Revolution, Responsibility, and Reflection: Fifty Years of the Journal of Museum Education

Abstract

ABSTRACT As the Journal of Museum Education reaches its fifty-year publication milestone, this article traces the roots of the Museum Education Roundtable (MER) and the organization’s resulting journal, both critical to professionalizing and shaping the field of museum education. Central to this publishing effort were the relationships amongst MER board members, editors, and authors, all working collectively to ensure that this publication allowed for new relationships to flourish between museum educators and their institutions, audiences, and other professionals. The responsibility for ensuring that this work shapes and impacts the field has been shared by generations of museum educators. The revolutionary challenge presented by the formation of MER and its publication continues today, as the JME continues to provide space to document legacies and endeavors to be a place that emerging professionals can use to reflect on new approaches, directions, and imperatives to continue strengthening the field of museum education.