Barbara Zollinger Sweney
- barbarazsweney@wowway.com
- Adjunct Professor
Biography:
Barbara Zollinger Sweney has been on the staff of the Columbus Museum of Art for 10 years, most recently as Educator for School & Docent Programs. Ohio’s Museum educator of the year in 2006, she is a regular presenter at the Ohio Art Education and National Art Education Association (NAEA) Annual meetings. Sweney holds a BA in Art History from Vassar and an MA and Ph.D from the Ohio State University where she her research focused on learning in museums. She recently contributed on article on Mid Tier Midwest Art Museums in The American Midwest: An Interpretive Encyclopedia, has led the development of a new Website: www.artandsocialissues.com for the Columbus Museum of Art and wrote the chapter, Docents as Meaning Makers: The Frontline of the Museum Learning Experience in the NAEA’s new book From Periphery to Center: Art Museum Education in The 21st Century..
A native of Columbus, Ohio. Dr. Sweney earned her B.A. in Art History from Vassar College and her Masters and Ph.D, in Art Education from The Ohio State University,
Dissertation title : Student Learning in an Art Museum: A Study of Docent-Led Tours and Changes in Docent Training to Improve Visitor’s Experiences.
Master’s Thesis Topic: Museum Missions: A Comparison of a Children's Museum and an Art Museum
Her research interests include: Learning in museums, learning in children’s museums, docent training and administration and teaching thinking through art.