The Art Engager Exploring Poetry Through Museums and Visual Art with Tina Demirdjian
In this episode of The Art Engager Claire Bown talks with Tina Demirdjian, a poet and educator who has spent over 30 years transforming how people connect with poetry and visual art.
Tina is someone who in her own words 'changes people's minds' about poetry, about themselves and about their capacity for creative expression. Working primarily with second language learners and immigrant communities in Los Angeles she has developed unique approaches that use visual art as a gateway into poetry writing.
The conversation explores why museums are 'sacred spaces' that support creativity, practical techniques for facilitating poetry writing in galleries and how to help people overcome their intimidation about writing.
Listen to this episode if you want to:
- Learn practical techniques for poetry programming in museums, including spine poetry and found poetry using curator and wall texts
- Discover why the museum environment uniquely supports creative confidence and expression
- Explore how visual art can serve as a bridge to poetry for diverse audiences
- Understand how to help visitors overcome intimidation about poetry and writing
This episode offers practical insights into poetry programming and how to create the 'ease' that helps everyone discover they have at least one powerful poem in them.
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.com
‘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/buytheartengager
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Episode Links:
Art inspires youth poetry at MOCA
https://www.linkedin.com/in/tina-demirdjian-a102488/