The following are the research questions I am contemplating:
1) How do museums teach the public about art?
2) How does visual culture affect the social skills and behaviors of children and what long term effects will this have for society at large?
3) How can an arts in medicine program help wounded veterans to heal?
4) What role does gender play in art education?
My interest in the first questions comes from my background as a museum professional and I feel that this is where I will ultimately use the knowledge gained from this program. I also plan to be a gallery guide for an upcoming exhibition on Egyptian artifacts and I’m hoping to use this experience to gain some knowledge in answering this question.
The second question became intriguing to me after the Contemporary Issues course and the realization that visual culture is embedded deeply into our everyday culture. My greatest concern is how it affects the long-term ability of people across cultural and gender divides to relate to the world and to understand their place in it.
The third question arises from a need to want to make a difference in the lives of others. I currently volunteer in an arts in medicine program at Moffitt Cancer Center in Tampa, and although there is research to be found on how the arts can help people heal, I am not sure if it has been done in a Veterans Hospital setting.
Finally I am interested in gender roles and how they affect and contribute to arts education.
As you can see my interests range a wide gamut and choosing one area to focus on has been a debilitating experience for me; one in which I feel confused and unsure of how to proceed.
Baker-Sperry, L. & Grauerholz, L. (2003). The pervasiveness and persistence to the feminine beauty ideal in children’s fairy tales. Gender & Society, 15(5), 711-726.
Duncum, P. (2010). Seven principles for visual culture education. Art Education, 63(1), 6-10.
Edwards, M. (1976). Art therapy and art education: Towards a reconciliation. Studies in Art Education, 17(2), 63-66.
Garber, E. (1992). Feminism, aesthetics and art education. Studies in Art Education, 33(4), 210-225.
Hume, V. (2010). Creative care: The role of the arts in hospital. Nursing Management, 17(5), 16-20.
Kalof, L. (1993). Dilemmas of femininity: Gender and the social construction of sexual imagery. The Sociological Quarterly, 34(4), 639-651
Stuckey, H. L. & Nobel, J. (2010). The connection between art, healing and public health: A review of current literature. American Journal of Public Health, 100(2), 254-263.
From reading your post, I got the feeling you are more interested in questions #1 & #3. I think this is because you are (or will be) actively engaged in these sites. I think having access to those places would be helpful in conducting any research you may need for this project. I agree with you about the uniqueness of the question concerning how art can be healing to veterans. Here's an interesting article about a strange twist on how veterans heal through art.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.northwestmilitary.com/news/veterans/2011/05/northwest-military-ranger-airlifter-newspaper-JBLM-veterans-combat-paper-project-uniforms-into-paper/
Thanks for the feedback Rhonda! And the link. Any feedback I can get to help move me along is definitely welcome.
ReplyDeleteHi Patty! here is an article I came across: reminded me of the Kalof article you have in your list
ReplyDeleteFeminist aesthetic practice of community development: the case of Myths and Mirrors Community Arts
COMMUNITY DEV J (2007) 42(4): 512-522
Hey Patty!
ReplyDeleteIs there a way that you could combine a few of your questions? Perhaps finding a program to help healing veterans through a museum outreach project? The combination of a military exhibit and how the museum incorporates the educational program with the community, could be really interesting. The added bonus is that most exhibits travel, so a combination could end up reaching more people.
....just a thought....
Patty,
ReplyDeleteIn looking at your research articles, you seem to have found more articles on the gender issue than anything else. How about taking that issue and putting it in context with your museum? You could combine questions 1, 2 and 4 and how gender issues in art affect children in a museum setting? What about interviewing or surveying some of the children after the Egyptian exhibit and seeing how they feel about the portrayal of Egyptian women in the musuem? It could be kind of a case study maybe.