The Frances Young Tang Teaching Museum and Art Gallery at Skidmore College in Saratoga Springs will host a conference on June 21 and 22 on Teaching & Learning with Museum Exhibitions —Innovations across the Disciplines.
The conference on exhibition-based pedagogy, sponsored by The Teagle Foundation, is the culmination of a three-year collaboration by faculty members and museum staff at Colgate University, Hamilton College, Skidmore College and the University at Albany, State University of New York.
Open to the public, it will feature various opportunities to discuss the educational potential of museum objects for teaching and learning in all disciplines, and to explore the role of museums at both liberal arts colleges and research universities.
The keynote speakers of the conference will be Susan E. Cahan, the dean of the Tyler School of Art, in conversation with Angel Abreu and Rick Savinon, who were both part of Tim Rollins and K.O.S. and are part of the group continuing Rollins’s legacy as Studio K.O.S. Their conversation will revolve around the power of art and teaching, engaging audiences, and interdisciplinary thinking.
The conference attendees come from more than fifty academic institutions across the United States, and include professors, museum professionals, and students.
Conference Schedule
Friday, June 21
3:30 p.m. Opening Showcase and Reception, Multiple spaces at the Tang Teaching Museum will feature examples of exhibition-based teaching and learning across the disciplines.
5 p.m. Panel: Reflections on the Teagle Project, An overview of the achievements and challenges that have shaped the inter-institutional collaboration, followed by discussion with audience. Panelists include:
• Katherine Alcauskas, collections curator and exhibitions manager, The Wellin Museum of Art, Hamilton College
• Daniel Goodwin, associate professor of photography, University at Albany
• Elizabeth Marlowe, associate professor of art and art history, Colgate University
• Rachel Seligman, assistant director for curatorial affairs and malloy curator, Tang Teaching Museum, Skidmore College
7:30 p.m. Dinner Downtown, An invitation to foster dialogue across institutions, disciplines, and roles. Participants will be assigned to reserved tables at various restaurants in downtown Saratoga Springs, each with project leaders to facilitate conversation. Participants pay their own way.
Saturday, June 22
8 a.m. Breakfast Buffet in the Tang Museum atrium (complimentary)
9 a.m. Roundtables: Promising Practices in Exhibition-Based Teaching & Learning, Concurrent discussions of different topics, moderated by project participants. The topics include:
• Writing in the museum
• Exhibition interventions (projects that alter or are presented in the exhibition)
• Curating for interdisciplinary teaching & learning
• STEM in the museum
• Exhibiting and teaching challenging material
10:45 a.m. Object Lessons, Eight short presentations on the goals, methods and outcomes of specific exhibition-based assignments, moderated by Elizabeth Marlowe, Colgate University
12:15 p.m. Lunch (complimentary)
1:30 p.m. Keynote Presentation & Discussion , A conversation on art, teaching and more with Susan E. Cahan, Angel Abreau and Rick Savinon.
3:30 p.m. Panel: Exhibitions as Multidisciplinary Learning Spaces, Museum directors from the four partner schools discuss the vital role that campus museums can play in supporting educational goals across the disciplines. Moderated by Tom Shapiro, Founder of Cultural Strategy Partners, the panel includes:
• Tracy L. Adler, Johnson-Pote Director, Ruth and Elmer Wellin Museum of Art, Hamilton College
• Ian Berry, Dayton Director, The Frances Young Tang Teaching Museum and Art Gallery, Skidmore College
• Anja Chávez, Director of University Museums, Longyear Museum of Anthropology/Picker Art Gallery, Colgate University
• Corinna Ripps Schaming, Interim Director/Curator, University Art Museum, University at Albany, State University of New York
5 p.m. Closing reception
More information is available at https://tang.skidmore.edu/education/teagle-project/teagle-conference