Unexpected Encounters: Museums nurturing living and ageing well

Held at Manchester Museum on 25 and 26 April 2018, Unexpected Encounters brought together natural heritage curators, museum learning and engagement staff, and those working in active ageing to explore the findings of Encountering the Unexpected. 

Using a mixture of presentations, panel discussions, activities and workshops, the first day explored the findings of the project and how these might inspire radical changes in how museums work with, and engage, older people through their natural heritage collections. Speakers included Jocelyn Dodd (RCMG), Henry McGhie (Manchester Museum), Claire Keatinge (active ageing specialist), Sheila Tilmouth (artist), Alice Thwaite (Equal Arts) and Farrell Curran (Age UK).

The second day built on the conversations and ideas that emerged from day 1, drawing out the learning from the project, looking at how we can influence a shift in attitude and practice to working with older people in museums, and exploring the implications and approaches that museums could take in relation to natural heritage collections that will start to achieve that.