Observing Museum Programs: A Body Based Approach | An interview with Filippa Christofalou
Observations are an important tool for evaluating museum programs from the perspective of a third party. Observations can reveal important dynamics and surprising ways a program may be addressing its intended outcomes. Observing programs in museums brings their own set of considerations, considering their logistical variations and museums’ history of exclusion.
I sat down with interdisciplinary educator Filippa Christofalou to hear more about how her research on Body Based Pedagogies (BBP) informs the ways she approaches observing museum programs. Not only is she experienced in teaching, managing, and designing museum programs, but she is a practiced researcher who collected observation data for our recent project with the New-York Historical Society.
Reflect, reflect, reflect
Hannah: Among many things, BBP emphasizes an embodied awareness of our somatic, emotional, and physical presence in a space. How does that awareness play into how you prepare yourself before you begin an observation? Is there anything you think about in advance?
Filippa: In a fast-paced world, and for busy museum educators, I know that preparing yourself and slowing down sounds like a luxury. But it has proven to be so beneficial to me. I spend a lot of time considering how much my positionality–my personal background, past lived experiences, beliefs–influence my work, including what I observe in a program, and how I observe it. Even my mood that day and my body's physical and emotional states influence my perception and the ways I process information. Learning how to tune into my feelings and the ways in which they show up physically allows me to receive and process new information. So I try to foster a reflective stance at all times, but especially before I observe a program. I collect my thoughts, ground, and center myself. Grounding may feel and seem different to each one of us. For me, this means breathing a bit slower and paying attention to details around me. Grounding becomes easier the more you practice it.
What should I be looking for?
Hannah: I think sometimes people struggle with what to look for when they’re doing an observation; there’s so much to see and take in! What insight do you have for people trying to hone in on what’s important?
Filippa: First of all, it is always helpful to remember the purpose of your observations. What is the goal of this evaluation? What are you hoping to learn? That will help quiet some of the surrounding “noise” and help you focus on what is most important.
At the same time, you also want to stay receptive to unexpected moments, allowing for flexibility in your observations. Being open to insights that may diverge from your preconceived expectations contributes to a richer understanding of the program.
Play with Scale
Hannah: I know your own research and practice explores the many roles that bodies play in the process of meaning making. How has this work influenced your observations?
Filippa: One of the things BBP reminds us is that being attentive and aware of our bodies during research (and observations specifically) allows us to play with scale. I often shift my focus back and forth between individual interactions and the broader group dynamic, allowing for a more complete understanding of both micro and macro aspects of the program.
Try to blend in as much as possible
Hannah: You’ve written extensively about how BBP is very focused on facilitating authentic, critical relationships between body and space. It’s one thing to do this as an educator, but how should a researcher manage their embodied relationship in and with the space?
Filippa: It is tricky; you almost want to minimize the space your body takes up, which feels antithetical to the ways I believe learning should look like. But in the context of research, in most scenarios, you do want to minimize your impact on the observed setting, and allow the educational program to unfold naturally without external influence. Our bodily presence– even just a subtle gesture, or a sigh– can influence the learning taking place via the “hidden curriculum." While we cannot erase our presence, we can try to minimize how our bodies take up space and in what ways.
For example, one time while observing a program, I sharpened my pencil. A couple minutes later, some students were looking for a sharpener. What do we do in these instances? Do we offer our sharpener, allowing more interactions and possible interference in the normal goings on of the program, or do we choose to observe how this need will be covered by the educator? In the end, I reminded myself of the evaluation objectives, which included a desire to understand how the teaching context (including availability of materials) impacted the student experience. I chose to not get involved and used this instance as a data.
Role of the institutional space
Hannah: I know BBP in the context of museum education is also very concerned with what it means to be present in an institutional space that does not always feel welcoming, particularly to marginalized people. How do you capture this in your observations?
Filippa: Absolutely, I’ve also written about how art museums, through their colonial pasts, complex histories, and hierarchical imbalances can be spaces of disembodiment. While these histories may seem long ago or too abstract, they have created an ecosystem of hierarchies and imbalances that lead to and perpetuate acts of disembodiment–acts that place sensations, embodiment, and the body in the periphery of the experience rather than the center. These realities extend to the design and facilitation of educational programs. When I observe a program, I look at the design of the space; seating arrangements, overall ambiance, lighting, legibility of the labels, and height and placement of the artworks are just some of the physical characteristics that are also part of the hidden curriculum. Then I ask: what do these separately and collectively do to the learning process?
I am always thinking about how histories are not abstract ideas. They are reflected on the collections, on the designs, and all the decisions an institution makes (exhibition design, ambiance, etc.). They have impacted the ways learning is happening, and even the ways we conduct research. As such, I wonder how we make sure these are part of the observations and our data, too.
Further Reading:
Christofalou, F., (2021). Body Based Pedagogy in Museums. Roots & Routes: Research in Visual Arts, https://www.roots-routes.org/body-based-pedagogy-in-museums-by-filippa-christofalou/
Christofalou, F., (2022). Facilitating Body Based Pedagogies in Museum Spaces: The Significance of Addressing Social Location and Positionality. Viewfinder, 16. https://medium.com/viewfinder-reflecting-on-museum-education
