Happy and Green - The Benefits to Museums of a Focus on Wellbeing and Sustainability
Date and time: Tuesday 4th March 2014, 10.30-17.00
Cost: Free attendance
Location: The Cinema Museum, 2 Dugard Way, London SE11 4TH
Refreshments: A sandwich lunch will be provided.
This workshop, the first ever run jointly by The Happy Museum Project and Julie’s Bicycle, will investigate the value of a focus on Wellbeing and Sustainability in museum (and wider cultural) practice. The workshop will build on the Happy Museum learning evaluation which asks where the synergies between social and environmental sustainability can be found and highlights opportunities to cultivate social and natural capital alongside the “cultural assets” of the museum’s collection. These include physical resources such as outdoor space, efficient use of natural resources, the role of volunteers and the benefits of a happy workforce. Alongside information and insights from Happy Museum and Julie’s Bicycle we will hear practical case studies from partner organisations such as the Godalming Museum, The Cinema Museum and Battersea Arts Centre and consider the role of mindfulness in organisational contexts.
The focus of the day will be on discussion. We will share learning and practical experiences, gain inspiration and insight to take back to our own organisations and practice, and together build a picture of the direct and indirect practical benefits that can be gained. The day will be of relevance to all those working in a museum or cultural context including management, curation, education and learning and facilities.
The venue for the event is the fantastic, volunteer run, Cinema Museum in Kennington, London. Housed in the old workhouse where Charlie Chaplin once lived, the museum was one of the first to receive a Happy Museum Commission http://www.cinemamuseum.org.uk/
Happy Museum provides a framework for a growing group of museums to investigate a holistic approach to sustainability and wellbeing. Whilst many museums appreciate their position at the heart of their community and combine scholarship, stewardship, learning and a desire for greater participation, HMP shows that the context is now different. Climate change, pressures on the planet’s finite resources and awareness that a good, happy society need not make economic growth its only meaningful measure of success, offer a context to re-imagine the purpose of museums. The project takes a view of sustainability which looks beyond financial and resource management and considers a museum’s role as steward of people, place and planet, supporting institutional and community resilience in the face of global financial and environmental challenges. www.happymuseumproject.org
Julie’s Bicycle – Currently working with over 1000 cultural organisations in the UK and Europe, Julie’s Bicycle offers free online tools, research, and bespoke consultancy to help arts organisations measure, manage, and reduce their environmental impacts. Founded by the music industry, with expertise from the arts and sustainability, Julie’s Bicycle bridges the gap between the creative industries and sustainability. Based on a foundation of peer-reviewed research, we sustain creativity, enabling the arts to create change. www.juliesbicycle.com
HOW DO I SIGN UP? Sign up for the day by emailing [log in to unmask]. Please state your name, contact details, position, and museum affiliation. Also, let us know if you have any food intolerances. Numbers are limited so if you’re interested, please get in touch asap.
Many thanks,
Nicola Mann
Happy Museum Project