Dr. Kathryn Medill is from Arizona and currently lives in Phoenix, AZ. Dr. Medill received her Ph.D. in Art History and Education from the University of Arizona. In the past, she has worked for art galleries and museum education departments in Spain, England, and the United States. Her work has been published in museum and interdisciplinary journals and she has presented her research on museums as informal learning spaces for undergraduate students both nationally and internationally. Most recently Kat’s work appeared as a chapter in Engaging Communities Through Civic Engagement in Art Museum Education (2021) edited by Bryna Bobick and Carissa DiCindio. As well as a chapter in Narratives on Becoming: Identity and Lifelong Learning (2021), edited by Emilie Clucas Leaderman and Jennifer S. Jefferson.
As an art and visual culture educator with an emphasis in museums, museum education, and street art, her practice is grounded in the cultivation of open dialogues through the use of constructivist learning models. Whether it’s touring a group of kindergarteners through a museum or discussing a course reading with undergraduate and graduate students, she firmly believes that conversation is the key to creating a productive space for both the facilitator and students.
As an art historian, adjunct faculty member, and museum educator, Dr. Medill strives to facilitate a space where all members of the classroom feel respected, heard, and engaged as learners. Her roles have taught her to work with demographics who span the age spectrum and come from various social, economic, ethnic, and geographic backgrounds. The diversity of populations with which she has worked requires the ability to adapt the planned educational information for each student population. For Medill, teaching is an ongoing and ever-changing process; one that requires flexibility, direction, empathy, critical thinking, and assessment.
Dr. Medill’s first belief as an educator is that it is important that students feel like the museum space and classroom space are their space. This means having conversations about museums and universities, their histories, and their contemporary roles in society. As an educator, Kat believes it is important that students understand the history of museums and universities as institutions, but that they also feel comfortable talking about what they like about these institutions and what they would change. Critical reflection of these spaces allows students to interject their own sense of self into the space, or unpack their personal level of comfort in the space. Dr. Medill structures her museum and art-making classes and university lectures by first sharing the agenda. She aims to ground my participants by providing them with a framework for interaction. Additionally, she believes that the learner has to be engaged in the learning process through reciprocal interaction.
Course Credentialing
AH 1110 – Art Historical Methods + Theories, AH 1120 – Global Art History I: Prehistory to c.1300, AH 1130 – Global Art History II: c.1300 to c.1980, AH 2400 – Seminar in Contemporary Art, AH 3000 – Topics in the History of Art.
