Specializations

  • Learning in Museums: critical thinking, play, and social emotional learning
  • Family Involvement in Learning

Courses

Biography

Jessica Luke is a Teaching Professor in the Information School at the University of Washington as well as the Director of the Museology Graduate Program. Luke’s research focuses on museums and youth development, family learning, and parent involvement. She is interested in the role that museums play in information behavior and early learning and how these impact human development over an entire life span. Luke has a Ph.D. in Educational Psychology from the University of Maryland, a Master’s in Museum Studies from the University of Toronto, and a B.A. in Art History and Political Studies from Queen’s University.

Education

  • Ph D, Educational Psychology, University of Maryland, 2009
  • M.M.St., Museum Studies, University of Toronto, 1998
  • BA, Art History and Political Studies , Queen's University, 1995

Memberships

  • American Alliance of Museums
  • American Educational Research Association
  • Association of Children's Museums
  • National Art Education Association
  • Visitor Studies Association

Publications and Contributions

  • Journal Article, Academic Journal
    The problem of play in children's museums (2021)
    International Journal of Play, 10(1), pp. 63-74 Authors: Jessica Luke, N Rivera, L Colbert, C Scharon
  • Journal Article, Academic Journal
    “The bloody hell and holy cow moment:” Feeling awe in the art museum (2021)
    Curator: The Museum Journal, 64(2), pp. 41-55 Author: Jessica Luke
  • Journal Article, Academic Journal
    What caregivers observe about their children’s learning during a visit to the children’s museum (2019)
    Journal of Museum Education, 44(4), pp. 427-428 Authors: Jessica Luke, E.D. Tomczuk, S. Foutz, N. Rivera, L. Brahms, K. Nelson, B. Hahn, M. Swank, K. McKenney
  • Journal Article, Academic Journal
    Play in children’s museums: A path forward or a point of tension? (2017)
    Curator: The Museum Journal, 60(1), pp. 37-46 Authors: Jessica Luke, Susan Letourneau, Nicole Rivera, Lisa Brahms, Sarah May
  • Journal Article, Professional Journal
    The impact of art museum dementia-based programming on participating care partners (2016)
    Journal of Museum Education, 41(31), pp. 210-219 Authors: Katherine Lamar, Jessica J Luke
  • Journal Article, Professional Journal
    An art therapy study of visitor reactions to the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum (2015)
    Journal of Museum Management and Curatorship, 30(1), pp. 21-43 Authors: D. J. Betts, J. S. Potash, Jessica Luke, M. Kelso
  • Journal Article, Professional Journal
    Children's museum research agenda (2014)
    Hand to Hand: Association of Children's Museums Journal Authors: Jessica J Luke, Victoria Garvin
  • Journal Article, Academic Journal
    The role of evaluation in re-imagining the art museum (2014)
    Journal of Museum Education, 39(2), pp. 197-206 Authors: Jessica Luke, J. E. Ancelet
  • Journal Article, Professional Journal
    Museums and parent involvement: A landscape review (2013)
    Journal of Museum Management and Curatorship, 28(5), pp. 491-507 Authors: K. Tezcan-Akmehmet, Jessica Luke

Presentations

  • Evaluations during the pandemic (2020)
    Puget Sound Grantwriters Association - Seattle, WA
  • Museum studies programs coming together in COVID-19 (2020)
    Annual meeting of the American Alliance of Museums - Seattle, WA (virtual)
  • The future of small, local history museums (2020)
    The Board of the Bainbridge Island History Museum - Seattle, WA
  • Social-emotional learning in children’s museums (2019)
    Presentation for the Members of Museum Advocates - Nashville, TN
  • What research tells us about museum studies graduate programs (2019)
    Museum Studies Network at the annual meeting of the American Alliance of Museums - New Orleans, LA
  • Audience research and evaluation in public gardens (2018)
    Museum Advocates - Nashville, TN
  • Getting serious about the value of play in children’s museums (2017)
    Annual Meeting of the Association of Children's Museums - Pasadena, CA
  • Innovative evaluations (2017)
    Puget Sound Grantwriters Association - Seattle, WA
  • Audience research and evaluation in public gardens (2016)
    American Public Garden Association Education Symposium - Seattle, WA
  • Let’s talk about play (2016)
    Annual meeting of the Association of Children’s Museums - Stamford, CT
  • What do we really mean? The power of museum jargon (2016)
    Annual meeting of the American Alliance of Museums - Washington, DC
  • A discussion about work life balance (2015)
    KidsQuest Children's Museum - Bellevue, WA
  • Audience evaluation and engagement in small, local history museums (2015)
    4Culture - Seattle, WA
  • Ensuring the success of your grant-funded programs (2015)
    Puget Sound Grantwriters Association - Seattle, WA
  • From field to institution: Putting research agendas into action (2015)
    Annual Meeting of the Visitor Studies Association - Indianapolis, IN
  • Re-Imagining family-centered design (2015)
    Annual Meeting of the American Alliance of Museums - Atlanta, GA
  • What can we do to make museums more engaging for families and early learners? (2015)
    Burke Museum of Natural History - Seattle, WA
  • Consultant-institution partnerships for strengthening evaluation capacity (2014)
    Panel session conducted at the annual meeting of the Visitor Studies Association - Albuquerque, NM
  • Growing a culture of research in museums (2014)
    Panel session conducted at the annual meeting of the American Alliance of Museums, Visitor Studies Association - Seattle, WA
  • Lessons learned from institutionalizing evaluation in art museums (2014)
    Panel session conducted at the annual meeting of the American Alliance of Museums - Seattle, WA
  • Our shared journey (2014)
    Graduation Keynote Speech, Museology Graduate Program - Seattle, WA
  • Research agendas and field-wide capacity-building (2014)
    Panel session conducted at the annual meeting of the Visitor Studies Association - Albuquerque, NM
  • What we know and don't know from research in the arts (2014)
    The Intersection of Research and Policy: Arts and Culture Symposium, Crystal Bridges Art Museum - Bentonville, AR
  • Applying research results to practice (2013)
    Session conducted at the annual meeting of the National Art Education Association - Fort Worth, TX
  • Developing a field-wide research agenda (2013)
    Session conducted at the annual meeting of the Association of Children's Museums - Pittsburgh, PA
  • Research to practice: Developing actionable strategies (2013)
    A half-day workshop conducted at the annual meeting of the Visitor Studies Association - Milwaukee, WI
  • The value of children's museums (2013)
    Presentation for Board of Directors, KidsQuest Children's Museums - Bellevue, WA
  • Crossing Contexts: What Families Value about Museum Experiences (2011)
    Annual conference of the American Association of Museums - Houston, TX