Viewfinder Issue 6 — Youth Citizenship: Letter from the Editors
Sara Egan, Keonna Hendrick, and Kabir Singh, Viewfinder Editorial Board
How can museums best serve teens to build strong identities and fight against injustice?
This week art museum educators from across the country will convene in Seattle for the annual NAEA Museum Education Division Preconference to engage in the topic Art Museums and Racial Equity. As you prepare to meet with colleagues and consider big issues in our field, or follow along with #NAEAMusEd18, we invite you to read the latest issue of Viewfinder. As the second in a three-part series exploring the intersection of museum education and social justice, this issue investigates how youth programs in museums are shaping a generation of socially-engaged citizens. Seven authors present three case studies of youth programs that accomplish different but related goals: a daylong institute promoting racial equity, the evolution of a space for identity development and community building for queer youth, and networks supporting college and professional success for Latinx youth into their adulthood.
Dalila Huerta writes about the Racial Justice Institute, a collaboration between two museums in South Bend, Indiana: the Snite Museum of Art and the Civil Rights Heritage Center. In an all-day program, Huerta and her collaborators sparked conversations and provided frameworks for middle school youth to commit to working toward racial justice.
Becky Alemán, Cheri Ehrlich, and Lindsay C. Harris — past and present teen programmers at the Brooklyn Museum — reflect on eight years of programs for LGBTQ+ teens and allies. They discuss the importance of creating such a space and how programs like theirs help participants explore and shape their identities.
Finally, Emily Key, Verónica Rivera-Negrón, and Marianna Adams examine how the Smithsonian Latino Center’s Young Ambassador Program continues to support participants into adulthood through alumni networks. They attribute the success of the program to maintaining lifelong connections and planning programs that are co-created with alumni.
All three of these case studies speak to the power of investing in young people who can make a difference in our world. From the youth of Black Lives Matter to the recent student protesters in Parkland, Florida, courageous teens are taking action against the injustice they see in their communities and across the country. In this issue we celebrate and examine how we as museum educators can work towards creating a more equitable society by supporting the development of youth citizenship.
We hope you enjoy this issue and look forward to seeing you this week in Seattle!
— The Viewfinder Editorial Board
Sara Egan
Sara Egan is a museum educator whose work is grounded in constructivism and the use of discussions about works of art to affirm all voices. She connects Boston students and teachers with the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum as School and Youth Programs Manager. Sara holds a BA from Vassar College and an Ed.M. from the Harvard Graduate School of Education, and is an adjunct professor of art at Simmons College.
Keonna Hendrick
Keonna Hendrick is a cultural strategist whose teaching, writing, and strategic planning promote critical thinking, expand cultural perceptions, and support self-actualization. She currently serves as School Programs Manager at the Brooklyn Museum, where she leads a department of skilled and empathetic educators in designing experiences that invite learners to expand their understanding of themselves and the world. Her writing has appeared in numerous publications including the Journal of Museum Education (2017), Multiculturalism in Art Museums Today (2014) and the Journal of Folklore and Education (2016). As the co-creator of multicultural critical reflective practice, a professional development model, Keonna continues to provide professional development to educators in museums and classrooms nationally, including ArtsConnection, The Museum of Modern Art, Whitney Museum of American Art, National Art Education Association, and The Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum.
Kabir Singh
Kabir Singh is Associate Educator, Family Programs at the Skirball Cultural Center, where he develops and teaches programs for intergenerational audiences. He is a writer and Los Angeles native and has been teaching in museums since 2008. Kabir is dedicated to making museums more inclusive, accessible, and welcoming. He serves as the National Art Education Association (NAEA) Museum Education Division Pacific Regional Representative-Elect and has previously served on the board of Museum Educators of Southern California (MESC). Kabir holds an EdM in Arts in Education from the Harvard Graduate School of Education and a BA in Art History from Columbia University.
