MUSEUM MUSINGS

Natalie C. Jones

As a museum educator working in a botanical garden, sculpture collection, and wildlife setting, I have learned that advocacy rarely begins with sweeping initiatives. More often, it starts in small moments that reveal the power of creative learning: when teachers rediscover their creativity during a workshop and remember why the arts matter; when preservice educators lead a group of students for the first time and recognizes the potential of their teaching voice; and when children see their artwork displayed in a gallery space and realize their ideas have value.

My own understanding of advocacy started long before my museum career. When I taught high-school visual arts, I participated in a teaching artist program at our local museum. A visiting artist worked with my students for four weeks on a printmaking project, introducing new materials and techniques.

Watching my students’ excitement grow and seeing how the experience expanded their confidence and creative possibilities showed me firsthand the impact that access and partnership can have on young people. That experience is one of the reasons I am committed to ensuring that all students have opportunities to learn with and through the arts. It also guides my outreach work today, where I visit schools to bring hands-on, museum-informed learning to students.

At Brookgreen Gardens, these moments happen daily. The Gardens function as a classroom beyond the walls, a living environment where students can observe, question, and create in ways that feel active and immediate. Educators step into a space where art connects naturally with history, science, and the environment. Preservice educators encounter teaching in real time, surrounded by sculpture, wildlife, and landscapes that spark curiosity. Together, these experiences form the foundation of our approach to advocacy.

Our teacher PD workshops are designed to give educators practical ideas they can use immediately, but they also strengthen teachers’ ability to advocate for creative learning in their own schools. The workshops give teachers time to create, reflect, and experience the arts the way their students do.

When museums support teachers and partner with schools, advocacy grows naturally.

During a recent session, teachers experimented with printmaking using live botanicals, exploring light, composition, color, and line as they pressed leaves and flowers into ink to create layered prints. As they worked, teachers shared how they might adapt the process for different grade levels and how it could support units in art, science, literacy, or photography.

After the studio activity, our vice president of art and history, Robin Salmon, led a gallery tour focused on visual literacy and close looking. Teachers also learned about Brookgreen’s field trip pathways, which integrate art, history, horticulture, and wildlife into standards-based visits. Many noted that the Gardens felt like an extension of their own classrooms, a living learning environment where students can observe, question, and create.

Our work with preservice teachers is another significant form of advocacy. Through our collaboration with Coastal Carolina University, emerging educators complete observation hours and teaching practices across Brookgreen’s campus. One of the most rewarding outcomes is seeing preservice teachers translate their learning into creative, standards-based projects.

A recent cohort designed digital interpretive materials for Brookgreen, including student-facing activity sheets, visual analysis prompts, and cross-curricular lesson ideas. Their projects revealed thoughtful connections between art, science, history, zoology and place-based learning. Several components were strong enough for us to consider incorporating into our digital educational resources.

Projects like these show preservice teachers that museums are not only places to visit, but also partners who can support curriculum development and creative instructional design.

A Brookgreen Gardens field trip often blends sculpture, history, horticulture, and wildlife into a single visit. Students sketch sculptures, observe animal behavior, investigate plant structures, and explore historic landscapes connected to the Gullah Geechee story. These interdisciplinary experiences help students see art not as an isolated subject, but as a way of understanding the world.

To support learning before and after a visit, we offer full lesson plans and digital teacher resources online. We also survey teachers after each field trip to gather feedback and ensure our programs continue to evolve in response to classroom needs.

Teachers frequently share that these visits help them advocate for arts integration because the impact is so visible. Administrators can see student engagement and curiosity in real time, and the work students create becomes meaningful evidence of the academic and emotional value of the arts.

When museums support teachers and partner with schools, advocacy grows naturally. Each connection strengthens the next. Teachers share ideas with colleagues. Preservice educators enter the field committed to creative learning. Students create meaningful work that reflects their understanding and voice.

Advocacy becomes a living practice that grows through relationships and shared experiences. At Brookgreen Gardens, I see this every day, and it continues to remind me that meaningful change begins with the people we teach, the communities we serve, and the stories we tell through art.

Natalie C. Jones is the vice president of creative education at Brookgreen Gardens in Murrells Inlet, South Carolina. njones@brookgreen.org