It’s been an extraordinary year for The Art Engager podcast with 22 episodes, 19 incredible guests, 3 solo episodes and listeners in 61 countries! We’ve reached over 70,000 all-time downloads, exploring everything from slow looking and sensory engagement to arts on prescription and philosophical questioning in museums.
September brought an exciting refresh to the podcast with beautiful new music by Richard Bown and fresh artwork by Cigdem Guven. Throughout the year, we’ve explored innovative engagement techniques, tackled important conversations about accessibility and inclusion, and discovered new ways of creating meaningful connections with visitors.
Here are your five most-listened to episodes of 2024:
5. Applying Museum Education Skills to Organisational Culture with Rebecca Shulman
Could educators be the key to reshaping organisational culture in museums? Museum consultant Rebecca Shulman brought her wealth of experience in museum education and leadership to this conversation about making museums better places to work through improving organisational culture.
Episode 134 explored why museum educators are naturally suited for leadership roles through their skills in fostering inquiry, trust, and psychological safety.
4. Values-Engaged Gallery Teaching with Andrew Westover
In Episode 120, Andrew Westover, Eleanor McDonald Storza Director of Education at the High Museum of Art in Atlanta, discussed how a values-engaged teaching approach can transform gallery experiences and foster deep connections.
The episode explored the importance of self-knowledge and understanding your own values as essential foundations for effective teaching, discussing the 5 values that underpin the High Museum of Art’s education department. Andrew explained how their work is rooted in listening, engaging in dialogue, building consensus, and designing spaces for various communities.
3. Get the Picture: How to engage with art with Bianca Bosker
Award-winning journalist Bianca Bosker shared insights from her five-year immersion in the New York art scene, documented in her book ‘Get The Picture: A Mind-Bending Journey among the Inspired Artists and Obsessive Art Fiends Who Taught Me How to See‘.
Taking on roles from gallery assistant to museum security guard, curator to artist assistant, Bianca explored the secretive world of art and artists from every angle.
In this conversation, she revealed what she discovered about the art world, how her relationship with art evolved, and how her experiences with various artworks changed the way she sees the world.
2. The Power of Inquiry, Curiosity and Questioning with Trevor MacKenzie
Trevor MacKenzie, an experienced teacher, author, keynote speaker and inquiry consultant, shared his expertise in inquiry-based learning drawn from his work in schools throughout North America, Asia, Australia, South Africa and Europe.
The episode explored the power of inquiry-based learning and teaching from an inquiry stance, examining key principles and values that guide this work.
Drawing from his book ‘Inquiry Mindset Questions Edition,’ Trevor discussed generating question confidence and competence, the importance of both open and closed questions, and his 10 high impact question routines. The conversation also explored using images, photos, and art as provocations to spark curiosity and engagement.
1. Slow Looking and Social Interaction in Museums with Sasha Igdalova
Sasha Igdalova, an interdisciplinary researcher completing her Psychology PhD at Goldsmiths, University of London, shared insights from her ground-breaking research on slow looking and social interaction in museums. While slow looking has gained popularity in museums worldwide over the last decade, there hasn’t been much research on its effectiveness until now.
In this episode, Sasha discusses two pioneering studies: the first examining slow looking in an online environment and how different audio contexts and art types affect mood and engagement, and the second investigating how social interaction impacts the art museum experience in Manchester Art Museum’s dedicated slow looking space, Room to Breathe.
Creating this podcast is for the most part a solo endeavour (with my brilliant editor!) and has been such a joy since 2021. I’m committed to keeping it as a free resource for everyone interested in creating engaging experiences in museums. If you’ve found value in these conversations, I’d be so grateful if you’d consider becoming a Friend of the Show through my Patreon page.
I can’t wait to bring you more inspiring conversations in 2025! Thank you for being part of The Art Engager community! If you’re looking for more information, check out my book The Art Engager: Reimagining Guided Experiences in Museums – out now!