The Art Engager

In this episode host Claire Bown talks with Nicole Cromartie, Director of Learning and Engagement, and Paris Baker, Family, Early Childhood and Community Engagement Manager at the Clyfford Still Museum in Denver. Inspired by Nicole's experience with her baby niece 13 years ago, the Clyfford Still Museum has pioneered innovative ways to engage infants with art, including their groundbreaking 2022 e...

In this episode host Claire Bown talks with Nicky McIntosh, a museum consultant with over 25 years of experience in the UK museum sector. Inspired by her own family's experiences, Nicky specialises in making museums more accessible for children who struggle to attend school and is currently developing a toolkit to support museums and galleries in their work with home educators. Listen in as Nicky...

In this episode host Claire Bown talks with Beth Clare McManus, a coaching psychologist, artist and researcher based in Manchester, UK. Beth's work as a coach and supervisor aims to support people to be happy and well in their professional practice. Listen in as Beth shares how museum and gallery spaces offer unique potential for coaching - creating softer, more reflective environments where the s...

In today's episode, host Claire Bown talks with illustrator and educator Jessica Hartshorn. Based in the UK, Jessi specialises in creating engaging artwork for the cultural and heritage sector, blending her background as a museum educator with her artistic skills. Her work includes family trails, maps, and educational resources designed to foster deeper connections with museum collections—even the...

In today's solo episode, host Claire Bown focusing on one of the key Questioning Practices from her book, The Art Engager: Reimagining Guided Experiences in Museums .  In this episode, we’ll be exploring The Universal Questioning Practice in detail, how it came about and how you can use it with art and objects.  The Universal is an all-purpose and versatile Questioning Practice that can...

In today's solo episode, host Claire Bown explores one of the key practices from her new book, "The Art Engager, Reimagining Guided Experiences in Museums" - Questioning Practices. Questioning Practices (QP) are structured sets of questions or prompts designed to guide inquiry, stimulate critical thinking, and facilitate learning in museum and gallery environments. These practices are powerful str...

In today's episode, host Claire Bown talks with museum educator and project manager Anja Høegh. Anja shares her passion for creating engaging experiences in museums and cultural spaces, emphasising the importance of building trust and making meaningful connections with visitors. Anja reveals practical techniques to enhance visitor engagement, including the use of "chatterboxes" to spark conversati...

In today's episode host Claire Bown talks with museum consultant Rebecca Shulman. Rebecca has a wealth of experience in museum education and leadership, and is passionate about how we can make museums better places to work through improving organisational culture. Listen in to discover why museum educators are naturally suited for leadership roles through our skills in fostering inquiry, trust, an...

In this episode, host Claire Bown talks with Linda Norris, a Senior Specialist in Methodology and Practice at the International Coalition of Sites of Conscience. Linda is known for her work in museum capacity-building, leading training and workshops for major museums and historic sites like the Jamestown-Yorktown Foundation and the War Childhood Museum. Listen in to uncover practical frameworks (s...

Today, I'm talking to Sasha Igdalova about the exciting research she’s been conducting over the past few years around aesthetic experience, slow looking and social interaction in museums. Aleksandra (Sasha) Igdalova is an interdisciplinary researcher in the final year of her Psychology PhD at Goldsmiths, University of London conducting large-scale, experimental studies on slow looking within exhib...

How can we use our sense of smell to engage visitors? My guest today, Sofia Collette Ehrich is an art historian and curator of multisensory experiences. She was a key researcher on Odeuropa - a European funded Horizon 2020 project that advocated for smell as an important part of Europe’s cultural heritage. We discuss when she first realised her passion for working with scents and how smell can mak...

My guest today, Trevor MacKenzie is an experienced teacher, author, keynote speaker and inquiry consultant who has worked in schools throughout North America, Asia, Australia, South Africa and Europe.  Trevor’s day job is as a high school English teacher in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada, He teaches from an inquiry stance , guided by specific values and beliefs. In addition, Trevor is als...

How can we engage children with classical music in the museum environment?  Today, I'm talking to Cecilie Skøtt about how to engage students with the music of Carl Nielsen through a blend of philosophical questioning and the art of slow listening. Cecilie Skøtt is a mediation designer at Hans Christian Andersen’s House and the Carl Nielsen Museum in Denmark.  Cecilie plays a key role in...

Today, I'm excited to chat with Kylie Neagle about fostering curiosity and critical thinking on self-guided field trips for teachers and students. Kylie Neagle is the Education Coordinator at the Art Gallery of South Australia (AGSA) in Adelaide .  With a small team and limited resources, catering to diverse student needs can be challenging. Volunteer Gallery Guides, though invaluable, cannot...

In this episode, we take a closer look at museum visitor teams with Dickon Moore, Visitor Experience Manager at Wellcome Collection in London. Discover how these teams master the art of informal engagement, creating meaningful interactions that enhance visitors' museum experiences. Key Points: Understanding the importance of informal engagement in fostering meaningful interactions. How the role of...

Today, in a special BONUS episode for Slow Art Day, I’m talking to Harma van Uffelen. Harma works as a curator of education for the Van Gogh Museum where they have just created a brand new slow looking programme and a slow looking experience for the Matthew Wong exhibition.  Listen in to hear: How the programme started and why they chose the Matthew Wong exhibition Techniques for engaging par...

In today's episode: what is rapport, why is it important and how can we build it in our museum and gallery programmes?  I recently wrote an article for the Journal of Museum Education inspired by the coaching training I did in 2022. In ' Fostering a coaching mindset: applying coaching competencies to enhance museum educator practice and visitor experience ' I explored how museum educators can...

Today, Bianca Boska, an award-winning journalist and author of ' Get The Picture: A Mind-Bending Journey among the Inspired Artists and Obsessive Art Fiends Who Taught Me How to See ' discusses her new book and her journey into the art world with Claire Bown, host of The Art Engager podcast. Bianca immersed herself for 5 years into the New York art scene as a gallery assistant, artist assistant, c...

Host Claire Bown chats with Sofie Vermeiren , about The Art Bridge , a long-term collaboration between Museum Leuven and a local school, exploring how art can boost children's self-confidence and visual literacy. Episode links Episode webpage + transcript Sofie Vermeiren on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sofie-v-172093167/ More info about the Art Bridge: https://www.mleuven.be/en/about-m/m-...

In this episode of the Art Engager podcast, host Claire Bown talks with Dr. Tasha Golden about the role arts and culture can play in public health, discussing Tasha's journey from singer-songwriter to public health scientist and the impact of social prescribing on healthcare. They delve into the ways museums are becoming active participants in community health, sharing examples and practical tips...

Today I’m talking to Cecilie Monrad, Art Health Manager at Frederiksberg Museums in Copenhagen. We’re talking about See Listen Talk , a unique slow looking programme that helps young psychiatric service users in their recovery. See Listen Talk is a 15-week long programme with weekly meetings taking place outside of the museum's visiting hours. Participants were young psychiatric users aged 18 to 2...

Today I’m talking to Andrew Westover, Eleanor McDonald Storza Director of Education at the High Museum of Art in Atlanta, about how values-engaged teaching can transform gallery experiences and foster deep connections. Andrew Westover leads the learning team at the High Museum of Art in Atlanta, focusing on connecting people with art and ideas to inspire civic life. In this role, Andrew develops i...

Today I'm talking to Briony Brickell, the director of Magic Lantern, an educational charity delivering interactive art history workshops in schools across the UK. We chat about the organisation's work, its values, and the interactive art history sessions they conduct in primary schools for children aged 4 to 11. We explore Magic Lantern's unique cross-curricular approach, incorporating art history...

 In today's episode, Dr. Stephanie Smith, Learning Manager at the Museum of Australian Democracy (MoAD) in Canberra, shares insights into MoAD's innovative approach to engaging visitors in historical spaces. Steph talks about MoAD's educational programmes, focusing on their inquiry-based approach and how they encourage an 'inquiry mindset' through active student participation. We also explore the...

In today's new episode I'm talking to researcher and practice assistant, Leonie Delaey, discussing how museums engage with young people through youth boards and organisations. Leonie come from a rich background in socio-cultural studies and Cultural Management. She currently serves as a Practice Assistant for the Master in Cultural Management program at the University of Antwerp. This year, Leonie...