential learning that aligns with course objectives and supports skill building in visual literacy, critical thinking, communication and creative expression.”

Classes across the university from any number of departments and disciplines visit the museum each week as a means to enrich courses. Elizabeth Davis, coordinator of the interdisciplinary and cross-curricular writing certificate program, as well as a professor of rhetoric and composition in the department of English, has been taking classes to the museum for years.

In the post-pandemic classroom, the museum has been instrumental in classroom enrichment and livening up coursework. While Steinmann often helps develop specific activities catered to classes, a visit without her input also has tremendous value for classes. Students can learn a lot from a visit to the museum — whether contemplating a different perspective by viewing works, learning about the technical aspects of making an exhibition come to fruition or understanding more about communication in a professional setting.

“Museums engage the visitor with opportunities to interact and to experience media spatially,” said Davis about her experience of bringing a digital storytelling class to the museum last semester. “The spatial aspect was really important in our class, with both the community partner project and for a lot of people who started thinking about mixed reality digital storytelling.”

Each piece of art contains a story or perspective. The museum’s ability to curate narratives about artists, works, an exhibition or history in a way that both challenges visitor perspective and nurtures understanding is invaluable to UGA classes across campus. The value of a museum visit is not lost on professors and instructors on campus. During the 2022 – 2023 academic year, 119 UGA classes visited the museum as part of their coursework. Demand continues to grow, with more than 90 classes scheduled to visit this semester so far.

“Experiences with art can stimulate conversation, illuminate new connections and foster a sense of community,” said Steinmann. ”The many facets of the museum all lend themselves to the larger picture of visual arts in education.”

Think a museum visit might enhance your coursework as a UGA professor, instructor or student? Class tours can be requested by contacting the education department at gmoa-tours@uga.edu or filling out an online form.

The museum also offers programs for the community outside of the university. Pre-K – 12 tours are available to schools interested in a student-centered interactive learning experience. Guided, self-guided and virtual tours of the museum make the visual arts accessible to any school looking to encourage imaginative perspectives in the world through the classroom. There are also a multitude of teacher resources and workshops available. The museum works hard to ensure that the visual arts are open to early learners; children of all ages can learn something valuable from the museum.

Tours open to the public are offered weekly most Wednesdays, and the museum has a variety of programming including lectures, film screenings, yoga in the galleries and more. Check out our upcoming events below or view our full calendar of events at: https://georgiamuseum.org/events/

Upcoming Events:

• Family Day on September 30 from 10 a.m. to noon. *Family Day is sponsored by Lucy and Buddy Allen and the Friends of the Georgia Museum of Art.
• Curator Talk: “Power Couple: Pierre and Louise Daura in Paris” on October 4 from 2 to 2:30 p.m.
• Teen Studio: Southern/Modern on October 5 from 5:30 to 8 p.m. an opportunity for teens (ages 13-18) to participate in a studio-based workshop led by local artist and educator Kristen Bach. Seats are limited; email gmoa-tours@uga.edu to register.

• Gallery Talk: “Modernist Women Poets in the South” on October 12 from 1 to 2 p.m.
• Creative Aging Seated Yoga on October 12 from 10:30 to 11:30 a.m. Creative aging programs are geared to ages 55+. Program is free but spots are limited; email gmoa-tours@uga.edu to reserve a seat.