Added to each museum project
Royal West of England Academy, Shaping a Happy Academy, Autumn 2013 to present Founded over 150 years ago, the Royal West of England Academy (RWA) is one of Britain’s four Academies of Art, housed in a magnificent Grade 2* listed purpose-built Art Gallery. As a much-loved institution at the historic heart of Bristol, there is […]
Read More →Imperial War Museum, North ‘Participating with Objects’, October 2012- March 2013 The ‘Participating with Objects’ project promoted civic engagement through experimental object handling activities, and enabled people to connect around issues of life and death, how war shapes lives and what, in the future, we might need to be fighting for. From a tank to […]
Read More →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 →Kirkstall Abbey – Happy Project, summer 2013- spring 2014 As custodians of a site of national significance, Kirkstall Abbey are an important resource and focus for the local community in Leeds. Kirkstall Abbey draws rich inspiration from the monks that lived and worshipped there and the beautiful natural environment that surrounds the abbey. This project aimed to […]
Read More →The CCC ( Creative Community Curators project) invited people to explore the collection at The Cinema Museum, ‘follow their curiosity’ and identify a project or an idea, which were then developed over a number of weeks, culminating in a community exhibition. A project manager, researcher and assistant (student placement) were recruited to support CCC. The project manager […]
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