The Art Engager

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 structures for crafting deeper, more engaging experiences.

This episode explains what Questioning Practices (QPs) are, why they're important, and how they can be used to actively and intentionally support question use and foster participation and engagement during guided experiences.

If you've ever struggled with formulating questions or facilitating discussions in a museum setting, this episode is for you. Whether you're a museum educator, guide, or volunteer, you’ll discover how these flexible practices allow you to bring your unique style to every interaction, creating rich and engaging experiences for your audiences.

'The Art Engager: Reimagining Guided Experiences in Museums' is now available worldwide through your favourite online platforms and retailers. Buy it here on Amazon.com: https://tinyurl.com/buytheartengager

The Art Engager book website: https://www.theartengager.com/

Support the show with a simple monthly subscription on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/c/TheArtEngager

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 conversations, sensory experiences to deepen artwork connections, and slow looking practices to encourage thoughtful observation. She also discusses innovative methods like drawing yoga and role-playing exercises to make museum visits more interactive and memorable.

Throughout the conversation, Anja highlights the challenges of limited time frames and the need for coordination among museum staff. She stresses the importance of allowing visitors to feel seen and heard, adapting approaches for different age groups, and effectively wrapping up visits to solidify memories and encourage return trips.

Listen to this episode to gain practical, innovative strategies to transform museum visits into engaging, interactive experiences that foster deeper connections between visitors, artworks, and museums.

**My book 'The Art Engager: Reimagining Guided Experiences in Museums 'will be published soon as an e-book and a print edition too. If you want to hear more about it and be one of the first to get your own copy, sign up here: https://mailchi.mp/thinkingmuseum/book

Episode Links

Anja Høegh on LinkedIn

https://www.linkedin.com/in/anja-h%C3%B8egh-92032389/

Museum Salling

@oplevkulturensammen on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/oplevkulturensammen/

https://vardemuseerne.dk/museum/nymindegab/

https://www.museumsalling.dk/laering/kunst-og-kulturlaboratorium/

The Art Engager Links

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Make a donation and contribute to the ongoing costs of running the podcast: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/clairebown

The Art Engager is written and presented by Claire Bown. Music by Richard Bown.

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, and psychological safety. Rebecca also discusses the current challenges museums face, such as generational divides and the need for clear goals. This conversation is packed with practical advice and fresh ideas. Enjoy!

**My book 'The Art Engager: Reimagining Guided Experiences in Museums 'is out now as an e-book and a print edition too. https://www.theartengager.com/

The Art Engager is written and presented by Claire Bown. Music by Richard Bown.

Episode Links

• Museum Questions website - https://museumquestions.com/
• Information about SEED:Management and Culture Shift - https://museumquestions.com/museums-and-organizational-culture/
• DEI: Deconstructed https://www.amazon.com/DEI-Deconstructed-No-Nonsense-Guide-Doing/dp/1523002778/ref=tmm_hrd_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1677818933&sr=1-1
• Power to the Middle: Why Managers Hold the Keys to the Future of Work https://www.amazon.com/Power-Middle-Managers-Hold-Future/dp/1647824850
• The museum values framework: a framework for understanding organisational culture in museums https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/09647775.2013.831247

The Art Engager Links

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Make a one-off donation and contribute to the ongoing costs of running the podcast: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/clairebown

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 (such as the 4 Truths and the Arc of Dialogue) for facilitating productive dialogues and handling conflicts effectively. Linda discusses essential skills for leading conversations that foster understanding and address contentious issues.

Links

https://www.sitesofconscience.org/

Library of videos on our YouTube Channel https://www.youtube.com/user/SitesofConscience/videos but particularly the short intro to the Arc of Dialogue https://youtu.be/IhiPUh_l49k?si=nUCgXR8u3RPtoZPh

Article: Life-long Anti-Oppression for Museum Professionals by Braden Paynter and Linda Norris;  https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/10598650.2022.2140555

Book recommendation: Clint Smith - How the Word Is Passed: A Reckoning with the History of Slavery Across America

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 exhibition spaces at Manchester Art Gallery. 

Her work investigates how popular engagement strategies may be used to increase aesthetic experience and well-being

Listeners to this podcast will know that slow looking has gained in popularity in museums worldwide over the last decade or so. But there hasn’t been much research on its effectiveness, until now.

In today's chat, we explore two studies -  the first study to look at the impact of slow looking in an online environment. This study explores how different audio contexts and types of art affect people's moods and engagement levels in online viewing.

The second study is the first large-scale experiment to investigate how social interaction impacts the art museum experience. This study took place in Manchester Art Museum’s fabulous dedicated slow looking space known as Room to Breathe. 

We discuss the implications of both studies for educators..and so much more!

This episode is essential listening for anyone interested in slow looking, aesthetic experiences in museums, and the benefits of group interactions for overall well-being in museum environments.

Episode 24 Using art and objects to learn wellbeing skills and improve mental health with Louise Thompson

Aleksandra (Sasha) Igdalova Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/aleksandra-sasha-igdalova-a66770106/

Website: www.aleksandraigdalova.com 

Researchgate profile: https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Aleksandra-Igdalova 

Articles on slow looking:

First ever study examining how social interaction impacts art viewing: https://osf.io/preprints/psyarxiv/x9wrt

First ever study looking at slow looking in an experimental manner (online study): https://psycnet.apa.org/record/2023-59333-001 

Free access to it here: https://research.gold.ac.uk/id/eprint/33048/9/Igdalova%20&%20Chamberlain%20(2023)%20Slow%20looking%20at%20still%20art.pdf

CREA interdisciplinary workshop: www.crea-workshop.com 

The Art Engager: Reimagining Guided Experiences in Museums - sign up for the waitlist to hear when my book will be published!

Sign up for my Curated newsletter - a fortnightly dose of cultural inspiration

Join the Slow Looking Club Community

Support the show here https://www.buymeacoffee.com/clairebown

Download my free resources: 

How to look at art (slowly)- 30+ different ways to look at art or objects in the museum

Slow Art Guide - six simple steps to guide you through the process of slow looking

Ultimate Thinking Routine List - 120 thinking routines in one place

If you have any suggestions, questions or feedback, get in touch with the show by emailing [email protected]

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 make museum experiences more engaging.

We cover her creation of a scent-based tour for Museum Ulm in Germany and a 'Scratch and Sniff' self-guided tour for the Amsterdam Museum.

We also look at the Olfactory Storytelling Toolkit, 'smell walks,' and the idea of a 'sniffer in residence.' Sofia shares lots of practical tips for adding olfactory elements to your programmes.

If you want to infuse the sense of smell into your practice or incorporate more multisensory approaches into your programmes, you'll learn a lot from this episode.

Sofia Collette Ehrich

https://sofiaehrich.wordpress.com/

https://thesensesationalexplorer.substack.com/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/sofia-collette-ehrich/

https://www.instagram.com/thesensesationalexplorer/

Museum Ulm Links:

https://odeuropa.eu/2022/04/now-open-follow-your-nose-at-museum-ulm/

https://museumulm.de/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/SELECTION-OF-WORKS-NEW-GUIDED-TOUR-CONCEPT-FOLLOW-YOUR-NOSE-MUSEUM-ULM-1.pdf

https://odeuropa.eu/2023/01/update-follow-your-nose/

City Sniffers Links:

https://odeuropa.eu/2022/08/launch-of-city-sniffers-a-smell-tour-of-amsterdams-ecohistory/

Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c7utP_pAx_E

Odeuropa Impact:

This is an interesting report about the interviews Cecilia Bembibre conducted with museum professionals who have used smells in GLAMs: https://odeuropa.eu/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/D6_1_Guidelines_on_the_Use_of_Smells_in_GLAMs.pdf

Olfactory Storytelling Toolkit:

Download it here: https://zenodo.org/records/10254737

Guidelines for conducting an olfactory guided tour here: https://zenodo.org/records/10102080

Guidelines for conducting a smell walk here: https://zenodo.org/records/10101016

A talk Sofia gave for the Swedish Heritage Commission which included many practical examples:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YByb-wbXw6E

Sign up for my Curated newsletter - a fortnightly dose of cultural inspiration

Join the Slow Looking Club Community

Support the show here https://www.buymeacoffee.com/clairebown

Download my free resources: 

How to look at art (slowly)- 30+ different ways to look at art or objects in the museum

Slow Art Guide - six simple steps to guide you through the process of slow looking

Ultimate Thinking Routine List - 120 thinking routines in one place

If you have any suggestions, questions or feedback, get in touch with the show by emailing [email protected]

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 also an author, speaker and consultant, travelling worldwide to help schools implement inquiry-based teaching structures and frameworks. 

Trevor’s new book Inquiry Mindset Questions Edition is out imminently and because questions are a favourite subject of mine, I had to invite him onto the podcast to talk about it. 

I’ve known Trevor for a few years now since we connected on social media through shared interests and enthusiasms.

Trevor is an advocate and champion for inquiry-based learning, generously supporting the work of many educators in the field, including me, and he is well known for his kindness, alongside his expertise. 

Listen to find out more about:

• the power of inquiry-based learning and what it means to teach from an inquiry-based stance
• the key principles and values that guide Trevor's work, drawing from his extensive experience and his new book, 'Inquiry Mindset Questions Edition'
• generating question confidence and competence; the importance of both open and closed questions
• the 10 high impact question routines in Trevor's new book, 'Inquiry Mindset Questions Edition' and how they can be used to promote inquiry.
• using images, photos, and art as provocations to spark curiosity and engagement. 

There’s so much in our conversation from fostering curiosity, agency, active listening and the connections between Trevor’s work and our work in museums. What can we learn from each other? Where are the crossovers? 

Listen to our conversation to discover more about the power of inquiry, curiosity and so much more. 

Episode webpage

Trevor MacKenzie's website: https://www.trevormackenzie.com

Inquiry Mindset Questions Edition: https://www.trevormackenzie.com/inquiry-mindset-questions-edition

https://www.trevormackenzie.com/posts/2024/4/14/announcing-inquiry-mindset-questions-edition

Trevor MacKenzie on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/trev_mackenzie/

Trevor MacKenzie on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/trevor-mackenzie-37103b261/

Sign up for my Curated newsletter - a fortnightly dose of cultural inspiration

Join the Slow Looking Club Community

Support the show here https://www.buymeacoffee.com/clairebown

Download my free resources: 

How to look at art (slowly)- 30+ different ways to look at art or objects in the museum

Slow Art Guide - six simple steps to guide you through the process of slow looking

Ultimate Thinking Routine List - 120 thinking routines in one place

If you have any suggestions, questions or feedback, get in touch with the show by emailing [email protected]

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 crafting and delivering school programmes for both museums, as well as interacting with visitors of all ages on weekends and holidays. With a passion for literature and dialogical teaching in the arts, Cecilie focuses on easing classroom-related anxiety and uses her expertise to create memorable museum experiences for children and families

Today we’re chatting about how the Carl Nielsen museum engages students in classical music. At the museum, they’ve been teaching from an Open Questioning Mindset (OQM) and using Philosophical Dialogue for a few years now.

OQM is both a teaching method and a mindset developed by Peter Worley to engage students in different topics, concepts, and stories. The method offers different tools and techniques for asking open and engaging questions, and to quickly create an environment where children feel safe and comfortable speaking their minds.

Slow listening is a natural extension to the philosophical questioning environment and allows children to deeply connect with Nielsen's music . In two new programmes developed for schools the Carl Nielsen Museum combines all three to engage students with classical music.

Listen to discover more about the Carl Nielsen Museum, philosophical questioning techniques and slow listening. 

Episode web page + transcript:

Cecilie Horup Skøtt on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cecilie-horup-sk%C3%B8tt-b60a93ab/

Carl Nielsen Museum website: https://museumodense.dk/carl-nielsen-museet/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CarlNielsenMuseet

Open Questioning Mindset and philosophy with children: https://www.philosophy-foundation.org/

YouTube links for the music:

Symphony no. 5 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=agPrhTFqD0o

Nielsen’s paraphrase on Nearer, My God, to Thee https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N5FUNK2wZms

Tågen Letter, played during Music Dynamite https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7_-wkidKX54

Maskerade, Keraus, played during Music Dynamite https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2TFfRwq-lrM

Sign up for my Curated newsletter - a fortnightly dose of cultural inspiration

Join the Slow Looking Club Community

Support the show here https://www.buymeacoffee.com/clairebown

Download my free resources: 

How to look at art (slowly)- 30+ different ways to look at art or objects in the museum

Slow Art Guide - six simple steps to guide you through the process of slow looking

Ultimate Thinking Routine List - 120 thinking routines in one place

If you have any suggestions, questions or feedback, get in touch with the show by emailing [email protected]

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 always provide guided tours.

At the Art Gallery of South Australia in Adelaide (AGSA), this prompted a shift towards empowering teachers to lead self-guided tours, emphasising inquiry and engagement rather than content delivery. The aim is to discourage teachers from relying on booklets during gallery visits. When students solely focus on facts or information from wall texts, they miss out on the chance to discover artworks that genuinely pique their interest.

And this is where the Curiosity Cards come into play. These fantastic cards are a set of 52 tools designed to enhance art engagement among students. Perfect for self-guided gallery visits, they ease the pressure on teachers and empower students to articulate their thinking.

They promote 'long looking' and also foster critical thinking, creativity and confidence in discussing art, enriching the whole learning experience.

Episode webpage + transcript: https://thinkingmuseum.com/2024/05/15/fostering-curiosity-on-self-guided-field-trips/

Curiosity Cards

https://www.agsa.sa.gov.au/education/resources-educators/resources-educators-themed/curiosity-cards/ 

Other AGSA Resources

https://www.agsa.sa.gov.au/education/resources-educators/ 

AGSA Education Instagram

https://www.instagram.com/agsa.education/ 

Sign up for my Curated newsletter - a fortnightly dose of cultural inspiration

Join the Slow Looking Club Community

Support the show here https://www.buymeacoffee.com/clairebown

Download my free resources: 

How to look at art (slowly)- 30+ different ways to look at art or objects in the museum

Slow Art Guide - six simple steps to guide you through the process of slow looking

Ultimate Thinking Routine List - 120 thinking routines in one place

If you have any suggestions, questions or feedback, get in touch with the show!

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 visitor teams has changed over time from a more security-focused role to their current role as facilitators of engagement.
• Insights into the strategies and techniques employed by museum visitor teams, for informal, spontaneous interactions and structured engagements.
• Why visitor teams are uniquely placed to engage with museum visitors
• How museum visitor teams expertly navigate interactions with strangers, based on curiosity and open questioning.
• Learn about the three areas of impact: how visitors might think differently, feel differently, or act differently after engaging with museum content or staff.
• Discover how museum visitor teams are supported during challenging interactions, including skills development, duty manager support, de-escalation techniques, and reflective practice sessions.

Wellcome Collection https://wellcomecollection.org/

Dickon Moore on LinkedIn - www.linkedin.com/in/dickonmoore

Transcript available here:

Read my book: The Art Engager: Reimagining Guided Experiences in Museums

Sign up for my Curated newsletter - a fortnightly dose of cultural inspiration

Download my free resources:

How to look at art (slowly)- 30+ different ways to look at art or objects in the museum

Slow Art Guide - six simple steps to guide you through the process of slow looking

If you have any suggestions, questions or feedback, get in touch with the show!