The Art Engager

Immersive art experiences have become quite the sensation in recent years. You've probably heard of them or even had the chance to attend one yourself.

Immersive art experiences are driven by technology, engage multiple senses and transport you into a living artwork or a different world.

Imagine stepping into a space surrounded by larger-than-life visuals, captivating sounds, and interactive elements. From sophisticated new-media installations to animated retrospectives of renowned painters, the range of immersive art projects is vast.

There are countless unique immersive art experiences worldwide that offer innovative and engaging ways to interact with art.

But they are not without criticism. Love them or hate them, these experiences provide valuable lessons that we, as museum educators, can learn from and apply in our own environments.

Listen in to find out more!

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How to Look at Art (Slowly)

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Curated newsletter by Claire Bown

New Yorker article https://www.newyorker.com/news/letter-from-silicon-valley/the-rise-and-rise-of-immersive-art

Over the past few weeks, I've been picking my favourite episodes from the podcast's archive. Today, I want to share some helpful advice about starting to use thinking routines in your art or object discussions.

In September I’m going to start teaching my Visible Thinking in the Museum Online Beginners course or VTMO Beginners as it’s affectionately known. Around the same time, I'll also be publishing my book about the VTM approach - Slow Looking at Art: The Visible Thinking in the Museum Approach

I know from experience that when I teach this first VTM course, there is always a buzz when we get going and an enthusiasm to learn as much as you can as quickly as possible.

There are so many thinking routines to choose from, and it can be tempting to try them all at once.

But in this episode, I'll explain why it's important to take a step back and slow down.

Enjoy the process and avoid the temptation to do everything at once.

I'm sharing 13 tips I've learned from using thinking routines with art and objects for over 12 years. If you're new to thinking routines or the VTM approach, this episode is perfect for you!

PS This is the final episode in my favourites series. Next week I'll be back with a brand new episode - I can't wait!

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Join our FREE community The Slow Looking Club

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VTMO Beginners course - starting in September 2023

Find out more about my book - Slow Looking at Art: The Visible Thinking in the Museum Approach

For the next few weeks I’m choosing my favourite episodes from the back catalogue of the podcast. With over 100 episodes to now choose from, I’m taking this opportunity to revisit some of the episodes I’ve most enjoyed putting together. 

This week we're exploring the art of how to read the room.

When it comes to working with groups in a museum or any other setting, being able to "read the room" is a valuable skill.

Understanding the mood in the room and how receptive people are can make a significant difference in your interactions.

In this rebroadcast episode, I'm exploring the art of reading a room and providing practical tips to help you enhance your ability to understand and connect with your audience.

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Join our FREE community The Slow Looking Club

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For the next few weeks I’m choosing my favourite episodes from the back catalogue of the podcast. With over 100 episodes to now choose from, I’m taking this opportunity to revisit some of the episodes I’ve most enjoyed putting together. 

This is a classic episode exploring the benefits of slow looking.

Slow looking is simply the art of learning through observation.

I’ve been immersed in slow looking for the last 12+ years and can wholeheartedly recommend it to anyone.

But don’t just take my word for it. Why would you want to slow down and spend time with an 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, slow looking is good for you.

Today, I’m going to take you through the 12 benefits of slow looking.

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My book is out in September - Slow Looking at Art: The Visible Thinking in the Museum Approach

Download my free Slow Art Guide

Download the Ultimate Thinking Routine List

Download the free guide - how to look at art (slowly)

Slow Looking Club

Sign up for my Curated newsletter

The Art of Slow Looking in the Classroom

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

For the next few weeks I’m choosing my favourite episodes from the back catalogue of the podcast. With over 100 episodes to now choose from, I’m taking this opportunity to revisit some of the episodes I’ve most enjoyed putting together. 

This week I’m sharing one of my absolute favourite episodes.

I’m sharing 4 game changing questions that will really transform your museum and gallery programmes.  I’ve chosen questions that work for me time after time with all sorts of different groups, different artworks or objects, different types of museums and environments.

These are all worth remembering (and carrying around in your educator 'back pocket').

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Slow Looking Club

The 5 Golden Rules for Asking Brilliant Questions⁠ (Episode 4)

10 Common Mistakes to Avoid When Asking Questions (Episode 10)

How to use artworks to improve your questioning skills (Episode 15)

Quick ways to improve your questioning technique (Episode 36)

3 Key Ways to Foster Curiosity in your Programme (Episode 38)

How to Stay Curious in your Practice (Episode 39)

‘Bad’ questions - questions to avoid in your art experiences (Episode 48) 

Autumn Effect at Argenteuil (1873), Claude Monet, Courtauld Gallery, London, UK, Public Domain https://courtauld.ac.uk/highlights/autumn-effect-at-argenteuil/

Reyhan Hassanzadeh (2004) from the series: Terrorist, Tropenmuseum, Amsterdam, NL

https://khosrow-hassanzadeh.com/project/terrorist-paintings-03/

For the next few weeks I’m choosing my favourite episodes from the back catalogue of the podcast. With 100 episodes to now choose from, I’m taking this opportunity to revisit some of the episodes I’ve most enjoyed putting together. 

Today's choice is all about curiosity. This was a really popular episode back in February 2022 when it was first published and was the first of two episodes about the subject. In this episode I’m talking about how you can cultivate curiosity with your groups.

This episode talks about what curiosity is and why it matters. Then I'm sharing 3 key ways you can cultivate curiosity in your museum and gallery programmes. How can we really ensure that we are doing all we can to provoke curiosity and wonder amongst the participants on our tours and programmes?

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Episode Web Page

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Episode 39 - How to Stay Curious in your Practice

Ian Leslie's book Curious

My book is out in September - Slow Looking at Art: The Visible Thinking in the Museum Approach

Download my free Slow Art Guide

Download the Ultimate Thinking Routine List

Download the free guide - how to look at art (slowly)

Join the Slow Looking Club Community on Facebook

Curated newsletter by Claire Bown

In this special 100th episode of The Art Engager podcast, I'm chatting to educator, researcher, author, and speaker Dr Ron Ritchhart.

Ron Ritchhart is an award-winning educational researcher, retired Senior Research Associate at Harvard's Project Zero and current Fellow at the University of Melbourne, Australia.

His research is focused on developing intellectual character, making thinking visible, and enhancing school and classroom culture to promote deep learning. He is the author of the bestselling books Making Thinking Visible, The Power of Making Thinking Visible, and Creating Cultures of Thinking.

Ron's research and writings have informed the work of schools, teachers, museum and museum educators throughout the world. Making Thinking Visible, from 2011, with Karin Morrison and Mark Church popularised the use of thinking routines to facilitate deep learning and high engagement. 

The follow up book The Power of Making Thinking Visible, introduced a new set of routines and shared what has been learned so far about successfully integrating thinking routines as a powerful teaching tool. 

I’ve written and spoken about the first time I heard the words Visible Thinking and making thinking visible on the very first episode of this podcast so it seemed fitting to interview Ron for the 100th episode. I’ve also talked about how Ron’s article ‘Cultivating a Culture of Thinking in the Museum in the Journal of Museum Education had a huge impact on me and on my first educational programme to use thinking routines in 2011. So to speak to Ron today was a bit of a ‘pinch-me’ moment.

In this interview, we discuss:

• what making thinking visible is and the difference between 'visible' and 'visual' thinking.
• what strategies we might use to make thinking visible and the transformative impact it has on learning and engagement
• how we can cultivate a culture of thinking in museums through the eight cultural forces that shape group culture and how they can create an environment where thinking is valued, visible, and actively promoted in museum settings.
• The power of thinking routines as structures to support and guide thinking in museums, and how they work in synergy with other practices
• the importance of finding your "why" in teaching and facilitating

Thank you to Ron Ritchhart for being a guest on the podcast. Ron’s new book, "Cultures of Thinking in Action," is out in June 2023.

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EPISODE WEB PAGE (TRANSCRIPT)

Support the Show

My book is out in September - Slow Looking at Art: The Visible Thinking in the Museum Approach

Download my free Slow Art Guide

Download the Ultimate Thinking Routine List

Download the free guide - how to look at art (slowly)

Join the Slow Looking Club Community on Facebook

Curated newsletter by Claire Bown

Dr Ron Ritchhart links:

Ron's website

Ron on Twitter

Making Thinking Visible Facebook page

Cultivating a Culture of Thinking in Museums Journal of Museum Education Vol. 32, No. 2, Critical-Thinking Skills in the Museum (Summer, 2007), pp. 137-153 (17 pages)

Cultures of Thinking website

Ron's new book - Cultures of Thinking in Action - out early June!

Project Zero - https://pz.harvard.edu/

Welcome to episode 99, where I'm diving into the concept of pacing in museum and gallery programmes, with a particular focus on the idea that "less is more."

Pacing directly influences the participant experience. A well-paced programme ensures that your participants stay engaged, attentive and receptive throughout their journey. 

By carefully managing the rhythm and flow of stops, activities and information, we can create a balance that keeps our participants engaged without overwhelming or exhausting them.

"Less is more" is a guiding principle that encourages us to intentionally selecting and presenting a smaller quantity of content, activities, or object, so that we can create more impactful and meaningful experiences for visitors. In this episode, I'll share how this can be achieved by:

• Streamlining content with a carefully curated selection of objects or artworks.
• Being selective, intentional, and thoughtful in programme design
• Incorporating different paces
• Allowing time for participants to engage
• Customizing and adjusting pacing in the spur of the moment
• Emphasizing quality over quantity

Find out why pacing matters and how you can apply the principle of "less is more" in your own programmes to create a more focused and engaged experience for your participants.

Links

Support the Show

My book is out in September - Slow Looking at Art: The Visible Thinking in the Museum Approach

Download my free Slow Art Guide

Download the Ultimate Thinking Routine List

Download the free guide - how to look at art (slowly)

Join the Slow Looking Club Community on Facebook

Curated newsletter by Claire Bown

Episodes mentioned in today's episode:

Episode 98 Radio Bart: Exploring Art with Blind Mediators

Episode 42 How to Read a Group

Episode 69 How to use body language to create engagement

Episode 95 How silence is a superpower in museum and gallery programmes

Episode 96 7 Ways to Make Time and Space for Silence

Episode 29 How to Develop a Reflective Practice

Welcome to a new episode of The Art Engager podcast, hosted by Claire Bown. In this week's edition, we dive into the extraordinary world of Radio Bart, a unique audience engagement programme at the Royal Museum of Fine Arts in Antwerp.

Joining me are two guests from the museum's Audience Engagement team: An van Hertum and Bart van Peer.

What is Radio Bart?

Radio Bart is a groundbreaking programme where visitors engage in conversations about art with blind mediators. A mobile studio moves through the museum, inviting anyone to join the hosts for a chat in front of selected paintings. Through these dialogues, participants observe, describe, and reflect on the artwork, uncovering deeper meaning and fostering a unique experience.

An and Bart share how Radio Bart started, how it works, and the profound effects it has on participants. They also discuss the training and skills provided to the mediators, ensuring meaningful interactions.

Don't miss this episode as we delve into the transformative power of Radio Bart. Tune in and discover a whole new way to experience and connect with art. Enjoy!

Links

Download the Ultimate Thinking Routine List

Support the Show

Join the Slow Looking Club Community on Facebook

Curated newsletter by Claire Bown

VTMO Course - VTMO Beginners, Intermediate and Advanced Courses start in September, October and November 2023 respectively.

Royal Museum of Fine Arts in Antwerp (KMSKA) https://kmska.be/en

Radio Bart https://kmska.be/en/event/radio-bart

Radio Bart email [email protected]

In this week's episode we're exploring an innovative project at the National Civil War Centre in Newark developing creative writing skills through art and using thinking routines in really innovative ways.

The visual literacy Collect Connect Create project was developed to raise self-esteem, self-efficacy and motivation for year 10 pupils (14-15 year olds)  who had struggled with disrupted learning during the Covid-19 pandemic.

The longer-term aim was that young people would develop the skills, knowledge and experience to raise their attainment in their English exams, having the confidence to write a “convincing and compelling” piece of fiction, using extensive and ambitious vocabulary and demonstrating the use of different language techniques.

Denise explores the key features of the programme, how it worked for students and the collaboration they had with writer-in-residence, Ioney Smallhorne.. 

Then we focus on the thinking routines that they used in the programme and specifically the thinking routines that they created for it, such as Look List Lose and Shapescape. They also creatively adapted thinking routines that they had learned with me on my VTMO course.

We talk about how the thinking routines offered tools to the students to assist them with their writing, how they helped them learn how to look as well as write, how they gave them a framework for organising their thinking and were a launchpad to writing. 

If you’re interested or curious about incorporating thinking routines into an educational programme at your museum or using art as a prompt for creative writing, then this episode is for you. If you’re interested in creating your own thinking routines, listen in too!

Links

Download the Ultimate Thinking Routine List

Support the Show

Join the Slow Looking Club Community on Facebook

Curated newsletter by Claire Bown

Collect Connect Create Project Resources https://www.maxliteracy.org/case-studies/newark-museum/ Pocket Prompts PDF can be found in the Lesson 1 folder.

Denise Greany on LinkedIn

Sarah Clarke on LinkedIn

Ioney Smallhorne website