The Art Engager
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.
- Update frequency
- every 10 days
- Average duration
- 26 minutes
- Episodes
- 155
- Years Active
- 2021 - 2025
Taking the fear out of inquiry-based teaching in the museum
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 m…
8 ways to foster more wonder in museum experiences
In today's solo episode, host Claire Bown explores what wonder is, why museums are perfect spaces for fostering it, and shares eight practical ways to create wonder-filled moments in your guided expe…
The Complete Guide to Slow Looking
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 …
How to Create Meaningful Museum Engagement: 10 Best Practices from 150 Episodes
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 …
Art, Play and Joy at Compton Verney with Geraldine Collinge
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…
How to create active engagement on guided experiences
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 wha…
She Shapes History: Building Community Through Women's History Tours with Sita Sargeant
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 mi…
Slow looking in sacred spaces: Antwerp's church-based Slow Art Day movement
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 an…
Engaging museum visitors through escape rooms and immersive storytelling with Francine Boon
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 Amster…
6 ways to create powerful connections in museum experiences
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 experie…
Uncertainty: Finding wonder in not knowing with Maggie Jackson
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-knowin…
Building trust and psychological safety on guided experiences in museums
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 a…
Art Crawl: Revolutionising infant engagement with art at the Clyfford Still Museum
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 Muse…
Making museums accessible for children with barriers to education with Nicky McIntosh
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…
Coaching in Gallery Spaces with Beth Clare McManus
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…
Transforming museum experiences through drawing with Jessica Hartshorn
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, blendi…
How to use The Universal Questioning Practice
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 explori…
What are Questioning Practices?
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 Practi…
Building trust and making meaningful connections in museums with Anja Høegh
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 t…
Applying Museum Education Skills to Organisational Culture with Rebecca Shulman
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…