Breaking Points: Understanding Systemic Tension and Change in the Museum

• In Event: Poster Session 18
  In Poster Session: Informal Learning Environments Research Poster Session

Abstract

The call for museums to change and move toward community-based practices has resounded across the museum field and is only increasing in volume and force. Yet, museums are not renowned for their ability to change and there is little research on systemic museum change and learning. Using Cultural Historical Activity Theory (CHAT) in particular, the concept of contradictions, this research explored the historical, cultural, and social aspects of organizational change at a mid-sized art museum. Working with the education department, this research uncovered the ways in which the museum is a system of interconnected parts and illuminated the underlying resistances to and potential for change.

Author

• Sarah Ward, University of Washington