Karen
Karen Vanhercke – coach, facilitator and founder of easel.world
As a former educational researcher at the Art & History Museum in Brussels, and as a former educational curator at MO Museum in Vilnius, I always had a variety of collections at my finger tips and a variety of audiences to engage. I developed my method, called Art-based Dialogue, by absorbing existing theories and by integrating what I learnt from my research in practice as an educator. I had wonderful opportunities to grow out of my comfort zone (Art Historical discourse) and towards dialogue. My approach to art education became increasingly collaborative and activist over the years. Art-based Dialogue became my main focus in 2021, when I curated MO museum’s first children’s exhibition, Lake Full of Stars. In this exhibition I pleaded for dialogue to become the main educational tool in museums. Currently I curate mostly single artwork encounters which I see as catalysts for positive change and emancipation. The way I work is firmly rooted in the tradition of Visual Thinking and I am a great fan of Abigail Housen. I believe people don’t need to be experts to make sense out of art. My goal is t o connect with people from many different backgrounds and to facilitate processes of personal growth as well as build communities around Art-based Dialogue. With the support of the Lithuanian Culture Council my easel.world platform grew into an information hub for Art-based Dialogue in Lithuania, Belarus and Ukraine. My training programs are attended by people from all over the world. I offer weekly online discussions and monthly onsite meetings in local museums. I writes regular blog posts and I publish monthly interviews in a podcast series about Art-based Dialogue.
Students Say This about Karen’s Trainings:
“I got to know myself and others through the art. This mutual understanding is exactly what is needed in Mediation”
This training is full of treasures. It was a joy to be in the group and to experience all the support and knowledge needed to develop facilitation skills. Karen is a perfect role model to follow .
“One of the most interesting courses in which I participated these last three years. Already I use some of the elements with children groups”
“Thank you for the training! Now I am an independent educator and facilitator!”
“Pure solid knowledge on theory and practice! This course makes it crystal clear how important art is to develop observation and verbal expression. Highly recommended!”
“I learnt about impartiality and about being comfortable with disagreement in a discussion. Just the other day I walked into a gallery and was surprised by how much more I SEE! Overall I feel changed by this training and I 100% recommend it to my colleagues and friends!”
Have a Project in mind?
I can help to make its impact count by bringing Art into it.