| Tradition models of art history inquiry centered on the object, generally to the exclusion of considerations regarding the affect of the viewer on interpretation. The new art histories present a fundamental theoretical change to interpreting works of art. They address issues of reception, of viewing, works of art. New art historical inquiry, therefore, appears to rest on human values. If these theories effect a shift in the values of museum directors and curators toward more people centered interpretation, museum educators and their curatorial colleagues would more closely hold a set of common humanistic values. As a result new programs of museum education could emerge. The central question which guides this study is, "How would the museum visitor's experiences of looking at works of art be transformed by educational strategies derived from the new art histories?";Three avenues of inquiry are pursued in this study. First, a critical examination of art history inquiry in the museum setting reveals changes brought to traditional interpretive practice by the new art histories. From this analysis a dialogic model of interpretation based in a reflexive interaction between the object and the subjective position of the viewer is posited.;Next, recent developments in museum education pedagogy are compared to emergent trends in new art history theory. A correspondence is noted indicating the merging paths of these two fields. Moreover, the beliefs of museum educators regarding the new art histories are surveyed in this phase of the study. The findings show that museum educators are favorably disposed to new art historical inquiry. They appear to be especially optimistic regarding how museum visitors might respond to educational programs derived from the new art histories.;Finally, a pilot program in the "new museum educations" reveals implications of the new art histories for art museum education. Such a program would be holistic. Museum visitors would experience this holism through interactive dialogic processes engaging the contexts of the work, the viewer, and the interpretive traces of intervening viewers. Moreover, the pilot program revealed museum education practices needing to be re-theorized before the new museum educations can be realized. |
