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 experiences.How can we reawaken that natural sense of wonder that we had as children? What happens when we intentionally create space for amazement and discovery in our museum experiences?In this episode, we're exploring wonder as a fundamental human capacity. Claire distinguishes wonder from awe and curiosity, introduces different types of wonder we might find in the museum from intellectual and sensory to historical and reflective—and examines why adults often lose their capacity for wonder.Claire shares eight practical strategies for inviting wonder into guided experiences and reminds us that wonder is about slowing down, opening up, and helping participants surprise themselves as they see things anew. The Art Engager is written and presented by Claire Bown. Editing is by Matt Jacobs and Claire Bown. Music by Richard Bown. Support the show on Patreon.Show notes‘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/buytheartengagerThe Art Engager book website: https://www.theartengager.com/Support the show with a simple monthly subscription on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/c/TheArtEngagerEvery single episode of The Art Engager podcast webpage: https://thinkingmuseum.com/every-single-episode-of-the-art-engager-podcast/Episode 150 - How to Create Meaningful Museum Engagement: 10 Best Practices from 150 EpisodesEpisode 151 - The Complete Guide to Slow LookingEpisode 32 - 6 Ways to Create Awe-Inspiring Experiences with Art and ObjectsEpisode 38 3 Key Ways to Foster Curiosity in your Programmes Episode 39 - How to stay curious in your practiceEpisodes 95 -...
--------
24:03
--------
24:03
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 episodes, creating a roadmap, if you will, that you can use to understand and implement slow looking in your personal practice and professional work. The Art Engager is written and presented by Claire Bown. Editing is by Matt Jacobs and Claire Bown. Music by Richard Bown. Support the show on Patreon.SHOWNOTESEvery single episode of The Art Engager podcast webpage: https://thinkingmuseum.com/every-single-episode-of-the-art-engager-podcast/‘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/buytheartengagerThe Art Engager book website: https://www.theartengager.com/**Support the show with a simple monthly subscription on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/c/TheArtEngager**Make a one-off donation: https://buymeacoffee.com/clairebownAll of the mentioned episodes:
--------
24:55
--------
24:55
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 have emerged over four years of thinking deeply about engagement principles and practices.For this milestone episode, Claire revisited the entire back catalogue, re-listening to past episodes and looking for patterns. What she found were 10 essential insights about engagement that can shift how we think, plan, and work in museums today.What comes through again and again is the power of simple, intentional adjustments. These are practical strategies you can try out straight away.Four years and 150 episodes of exploring what really works in museum engagement – distilled into 10 essential principles for anyone working in museum and heritage education.The Art Engager is written and presented by Claire Bown. Editing is by Matt Jacobs and Claire Bown. Music by Richard Bown. Support the show on Patreon.SHOWNOTESEvery single episode of The Art Engager podcast webpage: https://thinkingmuseum.com/every-single-episode-of-the-art-engager-podcast/‘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/buytheartengagerThe Art Engager book website: https://www.theartengager.com/Support the show with a simple monthly subscription on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/c/TheArtEngagerMake a one-off donation: https://buymeacoffee.com/clairebownAll of the mentioned episodes:149 Art, Play and Joy at Compton Verney with Geraldine Collinge144 6 ways to create powerful connections in museum experiences137 How to use The Universal Questioning Practice136 What are Questioning Practices?131 Stimulating...
--------
28:59
--------
28:59
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 and joy.Geraldine shares how this unique 'art space in a park' in Warwickshire brings together a historic Robert Adam mansion, 120 acres of Capability Brown landscape, and six distinctive collections ranging from Chinese bronzes to British folk art. She explains how Compton Verney's core values - particularly their inclusion of 'fun' - guide everything from exhibition design to community engagement initiatives.Listen to discover their multisensory approach to gallery spaces that incorporates touch, smell and sound, doubling visitor numbers to their Naples collection. Learn about their 'play first' philosophy that encourages visitors of all ages to engage meaningfully with art through creative exploration, and hear about their 97% discounted community passes that are breaking down barriers to access. Geraldine also shares insights into how they're connecting art and nature through immersive experiences like 'Breathing with the Forest,' creating what she describes as a restorative experience that ultimately delivers on their promise: giving visitors 'a day full of joy.'The Art Engager is written and presented by Claire Bown. Editing is by Matt Jacobs and Claire Bown. Music by Richard Bown. Support the show on Patreon and find more resources at thinkingmuseum.comSHOWNOTES https://www.comptonverney.org.uk/Breathing with the Forest (now closed) - https://www.comptonverney.org.uk/whats-on/breathing-with-the-forest/What we do - https://www.comptonverney.org.uk/our-story/what-we-do/Geraldine Collinge on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/geraldinecollinge/ ‘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/buytheartengagerThe Art Engager book website: https://www.theartengager.com/Support the show with a simple monthly subscription on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/c/TheArtEngager
--------
43:48
--------
43:48
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 what many educators struggle with – we know visitors learn better when actively participating, but how do we consistently make this happen in our daily practice?How can we move beyond knowing that active participation matters to actually implementing it day after day? What practical techniques make the difference between visitors following along and truly engaging?In this episode, Claire explores:Why traditional approaches often lead to disengagement (despite focusing on collection highlights)The spectrum from passive to active The fundamental mindset change required to create active experiencesHow to make your introductions more activeHow to transform questioning from testing knowledge to sparking genuine connection, and meaning-makingWays to use movement and positioning as powerful tools for engagement rather than defaulting to "follow the leader"Simple strategies to move beyond the 'hub and spoke' model and foster direct participant-to-participant interactionHow to share information in a responsive and adaptable way that offers multiple pathways into the core ideas.How to create active closings to help visitors reflect, connect, and carry something forward.The Art Engager is written and presented by Claire Bown. Editing is by Matt Jacobs and Claire Bown. Music by Richard Bown. Support the show on Patreon.Show notes‘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/buytheartengagerThe Art Engager book website: https://www.theartengager.com/Support the show with a simple monthly subscription on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/c/TheArtEngager
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.
Netherlands