Between Practice and Theory

In this article, I consider the definition and use of the term dialogue inmuseum education, focusing on the work of Rika Burnham and Elliot Kai-Kee, whoseramifications for art itself have often been sidelined by educators. First, I examine therelationship between Burnham and Kai-Kee’s theory of education and Hans-GeorgGadamer’s and John Dewey’s writing on art, arguing that dialogical museum teachingimplicitly relies on a definition of art as performative. Then, I explore the ramificationsof Gadamer’s and Dewey’s definition of art as performative for the field of museumeducation. Finally, I argue that by understanding art as an active participant in ourencounters with it—and by refocusing our attention on art’s role in museum educationalpractice—we create a radically new argument for museums as educational institutionsthat bring people and art into dialogue with each other.