A museum hack for museum education

The purpose of this study was to investigate the alternative approach to museum education utilized by the Corning Museum of Glass and influenced by the museum tour company, Museum Hack. Through the process of identifying methods and techniques employed by Museum Hack, the goal of this research was to recognize which of those approaches could be applied to other educators and institutions in their efforts to establish and encourage a positive learning environment for visitors. Applying a multiple site case study methodology, this study used a firsthand account of a Museum Hack tour operated at The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, New York to establish a sampling of techniques typically used by the company’s tour guides. This study provides a detailed account of the Museum Hack tour, paying attention to the variety of methods employed. The second site of research visited in the study was the Corning Museum of Glass in Corning, New York, to ascertain the influences affected by Museum Hack and their use of alternate methods of tour procedures. Through extensive interviews with members of the Corning Museum of Glass’s education department, the elements of the Museum Hack’s gallery teaching techniques were compared and connected, pertaining to the museum’s programming, while questioning their derivative nature. Four main themes emerged that represented significant features applicable to alternative museum education. These were the importance of the narrative, the focus of the visitor museum experience, the use of interpretation, and the need to establish relationships. Based on the findings of the study, museum educators, teachers, and institutions may gain a new perspective on the possibilities of the museum environment as a place of learning for all visitors.