Degree Name
BFA
Department
None
College
Fine Arts and Communications
Defense Date
2024-05-21
Publication Date
2024-06-08
First Faculty Advisor
Brent Barson
First Faculty Reader
Linda Reynolds
Honors Coordinator
Douglas Thomas
Keywords
multisensory, museum education, learning autonomy, interactive exhibit
Abstract
Museums are unique spaces of teaching and learning. Museum exhibits transcend the constraints of classroom learning by leveraging visitors’ curiosity and allowing for increased learning autonomy. However, this learning often comes solely through visual interaction, due to museums’ role in preservation and protection of their collection. Though visual-based learning is common in museums and in Western education at large, multisensory elements cement learning autonomy and prompt visitors to learn through play. These principles are exemplified through children’s’ museums, science museums, and museum adaptations for blind and low-vision visitors. Through multisensory adaptations, traditional museums can transform their impact on visitors. This creative component of this project is the practical extension of these principles. The exhibit imagines if the Metropolitan Museum of Art used in-gallery, multisensory elements to allow visitors of all ages to connect more deeply with the works on view.
BYU ScholarsArchive Citation
Houghton, Sophie J., "What the Eye Doesn't See: The Power of Non-Ocularcentric Engagement in Museum Learning" (2024). Undergraduate Honors Theses. 384.
https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/studentpub_uht/384