The Happy Museum – a tale of how it could all turn out alright

Published at the launch of the Happy Museum Project in 2011 and authored by Sam Thompson and Jody Aked of the New Economics Foundation, with Bridget McKenzie, Chris Wood, Maurice Davies and Tony Butler, this short paper begins a conversation about how the UK museum sector can respond to the challenges presented by the need for creating a more sustainable future.

Our proposition is that museums are well placed to play an active part, but that grasping the opportunity will require re-imagining some key aspects of their role, both in terms of the kinds of experience they provide to their visitors and the way they relate to their collections, to their communities and to the pressing issues of the day.

Download (pdf): The Happy Museum paper