Dwelling With: Centering Care and Contemplative Practice in Museum Education
B. Galuban, Jenna S. Green
Journal of Museum Education October 2, 2025 DOI: 10.1080/10598650.2025.2604337 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Qualitative study Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Population | Museum educators in North America, including two educators in a postcard exchange and fellow museum educators attending a workshop at the Nasher Sculpture Center in Dallas, Texas |
| Duration | Postcard exchange throughout 2022 and 2023; one-time workshop |
| Topics | Meditation |
| Keywords | Education |
| Key findings | The authors explore whether contemplative writing and reflection can help museum educators slow down and find joy, and whether mindfulness programs can foster empathy and meaningful contemplation in museums. They argue such programs are significant for museum educators dealing with burnout and isolation in the field. |
Abstract
ABSTRACT What can an experience of joy look like for museum educators? This question propelled an inquiry into contemplative practice and care in museum education. An exploratory pilot project – a personal postcard exchange – between two educators in North America took place throughout 2022 and 2023. This exchange became the model for creating a one-time workshop program for museum educators at the Nasher Sculpture Center in Dallas, Texas. In this workshop, we invited fellow museum educators to consider how contemplative writing, and reflection could help us to slow down and find joy. In this article, we unpack, analyze and explore findings from this contemplative writing workshop and adjoining research study. We explore whether mindfulness programs can allow people in a museum to experience empathy and to contemplate in meaningful ways. We also discuss how such a program is significant for museum educators as we deal with burnout and isolation in the field.
Comparable studies
Other qualitative studies on meditation, most cited first.