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 ...
Apr 30, 2026•38 min•Ep. 166
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...
Apr 16, 2026•33 min•Ep. 165
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...
Apr 02, 2026•57 min•Ep. 164
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...
Mar 05, 2026•42 min•Ep. 163
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...
Feb 19, 2026•54 min•Ep. 162
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...
Feb 05, 2026•39 min•Ep. 161
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 ...
Jan 22, 2026•49 min•Ep. 160
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...
Nov 27, 2025•39 min•Ep. 159
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...
Nov 13, 2025•52 min•Ep. 158
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...
Oct 30, 2025•53 min•Ep. 157
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...
Oct 16, 2025•39 min•Ep. 156
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...
Oct 02, 2025•42 min•Ep. 155
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 ...
Sep 18, 2025•45 min•Ep. 154
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...
Sep 04, 2025•24 min•Ep. 153
