The Art Engager

Body language is defined as ‘the conscious and unconscious movements and postures by which attitudes and feelings are communicated’.When we talk about body language we’re talking about a wide range of human expression - such as posture, eye contact, use of space, voice, gesture, and so on.And these are signals that communicate with us nonverbally, they are ‘wordless signals’ that can be indicators of engagement.These signals are quite often done instinctively, rather than consciously too.Being both aware of and able to read these signals helps us to create connections and build rapport with our groups and thus to create engaged groups.So during this episode think about what signals you are sending to your group through your body language. Are you putting people at ease, building trust and connecting people to you by your body language? Or does your body language undermine what you’re saying or doing in the museum?And also, how can you use what I’m talking about here to better read your group and build more engagement?LinksSupport the ShowJoin the Slow Looking Club Community on FacebookListen Like You Mean It by Ximena VengoecheaAmy Cuddy's Ted Talk

Today I'm delighted to be talking to Marina Gross Hoy about how to look, and in particular, how to look at your daily life as if you were looking at a work of art.Marina Gross Hoy is a museum studies PhD candidate and a writer. Her doctoral research at the University of Quebec in Montreal focusing on how museums develop digital projects to create engaging experiences for visitors.She has a Master's in Museology from the École du Louvre, and she has previously worked on the education team at Agence France-Museums, the French agency that supported the creation of the Louvre Abu Dhabi.Marina's writing, which is wonderful, explores how looking at daily life with the same gaze we use with art in a museum can open us up to wonder, wholehearted living, and empowerment.In today's episode, Marina shares how one evening in 2020, she realised that she would look more closely into a painting of a sunset than looking at the one right in front of her.And this led her to experimenting with what it would mean to look at her life like a work of art, using what she started calling 'the museum gaze'.In today's episode, Marina shares the main characteristics of 'the museum gaze' and how it works in practice. We discuss how observing life with the same gaze we use with art in a museum works in practice and the numerous benefits we can glean from a regular practice of looking at life in this way.LinksSupport the ShowJoin the Slow Looking Club Community on FacebookEpisode 7 How to Develop a Daily Slow Looking PracticeMarina Gross-Hoy's websiteMarina's newsletter The Museum Gaze Marina's Instagram

Many of us are experts in our field - possibly art historians, historians or archaeologists - and want to share that incredible knowledge with the groups we lead in our programmes.But sometimes having that knowledge can be a burden. It can weigh heavy on us. Knowing what information to share, when to share it and how to share it is tricky. How much is too much?And how can you share it in way that engages the group, energises the discussion and inspires new thinking?In today’s episode I want to shift your mindset about information. I want you to encourage you to think carefully about how you view information and how and when you share it in your programmes. I'm exploring the 6 main problems with sharing contextual information in museum programmes and providing you with a series of coaching questions to help you work out how you really feel about sharing your knowledge. I'm introducing you to my What? How? When? framework which allows you focus on knowing what information to share, and how and when to share it. I'll end by sharing my thoughts about how I genuinely feel about information. Does it help to deepen and enrich experiences in the museum or does it hinder personal discoveries? Find out in today's episode.LinksEpisode 12 Best Practices for Sharing InformationSupport the Show https://www.patreon.com/c/TheArtEngagerJoin our free community for the podcast The Slow Looking Club https://www.facebook.com/groups/slowlookingclub/

Most of us think we’re good listeners. But are we really? What does it mean to be an active listener in an art discussion, guided tour or educational programme in the museum? Listening is one of the most important skills in our toolbox. But few of us know how to really listen. It's just not something we're taught. It requires both time and practise to develop effective listening skills. And it’s a challenge - when we’re listening our minds naturally tend to wander and our concentration can come and go..Listening is an essential skill for us - without active listening, discussions remain on the surface level without truly engaging all the participants.Today's episode will help you to work on your listening skills. First I'm exploring the 4 different levels of listening.Then I'm sharing 7 tips with you to improve your active listening skills and help you to choose the right level of listening for when you’re communicating with others.Share this one widely - listening is one of the keys to a better society!LinksSupport the ShowFind out more about my bookJoin the Slow Looking Club Community on Facebook

Today I’m so happy to be talking to Richa Mehta about her work. We’re talking about what a mindful museum is, museum-based art therapy and how art can support the development and exploration of identity and connectionRicha Mehta is a certified art therapist and educator working as a museum education and wellness professional at the Louvre Abu Dhabi.Richa believes that the museum space can be more accessible to marginalised community members, through implementing museum-based wellness and art therapy programming and resources,.In today’s episode we talk about her journey from the classroom to the museum and her recent studies in art therapy.We discuss the Louvre Abu Dhabi’s journey to being a Mindful Museum and what this means for the staff and for the visitors, the collection and the museum space itself.We explore what museum-based art therapy is and how it might work in practice. Richa shares a model of how she views museum-based art-therapy and an adaptation of See Think Wonder that could be used for these sessions. We also chat about how an art therapist would work with any strong emotions that came up in the museum environment.And finally we talk about how being a third culture kid, and her cultural identity and background has influenced her practice and work today.So here is our chat - enjoy!LinksSupport the ShowJoin the Slow Looking Club Community on FacebookRicha MehtaArticle for the Canadian Art Therapy Association https://www.canadianarttherapy.org/envisage/envisage-spring-2022-mehtaLouvre Abu DhabiLouvre Abu Dhabi’s A Mindful Museum - https://www.louvreabudhabi.ae/en/about-us/a-mindful-museumMindful Art Moments - https://www.louvreabudhabi.ae/en/Whats-Online/mindful-art-momentsReflect & Express - https://www.louvreabudhabi.ae/learning-resources/the-arts-for-health-and-wellbeing/en/reflect-and-express.html 

I don’t really like big lists of ‘good’ or ‘great’ questions - for example, 50 questions to ask about art. These lists are OK for a quick source of inspiration or for a boost now and again, but it’s the list part that I don’t like - you’re not going to be carrying around a list with you in the museum. Instead it’s much better to work on your questioning technique⁠ with exercises and experimentation rather than trying to memorise or use big lists of questions. Working on your technique yourself will help you to phrase questions better in the moment, instinctively and naturally. And this will always work better than parrot-phrasing a question you read on a list. But there are some questions that I think are worth remembering. And these are the types of questions that have a really powerful effect when they are asked. So today I’m sharing 4 simple questions that will supercharge your art experiences.These are questions that can be used at any moment during your experience or guided tour to great effect. I’ve chosen questions that work for me time after time with all sorts of different groups, different artworks or objects, different types of museums and different situations. These are universally powerful questions - listen to episode 64 to find out what questions I've chosen!LinksSupport the ShowSlow Looking ClubThe 5 Golden Rules for Asking Brilliant Questions⁠ (Episode 4)10 Common Mistakes to Avoid When Asking Questions (Episode 10)How to use artworks to improve your questioning skills (Episode 15)Quick ways to improve your questioning technique (Episode 36) ‘Bad’ questions - questions to avoid in your art experiences (Episode 48) Autumn Effect at Argenteuil (1873), Claude Monet, Courtauld Gallery, London, UK, Public Domain https://courtauld.ac.uk/highlights/autumn-effect-at-argenteuil/Reyhan Hassanzadeh (2004) from the series: Terrorist, Tropenmuseum, Amsterdam, NLhttps://khosrow-hassanzadeh.com/project/terrorist-paintings-03/

 In an age where the average person checks their phone at least 85 times a day, our inundated brains are slowing down. ⁠ ⁠We need to retrain ourselves to get better at sustained attention. And to learn to appreciate the benefits of it too.⁠ ⁠Spending time slow looking offers refuge from the rush and time to slow down and see the details. It’s the opposite of scanning and scrolling.“Always-on” behaviour is about being in a constant state of alertness without giving our full focus to anything. Slow looking is a wonderful alternative to life in the fast lane.The 4 activities I'll be sharing here are simple, effective ways to slow down, improve your observational skills and focus and notice more details around you.You can use these slow looking activities throughout the summer - either on your own or with friends and family and children.All of the activities are designed to help you develop your ability to see - and in doing so, spark creativity, curiosity and improve focus. You can do these activities with art, objects or with nature. You don’t have to be in a museum to do slow looking. They are designed to work in a range of environments, outside and inside.I hope they will contribute to a wonderful summer. Let’s get started! And don’t forget to share what you get up to on Instagram, Facebook or Twitter using the hashtag #summerslowlookingLinksSupport the ShowOur Facebook Group - The Slow Looking ClubOther recommended episodes on slow looking: Episode 2 - What is Slow Looking (and how do I get started?)Episode 7 - How to Develop a Daily Slow Looking PracticeEpisode 25 - 3 Thinking Routines for Slow Looking and DrawingEpisode 41 - 12 Reasons to Get Started with Slow LookingEpisode 56 - Learning to Love 'Boring' Objects through Slow Looking

When you get started with thinking routines, it’s worth getting to know a small handful of routines and using them repeatedly until you feel comfortable and confident using them.  But once you have that confidence, something magical starts to happen. And this is where we can be more creative with thinking routines. Thinking routines are not rigid, inflexible structures. Unlike some protocols, you don’t always have to use them exactly as they are written, without any room for creativity. Think of thinking routines as flexible and malleable structures to guide thinking and conversations around art and objects. Be playful with them and experiment!In today’s episode I’m sharing 7 ways you can be uniquely creative with thinking routines. Listen in to find out how!LinksSupport the ShowOur Facebook Group - The Slow Looking ClubDownload my Ultimate Thinking Routine List Episode 16 - How to Use See Think Wonder in your Art DiscussionsEpisode 6 - 6 Essential Thinking Routines you Need in your Repertoire

Today I’m so happy to be talking to Karly Allen about her work. We’re talking about how mindfulness can help us to connect with and engage with art, how we can bring mindfulness practices to the experience of drawing. Karly Allen is a UK-based gallery educator, drawing tutor and mindfulness teacher. She has worked for the National Gallery, London, over the past 20 years and has taught widely for UK art collections including the National Portrait Gallery, Wallace Collection and Royal Collection. In 2018, Karly co-founded Limina Collective to bring mindfulness and reflection practices to museum and online spaces.  We explore how mindfulness and meditation practices, observation of the artwork and drawing interrelate with each other. And how drawing with mindfulness creates connections, opens us up to creativity and helps us to overcome any resistance we might have to drawing or the fear of the blank page. We talk extensively about the benefits and how it help us to tune into a mode of being being open, letting go of preconceptions and habitual patterns of looking. LinksMasterclass: Mona Lisa - Experiments in Drawing with MindfulnessTuesday 19 July at 17.00 hrs CETThis masterclass offers an experimental space to explore drawing and mindfulness, with Leonardo’s iconic painting as our focus.Sign up here: https://buy.stripe.com/aEU00A3Th8pP1Wg5ksSupport the Show Find out more about Limina Collective and contact Karly via their website https://www.liminacollective.comJoin the Limina Collective monthly newsletter Connect on Instagram:@limina_collective@karlykallenLimina Collective's exhibition audios for Manchester Art Gallery, 'Room to Breathe': https://manchesterartgallery.org/exhibitions-and-events/exhibition/room-to-breathe/Limina Collective's series of films for the Royal Academy, 'A Slow Look': https://www.royalacademy.org.uk/articles/tag/slow-lookLimina Collective's film for The Wallace Collection, 'Taking Time to Look': https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZVp4h27aeos

There is a famous quote by Alvin Toffler that goes:‘“The illiterate of the future are not those who can’t read or write but those who cannot learn, unlearn, and relearn.”As educators, you’re probably already quite enthusiastic about the learning part. Being a lifelong learner is something that is a part of us. We’re constantly learning new things and updating our knowledge. But learning is not just about acquiring new things to learn, it’s important to learn, unlearn and relearn. In today's episode I'm talking about why it's necessary to consistently ‘unlearn’ our habits, unconscious beliefs, assumptions, and our practices so that we can make space for the new. I'm sharing some tips and coaching questions to get you thinking about where you can declutter and detach, so that you stay fresh and relevant. LinksSupport the ShowJoin our FREE SLOW LOOKING CLUB Community Sign up for my weekly dose of carefully-curated inspiration The TM WeeklyFind me on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and LinkedInAdam Grant's book Think Again: The Power of Knowing What you Don't Know