The pandemic was an opportunity for many organisations to re-evaluate and realign their purpose for the future. The Liminal Space was invited by Wellcome to create a bespoke piece of work for Science and Discovery Centres, building upon our Mindsets for Museums of the Future work that reflected learnings and opportunities for museums as they look towards the next decade. This next iteration would tailor our work towards a sector that is diverse, funded by a range of business models and that has a clear goal to engage the public in science.
There is lots of knowledge and ideas held within the sector, so our challenge was to design a process that captured this insight and included a range of perspectives from different levels and roles, as well as bringing in our outsider perspective to help organisations think creatively and ambitiously about what’s next.
We designed a consultation process that saw us carry out in depth interviews with senior Science Centre professionals, academics and consultants based in the UK and US. We conducted a survey open to the sector, wider cultural practitioners and the public and hosted workshops for two groups of Science Centre professionals and freelancers. Bringing this insight together with consultation from member organisation ASDC, we created an initial stimulus report that outlined missions and opportunities for the sector, and a call to action for people to join us for a deeper, residential enquiry.
“[We need] more citizen science. Less a feel of us and them, more a call to arms for everyone to engage in scientific discovery. There is still so much we don't know! Less 'look at what amazing things we have discovered' and more 'what are you going to discover today?” - Respondent to ISF survey
Science and Discovery Centre professionals from across the UK and Ireland convened at a collective enquiry workshop hosted by Thinktank, in Birmingham, to share their pandemic experiences and surface the questions and issues that were most important to them. We heard from experts across academia, museums and other cultural institutions and initiated creative exercises that moved conversations forward and identified opportunities for what’s next. This allowed for critical conversations about a shared future , and the outcomes from these conversations enabled us to adapt, edit and refine thinking that authentically reflected the ambitions of those involved.
We captured our findings in an interactive report that represents a collective intention for the future of the sector. Our report headlines the idea that ’Science and Discovery Centres will empower, inform and inspire people to become Citizens for the Future, offering them lifelong learning opportunities and moments to use, practice and question science and its connection to the world around them’.
Our findings are supported by an action plan, with clear missions and opportunities to guide both long term evolution and short term actions. We co-delivered a session at the ASDC conference with Ben Rutherford-Orrock from Life Science, Newcastle to make sure dissemination of the thinking included the voices of those who shaped it.
“We need to think less about the building we're in and more about the audience we're talking to - meeting people where they're at” - Attendee, Collective Enquiry workshop
We engaged around 100 different Science and Discovery Centre professionals to develop these insights and opportunities, and the report has already been engaged with thousands of times. This work will also form part of a second phase of Mindsets + Missions programme, bringing together our thinking with museums work in a larger engagement programme.
“After taking part, I feel more optimistic and have increased solidarity with fellow Science Centres” - Attendee, Collective Enquiry workshop
“What most impressed me was the care The Liminal Space took in crafting their approach towards Science and Discovery Centre futures. It was a combination of provoking us with interesting mindsets, really listening to sector participants and a bit of lateral thinking that led to a visionary approach. Being a veteran of the sector, it is great to learn new ways of thinking – fresh perspectives and ideas that move us on from the same ole diatribes. The Liminal Space stretched our thinking and provided our sector with new approaches, based on their insights.” - Mike Sarna, Inspiring Science Fund Manager, Wellcome Trust
