Lightbox, Landscapes of the Mind – 2012-2013

The ‘Landscapes of the Mind’ project involved nine participants with mental health issues.  The purpose of the project was to increase the shared ownership and decision making between museum staff and participants as a model for the way the museum operates. The project also sought to challenge perceptions about mental health issues and the role of the museum.

The project participants selected inspirational artworks from the Ingram Collection of Modern British Art and worked with artists to create their own works, a process documented by a video artist. The participants curated an exhibition of both bodies of work. The project finished with a conference on ‘the art of wellbeing’.  Since the project, the Lightbox has led collaborative projects working with adults with learning difficulties, older people and the Muslim community.

Read more in our case study – community engagement and co-creation

Evaluation

Highlights of the project included a new staff focus on bigger issues, it enabled risk taking and personal experiences for participants seemed profound.  Challenges included embedding an approach which depended at on just one or two staff members, building participants into genuinely equal partners and making the link between wellbeing (and this project) and environmental sustainability