Mused

MUSED is led by Principal Consultant Denise A. Gray, who has 25 years of professional experience in museums and arts education. Gray earned an M.S.Ed. from Bank Street College through the Leadership Program in Museum Education (2004), and a B.A. in Art History from Smith College (1997). Gray consults in art, museum learning, and management with exp... ertise in professional development training (conversational interpretation of art and objects, teaching adolescent audiences and contemporary art), diversifying museum audiences, strengthening community partnerships, and collaborating with artists and audiences to produce exhibitions and socially-engaged art and events. For 12 years (1997-2009), she was a member of the Education Department at the Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles (MOCA) where she developed and led programs for teens, communities, youth, and families. One major program she directed was MOCA's long-running now defunct community outreach program, First Visit & Beyond, which engaged audiences at schools, libraries, hospitals, low-income housing developments, and other community organizations. Her interest in adolescent audiences led to mentoring and leading museum-school partnerships at artworxLA (2011-2017). Vital to her work as a practitioner is Grays study of and service to the field of museums, always considering equity, access, and inclusion. She served on the Executive Board of the Committee of Education of the American Alliance of Museums (2002-2010), and was Associate Director of the Summer Institute of Art Museum Studies at Smith College (2012). She has presented and published on the subjects of contemporary art, adolescent audiences, interpretive learning, and leadership. A recent publication (2017) includes Art Empowering At-Risk and Opportunity Youth, a chapter in the Handbook of Research on the Facilitation of Civic Engagement through Community Art. MUSED designs experiences that encourage wonder, sustain attention, and ultimately leave audiences with the desire to learn more. ...Read More