The Time-space Of Art Museums:Educational Activities In The Context Of Public Art Museums

Education can be broadly defined as a specific kind of individual growth in experience,so a visitor's experience of visiting an art museum can consequently be regarded as an experience of being educated.As this kind of experience is continually generated in the context of art museum,the study concerning this context can provide a more comprehensive picture of the form of educational activities in art museums.Based on the principle of difference derived from structuralism and the method of comparative analysis,this dissertation aims to clarify the essential features of the context of public art museum,so as to isolate the corresponding features of educational activities in public art museum.Firstly,within the macroscopic time-space of nation-state and capitalist society,art museums evolve into their modern form and become a public place for general visitors who have the right to determine their temporal-spatial presence autonomously.Secondly,the absence of disciplinary techniques within the time-space of public art museums signifies their respect for the differences among and values of individuals.In the context above-mentioned,the educational activities in public art museums are highly creative and self-oriented that they are different from the educational activities in traditional educational institutions.And the context comprised of artworks provides an opportunity for visitors to obtain the aesthetic experience that arouses their deep selves,and this experience is the core of educational activities in public art museums.Finally,the methodological reflection demonstrates that it is the ideal type of educational activities in public art museums that is proposed by the theory in this dissertation,and as this ideal type meets the normative criteria of a balanced ecological system of society,the ideal type can also be regarded as a platonic idea,the critical viewpoint and practical dimension of which can be employed as a guiding principle for public art museums to fulfill their mission of education and assume their relevant responsibilities,and as an ultimate foundation for prescribing feasible suggestions about educational activities in public art museums.