Conference :: Franzen-Sheehan, A. & DiSalvo, B. (2007). Expanding art museums into humanities classrooms: Research on online curricula for cross-disciplinary study. Museums and the Web. Toronto, Canada: Archives and Museum Informatics.

last updated: 2008-05-09 14:51:30

Abstract

The Andy Warhol Museum (TAWM) is one of the largest single artist museums in the world. TAWMís mission is to use the art, life and practice of Andy Warhol as a catalyst for public dialogue and learning. Using a single artist approach can present a challenge that many institutions with seemingly finite scopes, like TAWM, must address: educators do not readily see the broader applications and opportunities for learning available within these museum contexts. To help teachers make connections between Warholís life, work, commentary on popular culture and diverse academic subjects, TAWM Education Department has developed a new on-line resource for teachers: The Warhol: Resources and Lessons. This new on-line effort emphasizes teaching across the humanities, crossing disciplines, and encourages teachers to collaborate and create learning experiences that help students understand the intertwining relationships between history, pop culture, literature, music, visual arts, and the media.This paper will review stages of its development, user testing, evaluation findings, and the implementation of these findings. We review teachersí feedback on content needs for curriculum as well as the context-setting needed to house educational resources in an on-line environment. The importance of user testing and working with the intended audience throughout all stages of development is emphasized. Within these findings we present suggested heuristics for inter-disciplinary and visual arts curriculum Web site development that can be used at other museums.

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