In the era of the participation culture “viewer-inclusive” methods of communication in the museum have become in demand almost everywhere. The authors pose a question to the master of such a communication practices role. Analyzing participatory practices in terms of the achieved results, the authors appeal to the experience of art mediation (D. Malikova, E. Kochukhov, M. Lind, C. Morsh), the VTC method (A. Housen, P. Yenawine) and its version adapted for Russian students — facilitated discussion (N. V. Ievleva, M. V. Potapova). The master of participatory practices acts as a part of an art environment. The master determines the perception and description norms for an art object, even if the traditional position of the teacher and expert is deliberately reject ed. The development of creative thinking is the result of both methods. But if facilitated discussion primarily develops aesthetic literacy, then art mediation expands the museum communicative environment, attracting visitors from different demographic and psychographic groups and numerous communities.