Inclusive Art Education as a Tool for Art Museum Experiences

This Thesis looks at art education as a tool for meaningful art museum experiences. The study follows students on field trips at the High Art Museum as a process to develop a fully inclusive art educational program. The focus of the process of inclusivity evaluates the personal, socio-cultural, and physical aspects of the learning environment within the museum. The research questions that guide the study are 1) how the inclusive strategies I have found in my art classroom can be utilized to create an inclusive art museum setting, 2) how we can approach inclusive student learning an art museum environment, and 3) how the art museum field trip experience can be designed to create an engaging and worthwhile experience for students on the autism spectrum. This study offers a model of inclusion to an artistic learning environment