Detroit Institute of Arts receives grant from the Samuel H. Kress Foundation to support fellowship Museum welcomes Jehan Mullin as Kress Interpretive fellow

Updated Nov 4, 2016

(Detroit)—The Detroit Institute of Arts (DIA) has received a grant from the Samuel H. Kress Foundation in support of a 2016–17 Kress Interpretive Fellowship at Art Museums. The award is the second in recognition of the DIA's commitment to innovative interpretation and professional development in the museum field.

Jehan Mullin was awarded the fellowship and will work in the DIA’s award-winning department of interpretation, which develops dynamic ways to engage visitors in discovering meaning in art. In collaboration with curators, exhibition designers and other colleagues, she will work on various projects including the DIA’s popular Inside|Out program and the exhibition “Frederic Church: To Jerusalem and Back” opening next year. Mullin will also participate in the last phase of interpretive development and shadow the interpretive planners during installation of the exhibition “Bitter|Sweet: Coffee, Tea & Chocolate,” which opens Nov. 20.

Mullin is a PhD candidate in the Program in American Studies at Purdue University with research and training interests in museum studies, cultural studies and cultural anthropology. She participated in the Smithsonian Institute in Museum Anthropology initiative, funded by the National Science Foundation, which trains scholars in museum-based research, ethics and practice. Informed by her training in critical ethnography, Mullin’s approach to museum interpretation is inspired by her commitment to long-term community engagement, collaboration and public scholarship.

“Developing new and innovative ways for our visitors to connect to art and with each other is a vital part of what we do, said Salvador Salort-Pons, DIA director. “Jehan Mullin’s interdisciplinary interests in community collaboration and pushing the boundaries of new research and scholarship align perfectly with our commitment to creating rich, meaningful experiences for all of our visitors and communities.”

The Kress Interpretive Fellowship at Art Museums program provides a new kind of mentored professional development opportunity within American art museums. The program is intended to encourage students to explore interpretive careers in art museums, whether as future museum educators or curators; to strengthen the profession of museum educator within the art museum community; to strengthen ties between museum educators and curators in the shared task of interpretive programming in art museums; and to expand the range of promising career options available to students of art history and related fields.

(Detroit)—The Detroit Institute of Arts (DIA) has received a grant from the Samuel H. Kress Foundation in support of a 2016–17 Kress Interpretive Fellowship at Art Museums. The award is the second in recognition of the DIA's commitment to innovative interpretation and professional development in the museum field.

Jehan Mullin was awarded the fellowship and will work in the DIA’s award-winning department of interpretation, which develops dynamic ways to engage visitors in discovering meaning in art. In collaboration with curators, exhibition designers and other colleagues, she will work on various projects including the DIA’s popular Inside|Out program and the exhibition “Frederic Church: To Jerusalem and Back” opening next year. Mullin will also participate in the last phase of interpretive development and shadow the interpretive planners during installation of the exhibition “Bitter|Sweet: Coffee, Tea & Chocolate,” which opens Nov. 20.

Mullin is a PhD candidate in the Program in American Studies at Purdue University with research and training interests in museum studies, cultural studies and cultural anthropology. She participated in the Smithsonian Institute in Museum Anthropology initiative, funded by the National Science Foundation, which trains scholars in museum-based research, ethics and practice. Informed by her training in critical ethnography, Mullin’s approach to museum interpretation is inspired by her commitment to long-term community engagement, collaboration and public scholarship.

“Developing new and innovative ways for our visitors to connect to art and with each other is a vital part of what we do, said Salvador Salort-Pons, DIA director. “Jehan Mullin’s interdisciplinary interests in community collaboration and pushing the boundaries of new research and scholarship align perfectly with our commitment to creating rich, meaningful experiences for all of our visitors and communities.”

The Kress Interpretive Fellowship at Art Museums program provides a new kind of mentored professional development opportunity within American art museums. The program is intended to encourage students to explore interpretive careers in art museums, whether as future museum educators or curators; to strengthen the profession of museum educator within the art museum community; to strengthen ties between museum educators and curators in the shared task of interpretive programming in art museums; and to expand the range of promising career options available to students of art history and related fields.