What makes a visit to an art museum meaningful? Is it what we see, what we learn, or something more?
In this interactive talk, author and museum educator Claire Bown invites you on an adventure in looking. Drawing on ideas from her book, The Art Engager, Claire will introduce three simple practices – observation and noticing, shared visual inquiry, and personal discovery – that can transform how we experience art.
Together, we will explore how slowing down, looking closely, and talking about what we see can make our museum visits richer, more engaging, and more personal. These ways of looking not only deepen our connection with art but also help us connect with others and with ourselves in more thoughtful and human ways.
In a time when attention is fleeting and distraction is everywhere, this program offers an invitation to pause, notice, and rediscover the joy of looking. Claire will show how we already have everything we need within us to experience, connect with, and find meaning in art.
Claire Bown is a museum educator, trainer, facilitator, author, and podcast host with a passion for creating engaging, interactive museum experiences. Originally from the UK and now based in the Netherlands, Claire has over 25 years of experience in museum and heritage education.
In 2013, she founded Thinking Museum® to help museum educators, guides, and docents develop their skills through creative facilitation and engagement techniques. She is the creator of the Thinking Museum® Approach, a unique framework for designing and leading engaging and meaningful guided experiences.
Through her training programmes, popular podcast The Art Engager, and her recently published book The Art Engager: Reimagining Guided Experiences in Museums (2024), Claire shares practical tools and techniques for creating participant-centered cultural experiences.
With a Master of Museology from the Reinwardt Academy and an ILM Level 5 accreditation in Effective Coaching and Mentoring, Claire specializes in developing and leading professional learning opportunities for museum educators, guides, mediators and their teams worldwide.
