User:Nora Lockshin/Claudine K. Brown

Claudine K. Brown (d. 2016) is best known for her work as a museum director and educator. She served as the first Director for Education for the Smithsonian Institution, with the formal title of Assistant Secretary for Education and Access. Prior to establishing this office, Ms. Brown had worked at the Smithsonian as director of the National African-American Museum Project, which was to become the National Museum of African American History and Culture, and became the Deputy Assistant Secretary for the Arts and Humanities for the Institution. .

Career
Brown began her museum career as an educator in 1977 at the Brooklyn Museum, advancing to become "manager of school and community programs (1982-1984), and then assistant director for government and community relations (1985-1990) for that institution." Between her posts at the Smithsonian, Ms. Brown held the office of Director of the Arts and Culture Program at the Nathan Cummings Foundation.

Education
Brown was an artist, museum educator, and lawyer, being an alumna of the Pratt Institute (Bachelor of Arts), Bank Street Graduate School of Education. (Master of Science in Education) and Brooklyn College (Juris Doctor).

Related Activities
Brown extended her professional work to mentor others in various capacities, teaching, advising and serving on boards of many organizations. She taught in the |Leadership in Museum Education Program at Bank Street Graduate School of Education. She served on the boards of American Association of Museums, Bank Street College of Educationthe National Park Service Fund, the Association of Black Foundation Executives, and the Open Society Foundations ,

She continued to mentor artists and those in the humanities, to help artists and educators connect to constituent communities and policy makers.

Brown shared her career perspective of the changing attitudes and scope of "Access and Inclusivity in the Museum" in a 2011 panel entitled for which a full transcript of her remarks, questions and responses are available.