FOSTERING ADULT LITERACY IN ART MUSEUMS
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Authors
Coman, Elizabeth
Issue Date
2002
Type
Capstone
Language
en
Keywords
Alternative Title
Abstract
The purpose of this master's project was to research how art museums could actively serve adult learners enrolled in library literacy programs. Over one third of the English-speaking adult population in the United States operates at level-one literacy—that equals a second grade reading capacity.' These learners range in age from seventeen to seventy, with the majority in their thirties and forties. Most have completed high school and are employed or looking for work. According to the Center for Literacy in Philadelphia, adult learners with literacy difficulties read and write to some extent and generally have had some experience with the educational system.' For a number of reasons—including under-resourced public schools, low economic status, immigration issues and learning difficulties—these adults have experienced barriers in learning to read and write. As part of this master's project I conducted a case study with adult learners attending Project Read at the San Francisco Public Library in collaboration with the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art which conveys preliminary reactions from adult learners with literacy difficulties to working with art within an art museum setting. I connected these findings to current teaching practices in both the art museum and adult literacy fields respectively. Therefore, this project addresses the critical problem of low adult literacy within the context of current trends in the field towards interdisciplinary education and museum-library collaboration.