CALL FOR ARTICLE IDEAS
Journal of Museum Education
Vol. 50 No. 4 Winter 2025
Critical Contemplations – Examining Empathy, Connection & Contemplative Practice in Museum Education
Guest Editors: Jenna S. Green & Beatriz Galuban
The Journal of Museum Education (JME) welcomes proposals for articles for a special issue on rethinking contemplative learning and experiences in museum education. Contemplative pedagogy encompasses a range of practices that stem from a wide set of Eastern and Western traditions, both religious and secular. The word itself, contemplation, derives from Latin and means “to mark out a space for observation.” Today, contemplative pedagogy can be considered a range of practices that cultivate and sustain skills such as capacity building (including concentration/attention, emotional balance, and stress reduction), compassionate concern, empathy, and altruistic behaviors. A seminal resource is The Center for Contemplative Mind in Society’s (CMind) Tree of Contemplative Practices.
Contemplative practices, particularly mindfulness and slowlooking, have gained much visibility in museums the past decade (Echarri & Urpi, 2018; Kai-Kee, Latina, & Sadoyan, 2020; Thompson, Dickstein, & Tobin, 2018). Over the years, we’ve seen museums start to implement more programs featuring these kinds of contemplative pedagogies as a way to offer visitors therapeutic and even restorative and spiritual experiences in the galleries (Falk & Dierking, 2013). Just two years ago Viewfinder, the NAEA Museum Education Division’s online publication explored this topic in a special issue within the scope of art education and social justice (Murphy, 2022). This journal issue continues this conversation and aims to explore novel avenues to better comprehend the potentials of a variety of critical, contemplative encounters within museums and galleries of various disciplines.
This issue of the JME aims to contribute to the existing literature on mindfulness and extend its scope to include a wider and more critical investigation of contemplative practices within museum education. This includes, but is not limited to, applying lenses such as anti-oppression, disability justice, indigenous perspectives, and intersectionality. We invite articles that include examples of theory, people, programs, and events that examine the questions below.
- What practices have been left out of contemplative pedagogy and practice in museums? In addition to mindfulness, what other contemplative practices could inform the way we teach?
- What innovative approaches characterize new forms of contemplative practices in museums? Particularly,what are approaches that center a critical and anti-oppressive lens.
- How can we, as educators, consider contemplative practices that challenge appropriation within museums – for example, museums that offer yoga as a form of programming?
- How does contemplative practice challenge educators to ask questions on how these programs affirm white supremacy in predominantly white public spaces?
In this issue, we invite educators to reflect on the ways we can work to interrogate museums’ fraught colonial histories and combat this harmful behavior in our programming and praxis. Considering these questions requires critical self-reflection and evaluation of one’s pedagogy, positionality and practice. We welcome contributions that address these questions or others in relation to contemplative practices in museum education. Articles may be relatively brief (c. 2500-3000 words) and should describe projects or practices that offer both theoretical grounding and/or pragmatic takeaways that guide others in implementation. They need not be thesis driven, but should have a central focus or argument. be clearly and concisely written, and include references to supporting scholarship. Please consult the JME’s article submission guidelines at https://www.museumedu.org/journal/submissions/.
Article proposals must be submitted by November 8, 2024 using this Google Form. The guest editors will review proposed submissions with the support of the MER Editorial Team, and if your proposal is of interest, we will contact you to discuss your article in greater depth.
Jenna S. Green
Guest Editor
[email protected]
Dr. Beatriz Galuban
Guest Editor
[email protected]
Michelle Moon
Co-Editor, Journal of Museum Education
[email protected]
As an organization based in the United States, MER is committed to the principles of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). In addition, with international authors and readers, we strive to make the Journal of Museum Education as accessible as possible and will provide accommodations.
The Journal of Museum Education (JME) is the premier peer-reviewed publication exploring and reporting on theory, training, and practice in the museum education field.
Journal articles—written by museum education practitioners and scholars—explore such relevant topics as museum-related learning theory, visitor engagement and community involvement, evaluation, teaching strategies for art, science, and history museums, and the responsibilities of museums as public institutions.