Steering Group – Happy Museum Project

Happy Museum works through a formal partnership with Julie’s Bicycle . Our Happy Museum Steering Group works with Julie’s Bicycle to shape our strategic direction and open up new opportunities.

Lisa Ollerhead joined the Association of Independent Museums as Director in June 2021. The representative body for independent museums across the UK, AIM focuses on helping museums and heritage organisations to prosper through providing support and resources to people running independent museums.

Before the AIM role, Lisa spent nearly five years as Head of Museums Policy in DCMS, where she worked on major sector initiatives including publishing the Mendoza Review, developing the Museum Estate and Development Fund (MEND), and playing a major role in the design and delivery of the Culture Recovery Fund, including a stint as Head of the CRF Secretariat.

A native of Reading, Brendan Carr’s museum career began at the Blairs Museum in Aberdeenshire where his research made a major contribution to the Museum becoming registered by the Scottish Museum Council (Museums Galleries Scotland). Other voluntary work experience included placements at the Bar Convent Museum in York and the British Museum Development Trust in London. Brendan returned home to join Reading Museum in 2001 and took up the role of Community Engagement Curator in 2010, combining collections management responsibility with overseeing the Museum’s community engagement strategy.

After joining the Happy Museum Project’s Community of Practice in 2012, Brendan led two directly funded projects and secured Reading Museum’s affiliation in 2017. More recently he undertook the Resourceful Reading Project in partnership with The Reading Sustainability Centre. This showcased some of the many things that people and communities in Reading are doing to make life more sustainable. On becoming a member of the Happy Museum Project’s Steering group Brendan said, ‘As we begin to recover from the shock of a pandemic caused by flawed stewardship of our planet, and at a time when transition to a zero-carbon economy has no more time for deliberation, museum workers – as true storytellers – can benefit from the Happy Museum’s encouragement to engage with these critical issues of our time.’

Reem Akl works in sustainability and corporate responsibility, with previous engagement roles across finance, the social impact space, and the arts. She has led and supported programmes on mental health with Big Society Capital, tech-for-good, and currently focuses on issues around the just transition for small businesses. She is a Fellow of the On Purpose leadership programme.

A passionate believer in the power of art to engage hearts and minds, Reem spent a number of years in the creative sector, working with Shubbak, the UK’s largest biennial of contemporary art from the Arab world; as well as co-leading the Arab Image Foundation in Beirut (Lebanon), a collection dedicated to the preservation and study of photography.

Reem holds an MSc in Economics and Economic History from the London School of Economics, and an MA in Documentary Photography from the University of the Arts London.

Tahnee Blakemore works for Jersey Heritage as an Education Officer. She says ‘People, place and planet are key themes which I have an interest in as an ecologist, conservationist and anthropology graduate. I am passionate about the importance of nature connection and believe in evaluation and proving your impact. I have been in different roles both within and outside of the heritage sector, however, since being a child, museums have been where I felt at home. I am very excited about being a part of the Steering Group for the Happy Museum, as The Happy Museum’s values link closely to our values at Jersey Heritage- we believe in storytelling- to showcase people’s stories about cultural and environmental (biodiversity) heritage, in order to engage communities and preserve the island for future generations.’

Charlotte Derry is a play and museum consultant for schools and the cultural sector who manages Playful Places, an independent sector support organisation offering mentoring, training and creative idea-generation for play in public venues. Playful Places works with the beliefs that play is essential for children’s well-being, that play has the capacity to better connect us, and that playful thinking and behaviour can help us develop our creative capability to respond to social, cultural and climate challenges.

Charlotte has been part of the Happy Museum Community of Practice since it’s beginnings, and co-authored Rules for a Playful Museum with the Visitor Team at Manchester Museum, as part of the first Happy Museum cohort. Together they helped to establish the Playful Places Network with the aim to support museums and cultural venues improve the conditions for play and playful engagement with their collections, spaces and ideas.

Charlotte has been part of two research projects for Play Wales with Wendy Russell, Ben Tawil and Mike Barclay which explored the success and reach of the Welsh Play Sufficiency Duty. She is a regular workshop facilitator for Kids in Museums, and was part of the editorial and publishing group for Stuff and Nonsense Thinking Differently about Children’s Play, Inspired by the work of Stuart Lester, contributing two chapters on children’s play, movement and occuplaying in museums.

Charlotte is a mum, wild swimmer, walker, gardener and yoga teacher who is passionate about food, cooking outside, and being in nature (a lot)! Her work is driven by the desire to and find creative ways to improve the quality of life and well-being of both visitors and staff in cultural venues, and to advocate for spatial and social equality within public space for children and young people. A former play-worker, trainer and museum exhibition, learning and access officer, Charlotte brings her creativity and enthusiasm for history, culture and playful learning, her passion for cultivating spaces for human well-being and her capacity for connecting people and ideas into all her work, and in support of the Happy Museum.

Susie Tucker is Head of Strategy and Communications at National Museum Directors’ Council

Poppy Szaybo is a Coach & Mentor. She is Director @map_network, an ED&I Advisor, a Community, Heritage & Museums Consultant and Textile Artist