Julie and Eimear from NIRN and Artitude recently attended the Community of Practice: Museums of Hope conference held in the Ulster Museum, Belfast.  The event was to explore how, through thoughtful programming, informed scientific research and meaningful community engagement, we can respond to narratives of climate doom and apathy with empowering exhibitions and events.

Programmed by the Museum of Natural History in London, in partnership with Museums NI and the NI Museums Council, the event explored how through the arts and museums, we can combine scientific data and storytelling for people and planet.

The event had speakers from various organisations in Northern Ireland who engage the public with the topic of climate change, including the Ulster Museum, the Armagh Planetarium and Observatory, Northern Ireland Environment Link Climate NI team and the Natural History Museum.

Topics discussed included how to engage young children with the difficult subject in an engaging and entertaining way, how to incorporate facts and figures into public engagement and using the arts and visual aids to assist with learning and understanding.   Participants received a guided tour from DR Mike Simms, of the Ulster Museum’s new ‘Wild Ireland, Past Present and Future’ exhibition, focusing on Irish biodiversity from before the time of the dinosaurs and what the future could look like.  The exhibition uses visual storytelling as a powerful fusion of art and science to immerse visitors in the rich history of Ireland’s biodiversity.  Participants were also allowed time outside to complete some biological recording in the beautiful botanic Gardens, led by The Ulster Museum’s education team.

In the afternoon, it was NIRN’s turn to present the fantastic Artitude project.  Julie chose to use two animations - Story of a Jumper, and Zero waste North West to demonstrate the excellent work delivered so far on the Artitude project.  Participants were particularly interested in how the animations were designed, using a storytelling methodology from Dr Marshall Gantz from Harvard University.

We discussed the completion of phase one of the project and the fantastic outputs achieved so far, and Julie outlined the plans for phase two of the project, due to begin in the coming months.  This was a great opportunity to spread the word about the Artitude project, and to hear some objective feedback from peers working in similar fields.  All participants were impressed with the scope and ethos of artitude, with many wanting to know more and ways to become involved in the future.