1. Introduction / Juliette FritschPart 1 Situating interpretation in the museum context2. The Museum as a social instrument : a democratic conception of museum education / George E. Hein3. Invoking the Muse : the purposes and processes of communicative action in museums / Paulette M.McManus4. Interpretation and the art museum : between the familiar and the unfamiliar / Cheryl Meszaros, Twyla Gibson, Jennifer CarterPt II The role of interpretation in art galleries5. Towards some cartographic understandings of art interpretation in museums / Christopher Whitehead6. Art for whose sake? / Sue Latimer7,. The seeing eye : the seeing I / Sylvia LahavPt III Language and museum interpretation8. How can we define the role of language in museum interpretation? / Juliette FritschPt IV Interpretation, personal experience and memory9. I loved it dearly : recalling personal memories of dress in the museum / Torunn Kjolberg10. Welcome to my world : personal narrative and historic house interpretation / Mariruth Leftwich11. Narrative museum, museum of voices : displaying rural culture in the Museo della Mezzadria Senese, Italy / Marzia MinorePt V. Evidence-based practice12. An evaluation of object-centered approaches to interpretation at the British Museum / David Francis, Steve Slack, Claire Edwards13. The other side of the coin : audience consultation and the interpretation of numismatic collections / Effrosyni NomikouPt VI Interpretive strategies for specific audiences14. Designing effective interpretation for contemporary family visitors to art museums and galleries : a reflection of associated problems and issues / Patricia Sterry15. Interactive gallery interpretation for design students : help or hindrance? / Elizabeth Dyson16. Empower the audience! How art museums can become enriching creative spaces for a wider audience through deliberate and strategic use of experience and learning theories / Karen GronPt.VII Process and people17. Reading the walls : a study of curatorial expectation and visitor perception / Sarah Ganz Blythe, Barbara Palley18 Education is a department isn't it? : perceptions of education, learning and interpretation in exhibition development / Juliette Fritsch.