Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York
Guggenheim Museum, New York
LA County Museum of Art
The Getty Villa Art Museum, Los Angeles

Welcome to Art & Inquiry
Creating dynamic inquiry-based conversations — one question at a time.

Many first-time visitors experience museum tours as slow-motion torture. They listen, shuffle, stifle yawns or grimace. The bold ones scratch their heads and ask, "Why the hell did the museum buy that crap?" Others lapse into a light coma, feeling bored, indifferent, even intimidated.
Laurel understands the psychology of learning
They feign polite interest until their feet give out, then stagger toward the nearest caffeine dispenser or sprint for the exit, never to return again. Well-meaning docents are frustrated. Museums get a bum rap and visitors miss the whole magic of art. In short — a marvelous opportunity squandered. But it doesn't have to be that way.

Laurel Schmidt is a nationally recognized expert who has helped thousands of docents and museum educators master the art of leading interactive dialogues that have visitors longing for more.

News & Events

New Docent Training,
Los Angeles County
Museum of Art
Laurel will present one-day seminar on the skills used to create interactive conversations in the galleries for school groups and adult museum visitors.
"Authentic Learning
in the Community",

Calgary Canada
Keynote Speaker,
Beyond The Classroom Conference
Museum of Modern Art,
New York City
Art and The Brain: A Formula for Academic Success