Nancy Caye Jones
Nancy Caye Jones had the good fortune to spend summers growing up with a multi-generational group of people at a lake in the outskirts of Detroit. There she learned the value of shared ideals and the challenges and rewards of communal living. Her family was politically engaged and active in support of unions, civil rights and other issues related to social justice.
Nancy received degrees in Spanish and Art History at Wayne State University. She taught both subjects at the university before joining the staff of the Detroit Institute of Arts (DIA) in 1982. She was a leader in the field of museum education, and as Director of the Department of Learning and Interpretation she led the DIA’s transformation to a community-oriented museum. She instituted a learner-centered approach to viewing and interpreting art, and developed engaging public events and culturally-inclusive activities for all ages.
Throughout her museum career Nancy facilitated group discussions about art, developed strategies for gallery interpretation and constructed labels and other gallery texts. Now, retired from the DIA, she is a writer.