Play builds the kind of free-and-easy, try-it-out, do-it-yourself character that our future needs. James L. Hymes Jr.

Many museums offer playful opportunities for children – but how creative, experimental and playful are we in our work – as adult professionals and within our museum teams? How might playful approaches open up new ideas and creativity in our work, within our organisations, and with our communities? What could be unleashed by tapping into our individual and collective imagination?

The session has been design to provoke our thinking and to inform us about the benefits of play and imagination, as adults. During the session we will:

• Hear about the CounterPlay Festival, to consider the value of adult play, and its transformational effects.
• Learn about imagination-focused programmes that are enabling freer and more creative thinking, and building towards imaginative and community problem-solving
• Hear ideas to support the development of our creative and playful sides, and generate our own ideas to take back to our teams and communities.

There will be short presentations, discussion groups and opportunities for questions, reflection, and for playing.

The contributors:

Mathius Poulson, Play Activist & Researcher @ Designskolen Kolding, Denmark and founder of the CounterPlayFestival http://counterplay.org/files/PowerOfPlay_CounterPlay.pdf

Hannah McDowell – from Canopy, A Social Imagination Project and part of the Collective Imagination Practice Community (part of the Joseph Rowntree Foundation ) https://www.linkedin.com/in/hannah-mcdowall-9336a3226/

Louise Dussimon – Lead for the Play and Imagine Programme, Richmond Arts Service

Faciltators:

Charlotte Derry – Play consultant and trainer, founder of Playful Places

Hilary Jennings – Director, Happy Museum Project

The session is inspired by work of our community of practice, creative-imagineers and the global transition network, and this event is tied directly in to one of our manifesto objectives:

“To convene and support people to lead and thrive as agents of change, positivity, imagination and innovation”.

You can read more here: Happy Museum manifesto.

Watch the recording HERE

Find out about other sessions in our Open Workshops Programme HERE