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RESOURCES

NEWSLETTER

Did you know that I have a fortnightly newsletter?

Every other Friday I share a small dose of curated inspiration. It might be things I’ve read, things I’ve listened to or things I’ve watched.

Hear about my latest podcast episode and read useful tips, recommendations and things that I love.

You’ll also get first dibs on new courses and classes!

No spam, no fluff or email bombardment, guaranteed.

Join below.

Curated newsletter from Claire Bown

How to Look at Art Slowly

FREE GUIDE – HOW TO LOOK AT ART SLOWLY

Sign up with your email address to receive my new 17-page guide sharing 30+ different ways that you can look at art or objects in museums. 

It can be used by anyone looking for new ways to engage with what they’re seeing.

SLOW LOOKING AT ART: THE VISIBLE THINKING APPROACH

Visible Thinking in the Museum (VTM) is an approach developed by Claire Bown over the last 12 years that provides a flexible structure around which to explore and discuss a wide variety of materials – in particular museum and heritage collections and their stories.

Slow Looking at Art: The Visible Thinking in the Museum Approach is a practical guide to implementing the approach and covers the 3 foundational elements plus the 8 practices associated with the method.

The book will be published in 2024 as an e-book and a print edition too!

The Ultimate Thinking Routine List

Sign up with your email address to receive your free handy resource with a list of 100+ thinking routines all in one place. Newly updated for 2023!

Thinking Routines for Observation

This free resource bundle includes cheatsheets for the following thinking routines that focus on observation and description:

  • Looking Ten Times Two
  • The Elaboration Game
  • Yes, and..
  • Colour Shape Line
  • Nouns Verbs Adjectives
  • Name Describe Act
  • Slow Complexity Capture
  • Memory Draw
  • Parts Purposes Complexities

Perspective-Taking Cheatsheets

If you are leading any type of programme with groups around art or objects, then you need to have a perspective-taking thinking routine in your repertoire.

This free resource includes cheatsheets for the following thinking routines:

  • Step Inside
  • Point of View
  • Step In Step Out Step Back
  • Gaining New Perspectives
  • 3 Y’s
  • Circle of Viewpoints

Latest Podcast Episodes

I publish a new podcast episode and blog every fortnight on all aspects of engaging your audience with art and ideas – from Visible Thinking in the Museum techniques and ideas, to helping you to develop your questioning or facilitation skills and new tools to experiment with.

This week’s episode is inspired by recent classes in the Visible Thinking Membership where we’ve been exploring the concept of using drawing and sketching for slow looking and observation. When people are learning how to draw, they actually learn how to observe first. And being a sketcher makes you a better observer – it’s as though… Read...
Today I’m really excited to be chatting to Louise Thompson – a museums and wellbeing consultant as well as the health and wellbeing manager at Manchester Art Gallery for the past 9 years. We’re talking how about art and objects can be used to learn wellbeing skills and improve mental health. Louise has over 12… Read...
Have you ever asked a question that was greeted with nothing but silence? You look around and all you can see are blank faces. The silence is scary because you don’t know what people are thinking. It could mean anything. You wait a little longer and still nothing happens. Just the sound of tumbleweed rustling… Read...