The Art Engager

Slow Art Day is an international event celebrating looking at art in a different way. This year Slow Art Day is taking place on Saturday 2 April 2022 in over 160 venues around the world (and counting…).

So, what is Slow Art Day all about? Here’s what you need to know.

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The Slow Looking Club

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Slow Art Day

Annual Report 2021

You may remember Samantha Boffin as she was my first guest on the show (Episode 21) and now she is the first guest to come back for a second episode. Besides being a voiceover artist, Sam is also an actor. 

Sam also does an improv class every week and believes that we are all expert improvisers - we just don’t realise we are. In this episode, Sam is sharing what improv is and how it can help us as educators in our own practice and when we’re with our groups leading programmes about art. 

We also talk about how improv makes you a better listener, how it makes you more confident and flexible and to not be afraid of failure. 

We discuss how we might be able to use improv techniques and games with our groups - from Yes, and…, Narrative, Colour, Emotion and line-by-line stories via Humpty Dumpty and Brian the washing machine repair man. We discuss how you can make your audience feel safe and comfortable using improv techniques. 

We had a really lovely chat and I hope you enjoy it. Here it is!

LINKS

Episode Web Page

Masterclass 29 March 'Improv your Engagement’

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The Improv Handbook by Tom Salinsky & Deborah Frances White

How to be the Greatest Improviser - Will Hines

www.samanthaboffin.co.uk

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Taking Creative podcast

Paul Merton interview:  https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/m00159s7

A good introduction is essential to foster a great group dynamic.

An introduction is crucial on any type of programme - whether you’re leading a guided tour, an educational programme, a 15 minute in-gallery conversation or an online session. 

At this stage, group participants are learning what to do, how the tour or programme is going to operate, what is expected and what is acceptable.

It’s your role to give them the orientation they need. 

And more than that, a good introduction is about about placing connection before content - you're establishing trust, forming connections, and building rapport.

Today I’m talking about introductions - why they’re important and the 4 elements of a great introduction. 

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Curated Newsletter

In the light of recent world events and the troubled times we live in, in today’s episode I’m going to share some thoughts about facilitating meaningful discussions with artworks and objects around sensitive subjects in difficult times.

Some programmes, tours or sessions specifically involve sharing difficult narratives and directly addressing challenging subjects. 

Other types of programmes might touch on subjects that can be contentious and/or sensitive.

Or you may visit artworks or objects that can surface and bring up emotions, feelings and more.

Particularly now with the devastation occurring in Ukraine, it’s important to be aware of and sensitive to these emotions and to be thoughtful when asking participants to share their personal connections around a subject.

So today I'm sharing some advice that may be beneficial to you when facilitating an art discussion around a sensitive topic. I'm also going to touch on how you can look after yourself and manage your own emotions too. 

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Join our free community - Slow Looking Club

Episode 42 - How to Read a Group

What does it mean to 'read a group'?

It's the ability to understand the mood in the room and how receptive people are. 

When you’re working with groups in the museum or online, it’s extremely helpful to be able to know how to ‘read the room’. Paying attention to others and listening for clues can pay dividends. 

Being able to read a group and see how engaged they are, whether they are enjoying the programme, following along or even whether they are listening is extremely important. 

It's important to be able to pick up on clues not only from the discussions taking place, but also from the underlying reactions and things that are left unsaid from those in the room as well.

These subtle cues aren’t always easy to pick up on, but you can train yourself to not only be aware of them, but to influence group dynamics, by paying more attention. So, in today's episode here are a few easy ways to read a group. 

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Slow looking is simply the art of learning through observation. I’ve been working in this way for the last 10+ years and can wholeheartedly recommend it to anyone - both as an individual practice and as a way of working with and connecting your participants to art and objects. 

But don’t just take my word for it.  But, why would you want to slow down and spend time with just one artwork or object? Why is it important to practise paying attention and noticing more details?

Looking at something slowly and carefully is in itself a rewarding process – the object or art work becomes more interesting the longer you look at it. But more than this, there are known benefits of slow looking and in this post, I’m going to take you through 12 reasons why you, yes, you, should get started with slow looking.

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Sign up for my Friday newsletter - The ™ Weekly

The Art of Slow Looking in the Classroom  In

The Distracted Mind: Ancient Brains in a High Tech World, authors Adam Gazzaley and Larry D. Rosen

Why Looking at Art Makes you Smarter

Peter Clothier

Have you been using the same thinking routines for a while now?

Maybe you’ve got a few core routines that you’re comfortable with and now you’re looking for some new routines to add to your repertoire?

I’m always looking for new ways to engage with our audiences and love trying out new routines in my membership monthly thinking routine classes. I really enjoy seeing all the possibilities of how this thinking routine might pair with different artworks, themes and situations.

I’ve tried and tested these 5 routines extensively and they all work both online and offline with a variety of materials – artworks and museum objects, written texts, quotes and videos. Which 5 thinking routines did I choose? Listen in to find out!

You can find in-depth classes about each of these thinking routines in the library of my membership programme.

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The Thinking Museum Membership Programme

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As we get older, we ask fewer questions. We wonder less. We are less curious. 

We don’t lose the ability to be curious, we just don’t use or ‘exercise’ it as much. Further on in life people tend to expect answers rather than questions.

Staying curious and wondering keeps your mind active and strong, makes you more receptive to new ideas, opens up new worlds and possibilities and brings excitement into your life.

Likewise in our work as educators, guides, teachers and creatives, we need to keep curious ourselves in order to keep creating imaginative and lively guided tours, guided discussions and educational programmes.

Today is the second part in our curiosity double-bill. Last week I talked about how to foster curiosity with your groups and gave you 3 ways to think about how you can cultivate more curiosity amongst participants. So in today’s episode, part 2, I’m talking about how we can stay curious ourselves in our practice. 

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Todd Kashdan's book 'Curious? Discover the Missing Ingredient to a Fulfilling Life'

So in today’s episode is the first of 2 episodes devoted to a subject close to my heart: curiosity.

This week I'll be exploring what curiosity is and sharing 3 key ways you can provoke curiosity and wonder with your audiences on your tours and programmes. Next week, I'll be discussing how we can stay curious ourselves as educators, guides and teachers.

Curiosity is notoriously difficult to define and it’s even harder to work out how to harness and foster it. It could be defined as an eagerness to encounter what is new or unfamiliar and the desire to learn, to understand new things and to know how they work.

We know that artworks, objects and artefacts have the power to inspire, provoke curiosity and interest.  We make unexpected discoveries - find new artists, new artworks we didn’t know about, find out information that we hadn’t heard before, and these new finds take us to new places that we haven’t been before. 

So how can we really ensure that we are harnessing that power and doing all we can to provoke curiosity and wonder amongst the participants on our tours and programmes?

Links

Episode Web Page

Masterclass Art as Perspective 08 February

The Thinking Museum Membership Programme

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Ian Leslie's book Curious

This week on the podcast: I’m delighted to be talking to Yaël van Loosbroek - Speck about art and mental health

Yaël believes, like me, that everyone can engage with art, and that it all starts with looking - hence the name of her company, ArtSee.

About ten years ago Yaël herself suffered from depression and severe anxiety disorder. The only place she could find peace of mind was in front of an artwork. This experience motivated her to create Art as Perspective for people going through the same mental issues as she did.

In today’s chat we discuss what Art as Perspective is and how it works. We talk about how to design art programmes for people living with depression & anxiety, the frameworks she uses and the questions she asks. 

We also talk about how art discussions help people living with depression, anxiety and negative thoughts and the mental health benefits of looking at and discussing art.

Yaël also shares some really helpful tips for creating art programmes that have a positive impact on mental health.

We had a really lovely chat and I hope you enjoy it. Here it is!

LINKS

Episode Web Page

Masterclass Art as Perspective 08 February

The Thinking Museum Membership Programme

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The Merry Family by Jan Steen

ArtSee Website

Yaël’s Instagram