Building Research Skills Through the Study and Critique of Museum Architectural History

This presentation will spotlight Museums, Architecture, and the Politics of Space, a course that I developed in response to two concurrent events: the excitement surrounding the 2016 opening of the National Museum of African American History and Culture in Washington, DC and local debate concerning changes to the admissions policy, audience engagement strategies, and public access to the grounds at the Indianapolis Museum of Art (now Newfields) in the city where I live and teach. This course examined the ways in which museum buildings and their grounds reflect mission, shape visitor experience, and shed light on the complex relationships between a museum and the communities it serves or alienates. Course objectives included: 1) Conduct visual and spatial analyses of museums and their landscapes in order to explain how the form of the museum corresponds to mission, collection, and visitor experience, 2) Synthesize material from a variety of primary and secondary sources to propose how museum buildings and landscapes correspond to current and historical power dynamics, and 3) Respond sensitively to current debates regarding museum architecture and spatial politics. This talk will emphasize the value and process of developing a course that removes the perceived divide between museum and classroom.