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 experiences
How to make your introductions more active
How to transform questioning from testing knowledge to sparking genuine connection, and meaning-making
Ways 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 interaction
How 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/buytheartengager

The Art Engager book website: https://www.theartengager.com/

Support the show with a simple monthly subscription on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/c/TheArtEngager

BTS Why you need to be able to identify good and bad expectations