Pedagogical perspective in the museum :​
The importance of an educator's voice in the creation of wall labels
Museums are bastions of culture with a responsibility to teach the public; they employ variety of tools to teach, and the ones that reach the largest population are wall labels. The intention of these placards is to educate the public, and my research investigates this learning tool. In my experience, traditional wall labels in museums do not effectively teach a non-arts audience about art. This thesis investigates wall labels as a learning tool and proposes new considerations for museum interpretation. ​
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In order to evaluate the effectiveness of museums’ efforts in didactic interpretation, I implemented a case study at the National Museum of Mexican Art (NMMA). My analysis and critique is specific to the NMMA but represents the traditional ways that museums treat didactics. Performing gallery observations and time-tracking exercises at the NMMA allowed me to understand how people engage with texts within the galleries. I also orchestrated focus groups to create a dialogue on interpretation, which allowed me to hear first-hand accounts of individuals’ learning experiences.​

I began this process attempting to discover a new format for the museum label. Through my research, I analyzed how museums already utilize standard formats and they are highly ineffective. The possibility of making art accessible to people is not in the label but rather the culture the label is created in. ​

This thesis proposes a shift in how museums present information and who is responsible for disseminating that information. The data I collected lead me to four points that must be considered in the development of labels:​
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• Knowledge of audience- Know who you are talking to and how to best reach them.​
• Language use- Words and writing styles should be accessible to a broad audience.​
• A clear objective- Know what this exhibition is trying to say and how each object supports that point.​
• Attention to design- Move past the traditional block of text and consider a variety of presenting strategies.​

Considering these findings, this thesis calls for curators to approach exhibition design as educators. They must assume a pedagogical perspective in order to better understand and be responsible for the viewers learning and thus create a more welcoming and pleasurable museum experience.