Join poet, theologian, and conflict mediator Pádraig Ó Tuama and museum educator Marielle Epstein for a gallery tour and conversation that will examine how art, poetry, and contemplative practices invite us to be present, connect with each other, and expand possibilities for belonging.
This special conversation is part of our Mindful Looking series, which offers opportunities to reflect, contemplate, and engage deeply with artwork and your own internal experience.
Can’t make this one? See all dates for our Mindful Looking series here.
about the facilitators
Pádraig Ó Tuama (b. 1975 Cork, Ireland) is a poet with interests in conflict, language and religion. He presents Poetry Unbound from On Being Studios, and has published two anthologies (2022, 2025, both with WW Norton) from that podcast. In early 2025, Copper Canyon Press published Kitchen Hymns, his fourth poetry collection. A freelance artist, one of Ó Tuama’s projects is poet in residence with the Cooperation and Conflict Resolution Center at Columbia University. He splits his time between Belfast and New York City.
Marielle Epstein is the assistant director of Interpretation at the Art Institute of Chicago. In this role, she supports the visitor experience by developing exhibition texts, learning tools, and gallery narratives. Her work is informed by spending time with visitors in the galleries leading tours and in public programs. She believes that each artwork is a springboard for inspiring, challenging, and dynamic conversations which create opportunities for connection and change.
