Art museums as educational institutions: A case study of four museums in New York City with implications for China

This dissertation study seeks to answer the overarching research question of how the role(s) of art museums as educational institutions is/are defined and fulfilled in the United States and what are the implications of the American role(s) for art museums in China. Taking a multiple case study methodology, the dissertation studies four museums in New York City that exhibit modern and contemporary art: the Museum of Modern Art, the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, the Whitney Museum of American Art, and the Asia Society Museum. In addition, it explores the implications of their roles as educational institutions for art museums in transition in contemporary China, taking as an example the National Art Museum of China in Beijing. The dissertation finds that the educational roles are different for different museums, and indeed there is not a universal role that can apply to any context. One thing that is common in the four museums in New York City studied is their institution-wide commitment to education as a premise and mandate. With that commitment, or mission, in mind, the museums offer innovative programs and services to cater to the learning needs of their diverse audiences. In the narrow sense, educational programs offered by the museums are particularly distinctive in their attempts to pursue excellence and innovation in programming and practice. Of course, the museums are facing problems, challenges and limitations involving space, staffing, collaboration, justification, among others. Their educational roles provide important implications to art museums in China, in defining and fulfilling their own roles as educators to the public in the Chinese context. With apparent limitations though, this study serves as a tool to dig into the various issues involving the development of art museum education in the international context, indicating directions for further research.