Did you know going to museums can help strengthen families? There are so many benefits to attending museums that maybe our listeners haven't considered. Sharon and Katie share their knowledge and expertise with us and back it up with what studies show. Our hope is that this episode will spark a desire to attend a local museum in your area and engage in some creative and deep conversations together with your family.
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Jen: Hello and welcome to the Parent’s Place, a podcast put out by The Family Place for parents to develop skills that will strengthen families and provide tools that will help each of us in our parenting efforts. No matter our skills, we can always use reminders that help us work towards a safer, happier home. I'm your host, Jennifer Daly, the Education Director at The Family Place and my co-host is Sara Hendricks, a family educator at the Family Place. Every week, we will interview professionals that will provide valuable information that will make a difference when you apply it directly to your life. Thank you for joining us, now, let's get started with today's episode.
Sara: Welcome to the Parents Place podcast, I'm your host, Sara Hendricks,
Jen: and I'm your co-host Jen Daly.
Sara: Today we have a really fun episode, we're going to be talking about the importance of attending museums and how that can really strengthen our families when we do that together. So, we have two guests with us, it's actually been a while since we've had some guests on the podcast because we've been working on learning our podcasting equipment and setting up our podcast rooms. So, all around today's episode feels really exciting. Our two guests are named Sharon Johnson and Katie Lee-Koven, and I will have them give a little bit of an introduction of themselves.
Sharon: My name is Sharon Johnson and I am the director at the Daughters of Utah Pioneer Museum in Logan, Utah. Our museum is a small history museum that tells the history of the founding of our community, mostly representing the early pioneers, the Mormon pioneers.
Katie: And I'm Katie Lee-Koven, the executive director and chief curator for the Nora Eccles Harrison Museum of Art at Utah State University, and we are an art museum focused on, I always say, art of the last 100 years because modern and contemporary art can be a little, you know, unfamiliar to people, sometimes so our art of the last 100 years and with an emphasis on art and the western United States.
Jen: Well, welcome to our podcast. We're so grateful to have you on and excited to learn more about how going to museums with our kids and families can really support and strengthen those relationships. So, what can both of you educate our listeners on going to museums and how that can really strengthen our families?
Katie: Sure, I can just suggest a few things, some studies and information that I think may be useful for listeners. One of the more fun developments in recent years that I've read about and not yet in the United States that I'm aware of, but in Canada, there are health professionals who are prescribing people to go to museums because of the health benefits that it can have in terms of their mental well-being. And I love that because I think the 21st Century Museum is really a museum that focuses not only on education but also on mental health and well-being. And that really, you know, across the spectrum of all ages and abilities. So that's one that I'm hoping that'll get to the United States that way, but that people start and you know, you don't need a physician to prescribe you to go to a museum to know that there are benefits, there are actually there are research benefits for people to come to the museum in terms of their well-being, their sense of well-being. And also, there is a social impact study that was done here in the state of Utah two years ago that we participated in, and it had almost 400 participants, over eight museums in Utah. And there were some pretty there was some level of commitment from participants in that they had to visit the museum more than one time before they responded to the survey questions because there were some things that the study wanted to accomplish by having them attend, visit a museum multiple times. But the outcomes that they were measuring are things like increased health and well-being, increased intercultural competence, education and engagement, strengthening our relationships, things of that nature, which of course, as it relates to our families, those are all really important things, right? So, if we think about museums as a space that has, from a research standpoint, shown to improve those in our lives, then everyone should be visiting museums.
Sharon: And museum visitation is really rewarding when you go together as a family. So often kids think, oh, we're going to go to a museum, we're going to just have to walk through and deal with dry facts and figures and memorize things. But museums are evolving to be an engaging experience where you're engaging with your family, you're communicating with each other, you're sharing ideas. In our museum it's not about memorizing of facts or figures, and it's not important just to say this person worked really hard to do this. The purpose of our museum is to have people think, well, how would I have done that? Or what am I thankful for now that I can do things differently? And so, and then of course, we bring out hands-on activities and kids can interact with their parents in playing games and making it a really positive experience for their learning with each other. It's not being lectured at, but they're learning together.
Jen: And this is one thing that my sister in law is super good at they live in the Sacramento area in California, and she takes her children to museums quite often, like the science museums for children and things like that. And just she'll send little videos and things like that of just the smiles that are on their face, them interacting with all of the different things that they can interact with. And it's just, I mean, smiles and laughter and good times with your kids. Of course, that's going to help our mental health. I also think it's getting us up and out of our homes is another great thing instead of just staying at home, playing video games or watching TV or whatever the case may be, it's a great indoor cool activity during the summer and a warm place in the winter to go and really interact with our kids. But I also liked one part that you were saying, Katie, about just learning about different cultures, I think that is super important, just understanding where other people have come from, their belief systems, art that goes along with all of that kind of stuff. So, I think it's a cool activity to do with families.
Katie: I think related to the sort of intercultural competence that measure in the social impact study, that sensitivity and empathy and curiosity, I mean, those are those are really the foundations of what museums I think do. That you know, through education, because when we can create empathy in our kids, that's pretty powerful, right? That, you know, if they if they walk away with any whatever museum it is at Science Museum and, you know, a history museum and art museum and connect on a level with an object, a piece of history, a person that they're learning about. I think that's just a really valuable and important learning experience that all of us, you know, need and can value. So, empathy, I think, is often I don't think museums do a very good job of really talking about how that's a strong component of what we do and try to accomplish in the way that we're a component of the education and the way that we deliver it and just by the nature of what we're providing, right? But also, to the point about screens, I think if you think about what are this places that we can take our families that sort of counter all of us have screens and engage with them on a daily basis. But what is the counter to that in terms of a balance in our lives? Right? And it's, what are what are the physical things that we can really embrace and engage with? And museums are, of course, all about physicality, right? And materiality and objects. You know, we're we really put a lot of value into the objects and how they can tell a story and how they can share histories and help us learn. So, I think that is also a component to think about, you know, with families and why. I, of course, I work at a museum, o of course, I think museums are great. But why I always am encouraging and thinking about, you know, why museums are good in general for all of us
Jen: And what a safe place to be able to ask questions about the different cultures and things like that. I mean, that is a safe place just to learn more about different cultures and creating that sense of empathy of where people have come from, and they're amazing. That was one of my favorite things going back to D.C. that my first time there, going to all the museums that I was able to go to and just learned a lot.
Sharon: Well, and building on your comment of a safe space, we've talked about the intercultural competence value of this study, but there's also the increased health and well-being. And you think health and well-being, how does that relate? But some of the short-term outcomes that the study was looking at were how participating in museum activities that your family can build your self-esteem and it gives you a positive outlook and it can recharge you. So, and you what you’re doing with your family, so you're improving your addition to that safe space that you're in. You can also get those positive health benefits of feeling better satisfaction and engaging in your community.
Sara: I find this conversation so incredible because I just really had no idea how beneficial museums can be. That's not something that I really thought deeply about, you know? So, I'm so glad you guys are on this episode right now, I mean, even going back to one of the first things you said, Katie, about doctors prescribing going to the museum like that feels so incredible to me that something as simple as walking through a museum can have such an impact on us internally, in a positive way. So, I think that's so great. I feel like we've kind of touched on this a little bit, I'm wondering where we've been talking about how it benefits families. Is there anything specific in how it benefits children to attend museums?
Katie: So, one of the things that I think we've touched on that both Jen and Sharon have touched on a bit in terms of self-esteem and just that, at least in art museums, we really embrace that. There are there's no wrong answer and so for kids, I think that's a really great way to build their confidence and build their curiosity and build their passion for learning. Because with art, you know, things are subjective, right? And so, people can see different things and a piece of artwork, they they're going to bring their own personal experiences to that artwork. And so, they're going to have different responses to that artwork and that's all okay, and that's fine. Now, obviously, the historical component to that artist and where that artist was working and what we know maybe about their influences, I mean, that's factual information that, you know, that's maybe a little less subjective, but a lot the object, the piece of art itself and putting that component aside, there's just a lot of openness and opportunity for dialogue that you can have with a kid when you're visiting a museum. And I think that that's I mean, Sharon can talk about, you know, as far as at the deep museum how those conversations happen with kids but I feel like the museum environment is one of curiosity and asking questions, even in a historical museum context, right where we bring our own sort of what we think about and perceptions of and what we've read about, right, historically and museums are there to offer and broaden that right and sort of maybe even add to that and maybe reshape it a little bit. So, compliment, you know, so I think in terms of kids, those are some of the things that I think about
Sharon: Well, and I just wanted to add a section on history museums. Yes, history is filled with facts, but as we're going along, facts have always been interpreted by in a particular manner, by whoever created the story. And so, if you can bring your children to say, what would you think of yourself in this story or what about a different perspective that you, what if you were not the dominant player in the story? How would you do this differently or can you think of another person who would have handled this or experienced this in a different way? And so, kids are learning, they're so aware of what's happening in the world around them and seeing differences. I think in history museums, they can open their minds and look at some maybe and untold stories and start thinking about some new ways to think about traditional fact.
Sara: Yeah, I can't help but think about like children in their early years, early child development, and they're not in school yet. So, they haven't learned maybe history the way that we as adults know it. And to think of parents being their child's first teacher and going to a museum, maybe the child's not going to pick up a whole lot of things about the history museums, right? But it's just setting that foundation that when they do go on to school, their brain has already made some connections. And so, then when they're learning about history, they're just able to take it in a little more deeply because they've had this experience with museums. I don't know if that makes sense, but that's just what was coming to me as I was listening.
Katie: The observational skills as something to in terms of those early, you know, before they're reading, you know, those learners and those kids because like, for instance, it made me think about, we have these little scavenger hunts, these little detail piece like puzzle pieces, you know, for kids, when they it can be for any age because it's fun, it's a way to get you engaged with what you're looking at, you know, in the museum. And so, kids can go around and just try to find the match, right? With that art, that piece and that but just building those observational skills and awareness skills is, I think, one of the many things that to do with kids at that age that museums can do and help them do.
Sara: Yeah, definitely, and then also thinking about like how that builds their confidence because they've had an experience when they do start learning about it with their peers in school, they have this connection to something already that they're like, oh, I know what we're talking about and they feel more confident in what they're learning. So, I just think that sounds so awesome and I was thinking about the art museums and how kids bring their own experiences and make different connections to what they're seeing. But also, I feel like it might yield that encouragement in them to want to try to recreate those kinds of things or use their own creativity to create that on their own. And then just thinking about things like the local county fairs and entering your kid's artwork into a fair is kind of that same feeling of it being in a museum. Other people are coming and observing and seeing their work, and they can take pride in that.
Jen: I was just thinking also about what Sharon was talking about is, how do you think they feel? How would you feel in that situation for the history museums? How could you have handled that differently? I mean, it opens up a lot of dialogue between you and your child of, you know, getting her to think, how would they deal with different situations? But where if art museums, I'm just thinking, how do you like how they use the color blue in this picture and getting their imaginations going? How would you make this picture a little bit different or how what would you make it yours to get them thinking besides of, oh, this is just a painting on the wall or this is just something that I'm seeing of the pioneers going across the plains or something like that? How would you feel in that situation or having those conversations to help build maybe some tools for them to have later, be it in creativity or in social situations and things like that? So I love that.
Sharon: Well, we've discussed the intercultural competence, increased health and well-being. And another part of this survey talked about continued learning and engagement, which is what you would assume would be the primary outcome of a study like this. The number one thing is that you learned more things, which it is true. There were high ratings in learning and creating wonder and thinking and curiosity. But it was interesting that in the study, the highest-ranking features were the intercultural competence, in addition to the continued education and engagement. So just that intercultural competence is so easily balanced with the educational side of things?
Jen: Yeah, I am just thinking about how like I'm thinking I have my stepdaughter this weekend and I'm like, what museums do we have here that we can go to this weekend? That would pick her interest and encourage those different conversations and so I don't know if you ladies know, but are there deals and things that we can look out for throughout the year to help us and encourage us to go to museums on a regular basis?
Katie: So, one thing that I think is worth exploring is that many of our museums and our community are free or have a suggested donation or, you know, the cost is really affordable. Or if museums do have a fee, they usually have a certain days of the month that are free so you can look out for those. Our museum is free, everything that we do is free and we have on the second Saturday of each month, we have a community art day where there's art making activities that connect with things we have on view. And we also have an art truck that we take out to the farmer's market and around the state to visit with schools and communities so that because we know that there are a lot of areas you know, that don't have a museum close by or an art museum specifically close by. So, we try to get out to those rural areas to provide some exposure to communities that way. We also have Utah Museum Week coming up, I guess I should give a plug for that. Utah is trying that for the first time, the entire museum association was the one who kind of spearheaded that. And so that's coming up the week of September the 13th, and it's really just to highlight museums here and the state of Utah but I suspect a lot of museums will be offering free admission and, you know, during that time. Another thing to look at, we have some membership levels at our museum that actually have one of the benefits, depending on the level of membership, are reciprocal memberships to other museums around the country. So, if you're really into a certain kind of museum, you should look at that, science museums have it as well, children’s museums, zoos, if you're into a certain kind of museum, they often have these reciprocal member benefits. So, if you go to another state or another city, you'd be able to get into that museum for free as well.
Sharon: And it’s surprising how many small museums are out there, you may not be aware of Utah State University has four museums on their campus, and for those who live here in Cache Valley, a lot of people don't realize that. And the Dodgers of Utah pioneers have five little satellite museums here in Cache County that are available sometimes it takes a little networking to ask and inquire about where different museums are but our community has a very rich heritage area, which has a pamphlet of small museums. And so, I would say you look around in your community and maybe there's a governmental entity that collects that data for you as to where the museums are. But it's surprising how many museums there probably are in your community that you just have not been aware of. And Hyrum City has a museum with a new exhibit that's coming through and traveling with connections to the Smithsonian. So, a lot of these museums will have connections with broader national organizations to bring great resources to your community.
Katie: One thing to add there, too for families with younger kids, there are sometimes programs and tours like stroller tours, where they're encouraging parents with kids who are in strollers to come so parents can get out of the house. And do you know and kids can do so? You can look out for those kinds of opportunities as well. I will say, you know, most museums are wanting to engage with as broad of an audience as possible and has a little bit of everything for different audiences.
Sara: I'm really glad that you offered that up because I think parents with the young children probably feel more hesitant to go to museums because young children are kind of like a bull in a China shop. You just don't know what's going to get broken and so maybe they stick more to like children's museums that are kid friendly. So, I'm really glad that you shared that to our listeners to know that they can attend museums and they're encouraged to come.
Sharon: Well and contact the museum in advance if you want to come. I had a group call with a preschool and you would think a preschool and a pioneer history museum wouldn't come together. But we have activities for them, we were able to scale a little learning module. We can do a little learning module in five or 10 minutes and prepare for that, so contact them in advance and let them know your needs and museums will be more than willing to assist you with what you are looking for and accommodate your family.
Katie: Absolutely. We do a lot of pre-K through 12 programming, more formally with schools, but we also have homeschooled parents who reach out to us and we can work with them, especially if they're wanting to cover a certain curriculum or area. You would be surprised at the things that you know we can cover. Math is not hard to cover in our museum, even music and science, I mean, you would be surprised the kind of subject areas. I always encourage people to test us to see what we can come up with. So, and as far as art museums and that perception of I totally understand if I didn't work in museums, I'm sure when my daughter, I mean, she's five now, so I feel like, you know, that's. But when she was two and three, you know, going to museums, you might think and this may not be a good idea, but you know what? It's the job of the museums to keep their objects safe and secure and so we think about that when we install our exhibitions that we're going to have little people coming through and ones that may want to run around when we're hoping that they don't, you know, so we think about those things, we're there to help keep people safe and keep the artwork safe. And so, don't at all think that just because you have a little one, even if they're rambunctious to not go to a museum because of that, because museums would say, no, we were there to make sure we think about that when we install the artwork. And so just know that if you're a parent of a kid that you know, and that's also, you know, strollers can be great for that reason, if you've got one that you know, but also when we go out, we also want our kids to burn some energy too right. So, I don't I don't always want mine in the stroller that was at least my mindset, even though it would maybe be easier because I would think like, I want to her to, walk around a burn some energy too, right? So, yeah, I can't speak for all art museums, but we're all hosting school groups, young kids, families, all ages and for us, we want everyone to feel welcome when they come in.
Sara: I think that that is so great that you've shared that because for me, almost breaks like this barrier of feeling like museums almost have this like sacred feel or like really quiet, you know? That we almost need to be reverent when we're in a museum and whisper and keep our hands in our pockets so that we don't touch anything. And so, I'm just glad to hear that you guys have those things in place knowing children are going to come, that you're prepared to help protect the art, but that you still want the kids there to experience it. So, thank you so much for sharing all of that. We've spoken a little to what's being offered here in Utah, and we do know that this podcast is worldwide. And so, we do want to encourage our listeners who maybe aren't local to Utah to definitely get online and look for what's in your areas. And I was wondering if, you know, if there's still like online tours and things happening maybe more worldwide or nationwide than just here in Utah to understand as far as like COVID concerns if people aren't ready to go into museums, if there's opportunities for that.
Katie: Absolutely. So, for us, you know, during COVID and we're not out of COVID, of course, museums like everyone had to retool and rethink how, especially if they were a space that people would physically, you know, come and visit. How do you continue to deliver your mission during this time and continue to do what you do? So, for us, we did, we do have virtual tours. We, you know, it was funny because we always wanted to do them and have them as a resource on our website but it took COVID to make it a priority, right? So, we our story was kind of funny, and I shared it across with a lot of colleagues across the country that I know because I thought well I feel like a lot of us could do this where I had just coincidentally like this is sort of a side story. But we had sold a house and the realtor had done this virtual tour that they sent me the link and I was like, this is the coolest thing ever because you could walk around the rooms. There were these little circles on the floor and you just clicked on the circle and it you around. You know, and so I said to the realtor, would you all like to sponsor and help us like test pilot this in the museum, but the software that you use. And they said, yeah, and I was like, awesome. So, we tried it and we were able to sort of test drive it at the beginning of COVID to see what we thought about it. And we eventually bought the software and the cameras. And a lot of museums are using the same software. So, who thought museums and realtors are using a similar virtual tour software? But I mean, there was a lot of products out there, but so we are still providing and even improving our virtual tours as we've been utilizing them more so there are little tags besides the artwork that you can click on and it'll give you information about the artists. We also have audio tours so you can preview the exhibition, walk around in it on your device, and you can even do an audio tour with it. So, some museums may not be doing things to that level, but I know that museums have gotten, broadly speaking better about providing virtual content, even curriculum resources and learning resources online because they know that that needs to be an option. And it just improves accessibility, right? It broadens their potential audience if someone is interested in that. So, yeah, so that's also good for families that are maybe you haven't visited this museum or space before to be able to preview kind of what you're going to go see as well. So, it is a tool that we now really love, it does it for us. We don't feel it replaces the in-person experience and there is something different and unique about actually visiting but it is a great resource and tool.
Sharon: And I just wanted to add about curriculum being online, it’s surprising there are a number of museums that have whole educational components of online curriculum, which was there before COVID, but people maybe didn't really think to look for that. But I do know that a number of museums affiliated with educational institutions and our museum is going to start progressing in that direction. We're very small, so our offerings are minimal but a lot of museums have educational content online that you can incorporate into your everyday life and experience.
Katie: Related to COVID, actually, I think this is worth mentioning to your listeners is that there was a study that came out from the Berlin Institute of Technology about the risk of COVID transmission in museums, comparing it to other public spaces that people frequent, supermarkets, restaurants, offices, public transit and the transmission of COVID in museums is far lower than those other spaces. And there were a number of reasons why they felt and they did it across a number of museums, so point being museums are one of the safer community indoor spaces that you can go to with your family. For us, I can speak to why I know that's the case for us, and I don't think this is always the case for every museum, but for a lot of them. So, we museums, typically because we care about our objects that we want to take care of them and have them have a long life. So, we have our H-Vac systems are usually a little bit more equipped with, you know, humidity and temperature controls and are regulated more and you have more exchange of air and museums. And so, and on top of that, we typically are a little spread out in museums, right? And we're walking around, we're not sitting for as long. So those are just some other considerations for people if they're thinking about, you know, and still reluctant to go out. And that's certainly understandable, but that museums, they there's actually some research out there showing that museums are one of the safer or safest indoor spaces you can visit. And we have figured out, even in our touching, the spaces that are touching, you know, having sanitizer we have our staff are going around every couple of hours wiping the touch areas, you know that our doors and whatnot. And so, you've got a lot of that occurring as well, we know where you're touching if you are touching something, you're right that we can, we can be more preventative and that sort of situation.
Jen: I just did a quick Google search and I found Museums USA dot org, and it brings up all of the different states and you can click on it and it will give you a list of all of the different museums in that state. So, we'll stick that link in our show notes for those that are around the country and it breaks it down by topic as well.
Katie: One thing in terms of visitation that just occurred to me for people to be aware of during COVID, since we're not out of it and depending on where you're located and what's happening in your community that some museums are, and we did this for a while, we put a pause on it, but we may have to reinstate it. And it's a tool that we now have that a lot of museums are utilizing, which is a reservation system, so that, like for us, we're free but we did implement during the worst of COVID, we were input. We implemented, we required a reservation but then throughout a lot of it, we've made it an optional reservation and we've also reduced our total capacity we allow. So there those kinds of things you can look into, you know, depending on where you are and your level of concern, you know. So, there are a lot of museums, you know, they want you to feel safe. I think, you know, we want to encourage people to visit and we know that feeling safe is important. So, trying to do what we can.
Jen: I want to thank both of you for coming and talking to us about how museums can really strengthen our families, can encourage learning and learning about empathy and different culture. So, thank you for doing that and sharing your expertise in those areas and expertise and just museums themselves and how great they are.
Sara: I feel like Sharon and Katie have sort of given us this perfect opportunity for a challenge. Obviously, the first one being to look into a museum near you and attend, but Katie had said something earlier that just sort of sparked this for me that they encourage you to stump them in there. How did you say it? To challenge you, you know, with math or science or whatever?
Katie: Yeah, that's what I am by those who are, if they're learning, you know, are teaching with their kids, whether it's home, school or it's part of curriculum or informally, you know, throw us a subject that you think an art museum might not be able to tackle, and I bet we can find something.
Sara: Yeah, yeah. So, I'm saying parents challenge accepted, right? We're going to try to stump our education staff at the museums.
Jen: If you would like to reach there myself, you can email us at Parents@TheFamilyPlaceUtah.org or you can find both of us on Facebook. Sarah Hendricks Dash the Family Place or Jen Daley, Dash the Family Place. We hope you've enjoyed this episode, and we will catch you next week.
Sara: Thanks again for listening, The Family Place is a non-profit organization in Logan, Utah, with a mission to strengthen families and protect children. We call ourselves starfish throwers, if you're unsure what that means, refer back to our introduction episode where we explain it. The good news is you can be a starfish thrower too, by subscribing to the Parents Place Podcast and liking our social media pages. If this episode resonated with you, please share it with others and help us get our message out to more people. Also, be sure to check the show notes for links to information referenced in this episode. That's all for now, but we'll catch you again next time on The Parents Place.
Subject References and Resources: - Statistical data referred to in the podcast: https://artsandmuseums.utah.gov/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/UAM-Social-Impact-Final-Evaluation-Plan.pdf - https://artsandmuseums.utah.gov/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/DataHandout_OnePager-08-21-19.pdf -Northern Utah and Southern Idaho tours and museums: Order Online and Printed Brochures - Bear River Heritage Area - Museums that partner with the Smithsonian Institution: SITES - Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service - Hyrum City Museum (local to Utah) has one right now called H2O Today that was developed in conjunction with Utah Humanities and the Smithsonian: H2O Today Events - Bear River Heritage Area - Top of Utah Museum Week: https://www.facebook.com/topofutahmuseums - Utah State University Museums: https://artmuseum.usu.edu - American Alliance of Museums: http://ww2.aam-us.org/about-museums/find-a-museum?_ga=2.229442908.1968687294.1630694010-1011625691.1595262942
Contact: - Record questions here: https://anchor.fm/theparentsplace
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