The Art Engager Podcast with Claire Bown is your go-to resource for creating engaging experiences in museums and cultural spaces. Explore practices that deepen connections with art, objects, people and ideas. Learn techniques to spark curiosity, foster dialogue, and transform how you engage with your audience. Each episode offers practical insights to enhance your skills and bring your museum experiences to life.
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After five years and 166 episodes with listeners in 91 countries, this is the final episode of The Art Engager - for now, at least. For this last conversation, I wanted a guest who felt right not just for the occasion, but for the moment the whole sector is living through. Someone who has spent nearly two decades asking the questions most of us might find too uncomfortable or too speculative to sit with: what does the future hold for museums, and what do we need to do now to be ready for it? My ...
In March 2026, I travelled to Atlanta for the National Convening on Art and Social Connection, a two-day event hosted by the High Museum of Art. It brought together people from the arts, public health, research, aging, social services and policy to explore one big question: how can engagement with visual art help combat loneliness and build more connected communities? In this special episode, I take you inside the convening and share what I heard, what I learned, and what I think it means for th...
What does it take to guide visitors through histories that are genuinely contested and emotionally charged? In this episode, I'm joined by Brandon Dillard, Director of Historic Interpretation and Audience Engagement at Thomas Jefferson's Monticello, and Kelsie Paul, Director of Learning and Visitor Experience at the Frick Pittsburgh, to explore how both institutions have reimagined their guided experiences in response to the complicated legacies of their central historical figures. We talk about...
In this episode Claire Bown is joined by Dr Beth Daley , novelist, creative writing tutor and editorial advisor at Europeana, to explore how digital cultural heritage collections can become starting points for storytelling, exploration and creative engagement. Europeana brings together millions of artworks, objects, photographs, films, texts and archival materials from museums, libraries and archives across Europe . But access alone is not enough. Beth shares how the platform invites people to m...
In this episode Claire Bown is joined by Georgia Close and Harriet Body from the National Gallery of Australia, alongside Naomi Zouwer from the University of Canberra, to explore how the gallery co-designed its Creative Learning approach. The conversation traces an 18-month process of articulating a shared pedagogical framework shaped by national context, cultural responsibility, and First Nations-led principles. Rather than adopting an existing model, the team worked through workshops, observat...
In this episode Claire Bown is joined by Clare Murray to explore how early encounters with art and museums shape the way people learn to participate, belong, and engage over time. Our conversation focuses on how what Clare describes as museum habits of mind begin forming early in life, shaped by access, culture, and experience, and what can be at risk when early encounters with art and museums are uneven, delayed, or absent. Clare’s perspective is shaped by her work as co-founder and executive d...
In this episode, Claire Bown is joined by Laurie Kilgour Walsh , Head of Programs and Learning at the Art Gallery of Hamilton , to explore what it takes to create meaningful, person-centred museum experiences with and for people living with dementia. Our conversation centres on Artful Moments , a gallery-based, small-group programme for people living with dementia and their care partners . Based at the Art Gallery of Hamilton, the programme supports shared experiences, connection, and wellbeing ...
In this episode, host Claire Bown is joined by Menka Sanghvi , researcher, writer, guide and founder of Just Looking . Menka’s work explores attention through science, culture and creativity, and encourages us to slow down and notice more in our everyday lives. Together, we talk about why ordinary moments matter, how our attentional filters shape what we see and the social dimension of noticing. We also explore the pull of digital technology, the difference between algorithmic seeing and intenti...
In this special episode created in collaboration with NEMO – the Network of European Museum Organisations , I’m sharing voices and ideas from the 2025 NEMO European Museum Conference ‘Who Cares? Museums, Wellbeing and Resilience’ in Horsens, Denmark. Recorded during the conference itself in the unique setting of the FÆNGSLET Prison Museum, this episode features eight speakers from across Europe and beyond. Together, we explore how museums are engaging with wellbeing and care – for their communit...
In this episode of The Art Engager , I’m talking with Dr Elizabeth (Zab) Johnson, Executive Director of the Wharton Neuroscience Initiative and a visual neuroscientist whose work explores the intersection of art, perception and leadership. Zab’s research asks one key question: how does what we see guide our decisions, actions and behaviours? Her work combines neuroscience, visual perception and museum-based learning to show how what we see shapes how we think, communicate and lead. At Wharton, Z...
In today's solo episode, host Claire Bown celebrates the one-year anniversary of The Art Engager book with our first-ever Ask Me Anything format. She answers 10 practical questions from listeners about facilitating guided experiences in museums. From how long to let people look at artworks to building psychological safety with established groups, Claire tackles the real challenges educators and guides face every day. Does everyone have to talk to be actively engaged? How do you pull a group back...
In this episode of The Art Engager Claire Bown talks with Tina Demirdjian, a poet and educator who has spent over 30 years transforming how people connect with poetry and visual art. Tina is someone who in her own words 'changes people's minds' about poetry, about themselves and about their capacity for creative expression. Working primarily with second language learners and immigrant communities in Los Angeles she has developed unique approaches that use visual art as a gateway into poetry writ...
In this episode of The Art Engager , Claire Bown talks with Ciaron Wilkinson, Head of Partnerships and Engagement at Manchester Museum — one of the UK’s largest university museums and recent winner of European Museum of the Year. After a values-led redevelopment, Manchester Museum has reimagined how a museum can engage with its community. Its mission is to be the most caring, imaginative, and inclusive museum people will ever visit - a place where everyone belongs. Ciaron shares how this vision ...
In today's solo episode, host Claire Bown shares practical strategies for overcoming the most common fears about inquiry-based teaching in museums. From handling uncertainty and awkward silences to managing participation and time, she guides you through simple, actionable ways to build confidence and make inquiry feel rewarding- for you and your participants. Inquiry-based teaching works . It creates the kind of museum experiences where participants lean in, ask questions, and make personal conn...
In this episode, Claire Bown delves into the concept of wonder, defining it as a feeling of amazement and admiration, distinct yet connected to awe and curiosity. She highlights why museums are ideal spaces for fostering wonder and explains why adults often lose this natural capacity. Bown then provides eight actionable strategies for museum educators, from encouraging slow looking and a beginner's mind to utilizing sensory engagement and leaving space for reflection, helping to create truly wonder-filled visitor experiences.
Over the past four years, we've explored slow looking in 20 different episodes on The Art Engager , making it our most discussed topic . Today, I'm taking you on a curated journey through all of these episodes, creating a roadmap, if you will, that you can use to understand and implement slow looking in your personal practice and professional work. The Art Engager is written and presented by Claire Bown . Editing is by Matt Jacobs and Claire Bown. Music by Richard Bown. Support the show on Patre...
After 150 episodes exploring engagement in museums and cultural organisations – including 101 solo episodes and 49 guest conversations – host Claire Bown shares 10 of the most powerful insights that have emerged over four years of thinking deeply about engagement principles and practices. For this milestone episode, Claire revisited the entire back catalogue, re-listening to past episodes and looking for patterns. What she found were 10 essential insights about engagement that can shift how we t...
In this episode host Claire Bown talks with Geraldine Collinge, Chief Executive at Compton Verney, about their bold approach to creating genuinely engaging cultural spaces through play, accessibility and joy. Geraldine shares how this unique ' art space in a park ' in Warwickshire brings together a historic Robert Adam mansion, 120 acres of Capability Brown landscape, and six distinctive collections ranging from Chinese bronzes to British folk art. She explains how Compton Verney's core values -...
In this 4th birthday episode of The Art Engager, host Claire Bown explores what active engagement really means and why it matters so much for creating meaningful guided experiences. She addresses what many educators struggle with – we know visitors learn better when actively participating, but how do we consistently make this happen in our daily practice? How can we move beyond knowing that active participation matters to actually implementing it day after day? What practical techniques make the...
In this episode of The Art Engager podcast, host Claire Bown talks with Sita Sargeant, founder and self-described 'Chief Troublemaker' at She Shapes History, a trailblazing Australian company on a mission. What began as weekly walks in Canberra has grown into a thriving social enterprise with nationwide expansion plans for their women-focused history tours. In today's conversation, Sita shares her people-centred approach to guide hiring and training, and how she builds community around a cause r...
In this episode, host Claire Bown talks with Tonia Dhaese and Armand Storck about the church-based Slow Art Day movement in Antwerp. We explore why churches provide ideal settings for slow looking and how the architecture, lighting, and atmosphere naturally encourage contemplation. For Slow Art Day 2025 (April 5), listeners will learn about events across four Antwerp churches, including St. Paul's exhibition featuring masterpieces by Rubens and Van Dyck displayed at eye level - a rare opportunit...
In this episode host Claire Bown talks with Francine Boon, a self-described 'sociologist turned mystery maker' and co-director of Sherlocked, an award-winning experience design studio based in Amsterdam, about transforming how visitors engage with museums through immersive storytelling and game design. Francine shares two major museum projects in this episode: her Rijksmuseum escape room that attracted 10,000 participants in nine weeks and received a 9.4/10 rating, and her recent Palace Mysterie...
In today's solo episode, host Claire Bown explores why museums are as much about people as they are about objects, and shares six powerful ways to create meaningful connections in your guided experiences. How can museums provide spaces for genuine human interaction in our increasingly disconnected world? What might happen when we put 'connection before content' in our museum practice? In this episode, we're exploring the unique role museums play in bringing people together. Claire introduces the...
In this episode host Claire Bown talks with Maggie Jackson, an award-winning author, former Boston Globe columnist and independent scholar, about the power of uncertainty and how embracing not-knowing might transform our work in museums. Maggie Jackson's latest book "Uncertain: The Wisdom and Wonder of Being Unsure" has been making waves - named on four top books of 2024 lists and recently awarded Nonfiction Book of the Year by the Independent Publishers of New England. Drawing from cutting-edge...
In today's solo episode, host Claire Bown discusses the importance of trust and psychological safety in guided museum experiences. In this episode, we're looking at how to create the conditions that allow people to really engage with art and objects. We're going to explore why trust matters in museum facilitation, what psychological safety looks like in practice, and how to create environments where people feel able to share, question, and discover. The Art Engager is written and presented by Cl...
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 exhibition 'Clyfford Still Art and the Young Mind' and Art Crawl, a monthly programme for infants and...
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 shares insights from her Arts Council funded research exploring how museums can better serve the est...
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 space itself becomes part of the coaching process. If you're interested in exploring innovative ways ...
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 overlooked pieces! We explore Jessi’s journey from museum educator to illustrator, her process for ...
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 be applied to all types of art and objects, across any museum setting. The Universal's 4 stages provide a logica...
