Woodhorn Charitable Trust, Stand-up for Woodhorn, 2013-2014 The links between laughter and wellbeing are well established. Laughter releases endorphins, increases oxygen to the blood, promotes relaxation and boosts the immune system. With this in mind, Woodhorn commissioned a ‘Comedian in Residence’ to explore the part comedy can play in facilitating meaningful connections between people and […]
Read More →Shakespeare’s Birthplace Trust, Sounds in the Garden, October 2012- March 2013 Anne Hathaway’s 15th century cottage at Shakespeare’s Birthplace Trust became the focus of a celebration in the ‘Sounds in the Garden’ project. ‘Sounds in the Garden’ inspired local communities in Shottery and Stratford upon Avon to spend time outdoors, be active and value green […]
Read More →Torquay Museum, ‘Young Sustainability Champions’ 2013-2014 The ‘Young Sustainability Champions’ project developed a cohort of young community sustainability champions at Torquay Museum. To target a new 14-18 age range the project manager attended 2 secondary school assemblies and ran workshops such as a renewable energy trip, and an oceans workshop. The workshops culminated a festival […]
Read More →Goldaming Museum, Collecting Connections, October 2012- March 2013 The museum approached the Happy Museum without a fixed idea of what they wanted to achieve from their commission, and through this fluid approach a whole new gallery was co-created with the local community. The Museum worked with local people and environmental community groups to create a […]
Read More →During 2014 – 15 Manchester Museum undertook two Happy Museum projects aiming to investigate and embed playfulness in their museum practice. The first project trained the museum’s visitor team to develop their understanding of play and reflection techniques. In the second project, the museum developed Rules for a Playful Museum, a playful and accessible handbook […]
Read More →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 […]
Read More →This case study looks at how the Museum of East Anglian life reimagined itself as a social enterprise and used appropriate evaluation tools to demonstrate the value of its work. The museum’s success in building social capital and promoting wellbeing inspired the creation of the Happy Museum Project in 2011. Download (pdf): case_study_MEAL
Read More →This case study is about how The Story Museum team put wellbeing and sustainability at the heart of its ethos and vision for the museum as it prepared to open to the public. The project’s aim was to ensure the museum was ‘happy from the beginning’. Read more about the project and download the (pdf) […]
Read More →This case study is about how Reading Museum used a community history project to pilot a new approach to working closely and engaging with communities. The project changed perceptions about several deprived areas of the city and had a positive impact on the participants. A further Happy Museum project Where’s Reading Heading went on to […]
Read More →This case study is about how, through two projects, Manchester Museum aimed to embed playfulness. The first project trained the museum’s visitor team to develop their understanding of play and reflection techniques. In the second project, the museum developed Rules for a Playful Museum, a playful and accessible handbook to capture the learning and experience […]
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