News & Press https://www.utahmuseums.org/news/default.asp Wed, 6 May 2026 13:56:01 GMT Thu, 19 Mar 2020 18:22:04 GMT Copyright © 2020 Utah Museums Association Utah's Virtual Museum Experience https://www.utahmuseums.org/news/news.asp?id=494699 https://www.utahmuseums.org/news/news.asp?id=494699  

During times of turmoil, museums are as important as ever.  We can provide fun content get through the quarantine and help our communities stay connected even in a time of social distancing.  Many of us are still working hard to reach out to the community.  See how some Utah museums are providing experiences for visitors through their websites. 

 

Download the list here

 

Did we miss your museum?  What is your museum doing right now?  Add a comment or post in the UMA Facebook group.

]]> Thu, 19 Mar 2020 19:22:04 GMT Don Hague Celebration and Funeral https://www.utahmuseums.org/news/news.asp?id=261213 https://www.utahmuseums.org/news/news.asp?id=261213 A celebration of the life and contributions of Don Hague will be held Friday, November 20 from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. at the Natural History Museum of Utah. His funeral will be at 11 a.m. the next day at Larkin Sunset Gardens Mortuary, with a visitation before the service at 10 a.m.

 

After serving in World War II, Hague began working as the curator at the Utah Museum of Natural History. He later became the director, eventually retiring in 1992. His contributions to the museum field didn't end there, however. He founded the Utah Museums Association and established the state museum certification program that is used today by the Division of Arts and Museums. He was also instrumental in the establishment of the Office of Museum Services. He shared his expertise with other museums and museum professionals around the state. 

 

See more: Don Hague, the passionate force behind Utah’s Natural History Museum, dies

 

Special thanks to Bob Voyles for providing information on Hague's contributions to the museum field.

]]> Fri, 20 Nov 2015 00:03:36 GMT UMA Annual Conference Takeaway: Museum Education Best Practices https://www.utahmuseums.org/news/news.asp?id=255284 https://www.utahmuseums.org/news/news.asp?id=255284 UMA Annual Conference Takeaway: Museum Education Best Practices Session

By Lorie Millward, Director of Education / Curator of Curiosity, Thanksgiving Point

 

The Museum Education Best Practices session provided us with the time, space, and community to investigate the research underpinning how people learn and how we can apply that to our own education efforts. We divided into four groups, who each shared one of the four aspects of learning. Our session was social, active, situated, and motivated.

 

Take a look at the great work that each group did to build the community knowledge about learning. Included is an essential question that I pose to you to keep in mind as you work to incorporate your new understandings into the good work that you do. The resources for further investigation are also here.

 

Let’s keep the conversation going and learn from one another. Please share your thoughts, ideas, successes, and not-so-successes on the blog.

  

Group 1: Learning is social

Understanding is co-created socially and involves social groups, like families or peers as contexts for building knowledge. Social interactions can be imitative, collaborative, or instructive.

-       groups of people can learn together

-       any group can learn together

-       learning requires more than one person

 

Group 1: Strategies to harness the social aspects of learning

-       create exhibitions and experiences that champion social interaction

-       create spaces designed for social interaction

-       museums are NOT tombs!

 

Essential question:

In what ways can we allow and encourage discourse, exploration, and activity?

 

Group 2: Learning is active

Learning is a constructive process of building understanding on a foundation of previous experience, cultural/familial contexts, and beliefs.

 

-       to be active is not always physical, but also mental/intellectual/social

-       challenges can enhance and allow visitors to build upon prior knowledge

-       individual engagement must be activated

 

Group 2: strategies to harness the active aspects of learning

-       ask open ended questions

-       don’t need to have all the answers – be comfortable with ambiguity

-       present a challenge

-       encourage visitors to ask and develop their own questions

-       facilitate visitor learning – recognize that when one provides the answers or interpretation it says to visitors that their thoughts and questions are valuable. “Whatever I have to say isn’t as interesting as what you have to say.”

-       Provide tools to articulate new ideas

 

Essential question:

How can we activate learning as soon as our visitors arrive?

 

Group 3: Learning is situated

Learning is promoted when there is a familiar or personal context for new information or experiences to connect to or build upon. Immersive environments also provide context for new information.

-       learning is inquiry-based

-       universal concepts act as a framework

-       unique environments/exhibits/situations provide a reason to care

-       context helps make the unfamiliar familiar

-       give visitors permission to use their own vocabulary and references

 

Group 3: Strategies to harness our institutions as places to situate learning

-       understand our own objectives

-       utilize sensory experiences

-       keep it object-based

-       embrace the uniqueness of your institution

-       Cultivate skilled facilitators – educators, docents, others

 

Essential question:

What unique environments, exhibits, and experiences can our organization provide?

 

Group 4: Learning is motivated

Opportunities for learners to persist through a problem or investigate a new idea promote motivation. Providing a continuum of experiences to allow learners to take their new knowledge further is important.

-       motivation allows longer term engagement

-       allows for repeated and repeatable experiences

-       motivated when learners encounter engaging learning experiences and environments

-       motivation nurtures a willingness to persist

 

Group 4: Strategies to provide and increase motivation to learn

-       ask visitors why they came, direct them to experiences that honor that motivation

-       design experiences that create curiosity

-       encourage/allow visitors to record their thought and ideas and ask them what they would share with others

-       take ownership of a program

 

Essential question:

Are we currently using strategies or vocabulary that eliminate or limit the motivation to learn?

 

Resources

 

Books:

 

Dewey, J. (1938). Experience and education. Touchstone, N.Y., NY. Available online at http://www.schoolofeducators.com/wpcontent/uploads/2011/12/EXPERIENCE-EDUCATION-JOHN-DEWEY.pdf

 

Falk, J.H. (2009). Identity and the museum visitor experience. Left Coast Press. Walnut Creek, CA.

 

Hein, G.E.(1998). Learning in the museum. Routledge Press. N.Y., NY.

 

Hein, G.E. (2012). Progressive museum practice: John Dewey and democracy. Left Coast Press, Walnut Creek, CA.

 

Hooper-Greenhill, E. (1994). Museum and gallery education. Leicester University Press. London.

 

National Research Council (2000). How people learn. National Academy Press, Washington, DC. Available online at http://www.nap.edu/openbook.php?isbn=0309070368

 

National Research Council (2010). Surrounded by science: Learning science in informal environments. National Academy Press, Washington, DC. Available online at http://www.nap.edu/catalog/12614/surrounded-by-science-learning-science-in-informal-environments

 

Sachatello-Sawyer, B. et al. (2002). Adult museum programs: Designing meaningful experiences. AltaMira Press, Walnut Creek, CA.

 

Simon, Nina (2010). The participatory museum. Santa Cruz: Museum 2.0. Available online at http://www.participatorymuseum.org/read/

 

            Talboys, G.K. (2011). Museum educator’s handbook. Ashgate Press. U.K.

 

Journals:


Journal for Education in Museums. GEM: The voice for heritage learning. http://www.gem.org.uk/about/about.php

 

Journal of Museum Education. Museum Education Roundtable. Maney Publishing. www.museumeducation.info

 

Websites:

 

Art Museum Teaching: a forum for reflecting on practice. http://artmuseumteaching.com/

 

Northern Illinois University, (n.d.). Experiential learning. NIU Faculty Development and Instructional Design Center. Available online at http://www.niu.edu/facdev/resources/guide/strategies/experiential_learning.pdf

 

Stephenson, N., (2013). Introduction to inquiry based learning. Teachinquiry.com. Available online at http://teachinquiry.com/index/Introduction.html

 

UCDavis and California 4-H Youth Development Program, (n.d.). Why use experiential education as a model for teaching and learning? Available online at http://www.experientiallearning.ucdavis.edu/why-el.shtml

]]> Tue, 13 Oct 2015 23:12:35 GMT Wheeler Historic Farm: Our Experience with MAP https://www.utahmuseums.org/news/news.asp?id=230283 https://www.utahmuseums.org/news/news.asp?id=230283 Wheeler Historic Farm has been operated by Salt Lake County Parks and Recreation since the early 1970s. We are the only historic site operated by Salt Lake County and as such have had our share of challenges. As the first museum professional to come on the scene there was a bit of a feeling, for me, of—Where do I start?! My past experience with the American Alliance for Museums’ Museum Assessment Program (MAP) was a very valuable process and I came out with a solid direction to head. There are four grant categories you can choose from: Organizational Assessment, Collections Stewardship Assessment, Community Engagement Assessment, and Leadership/Governance Assessment.

For us at Wheeler Farm, I felt the best place to start was with the Organizational Assessment. The Organization Assessment is an internal assessment to get us working towards a successful institutional plan. All efforts should lend themselves to meeting the museum standards. Since we are within Salt Lake County we are lucky to have many of the formal policies and procedures already in place, but we still have a ways to go!   The assessment is set up in the categories following the American Alliance of Museum (AAM) standards.

The application process includes lots of the regular details including budget, attendance and why you think you need this grant. This was the first grant I applied for with the County, finding out who I needed as a designated signor and how long that takes was important to factor in to my timeline. I started working at Wheeler Farm mid-April 2013 and submitted this grant for the July 2013 deadline. It was a quick turnaround!

The Organizational Assessment looks at how we are operating now and what our needs are for successful operation moving forward. The grant includes a self-study workbook component which is meant to incorporate the thoughts and views both negative and positive of the staff and governing authorities. As many institutions have sensitive issues to address, it is good to know this process is confidential—AAM and the peer reviewer are the only two that see what your internal evaluation includes.

The self-study workbook filled an entire two inch binder with enough reading material to help our reviewer get to sleep for several nights before her visit—but all solid and necessary information—and a great introduction for me to our site. The self-study includes fill-in information and activities, everything from local demographics to local competition comparisons. One of our activities was to look at our Mission. This activity, held at Wheeler Farm, had some unforeseen results. We could hardly carry on our discussion because of the volume of sixty some geese honking outside. We started with “What does the Farm want to be?” The players around the table happened to be all the right players so we made some great decisions like: dropping the “South Cottonwood Regional Park” off our really long name, we formed a new mission statement and agreed that the farm was currently housing too many geese. This was the most productive meetings of the process.

Our original three objectives were:

1.       Developing and institutional master plan for growth of earned income sources and regular maintenance and preservations of structures while effectively utilizing available resources within the County.

2.       Increase staff, Wheeler Farm Friends and governing authority’s awareness and knowledge about roles and responsibilities relating to all facets of operation of Wheeler Historic Farm.

3.       Prepare Wheeler Historic Farm Staff for the addition of a new facility on site.

Our site reviewer came out in March 2014. This was a great part of the process as she met with various farm partners including our Wheeler Farm Friends in addition to our County Planner and site staff.  Being on the Farm gave her a greater sense of the issues she was already familiar with from the self-study.  She made some very solid recommendations. For example, one of the recommendations was that we wait on a new building (No. 3 above) until we had a clearer plan for buildings that already exist—which would be an ideal of the master plan process which was slated to start later in the year.  Another suggestion is that we change our staffing and internal structure so it is less like a Recreation Center and more like a Historic Site. We received several meaty homework assignments for continuing the process. The recommendations are very useful as part of our master planning and strategic planning processes. The timing was perfect because it helped to give us all some direction and shed some light on a number of possibilities for the farm. We are re-assessing job descriptions and staffing for the farm, looking at how to better work with our partners and exploring programming opportunities. To conclude this grant we received a final report from our reviewer and access to her for follow up questions for a year. Our next step will be to check in at the year mark and see how far we have come.

The American Alliance of Museums’ Museum Assessment Program is a valuable tool to look at your organization strategically and with a sustainable future in mind. If you want to start a little closer to home, check out the Utah Division of Arts and Museum’s State Performance goals found here: http://heritage.utah.gov/arts-and-museums/museums to begin thinking about how your own museum can begin working towards best practices. You will also find on the website a link to the State Performance Goals worksheet, a tool that will help you monitor your progress towards fulfilling the performance goals.

 

Sara Roach is Curator at Wheeler Historic Farm and serves on the Board of Directors for the Utah Museums Association. She brings a wealth of museum experience and enthusiasm to the Utah museum community and Wheeler Farm. 


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