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I am a creative curator and consultant dedicated to Regenerative Culture as the force of hope in face of the Earth Crisis. I braid together my multi-passionate creativity and analytical intelligence to help communities and cultural organisations grasp the reality of this crisis, find their flow and grow their capacities to change the world. See this post for ways you can support this Regenerative Culture leadership.

I have 30 years of experience in running, developing and evaluating learning and digital programmes in museums, heritage, arts and science. This includes managing learning services at Tate and the British Library, and delivering hundreds of contracts as director of Flow Associates since 2006. I have carried a lifelong passion for the environment and concern about its growing devastation, expressed through many artistic and community projects. In 2018, I decided to shift my working pattern to establish Climate Museum UK to creatively stir and collect responses to the climate & ecological emergency, and in 2019, I co-founded Culture Declares – a community of individuals and organisations declaring and acting on this emergency. 

I am passionate about enabling people to unlock their imaginative capacities, to be more Possitopian about the future, to challenge corruption and inequality, and to shift to more ecocentric ways of knowing.

Find my book Find Your Flow and Change the World here.

Follow me on @bridgetmck

Creativity and advocacy

  • CREATIVE ENVIRONMENTAL ACTIVISM: I’m a Creative Climate Leader. As well as working on Climate Museum UK and Culture Declares Emergency, I’ve also set up the call-out campaign Everyday Ecocide, and Beuysterous which promotes creative actions for trees & forests.
  • SPEAKING: Talking and facilitating at conferences internationally on museums, ecology, learning and digital futures. I’ve given highly-rated keynote talks and workshops at conferences all over Europe.
  • CREATIVE ART AND WRITING: Creative ecological projects. Painting, collage, poetry and illustration. Developing a visual handbook called Find Your Flow and Change the World. Many articles, blogs, personal research and creative writing.
  • PHOTOGRAPHY: See on Flickr and Instagram
  • MUSIC: Singing with guitar. Classical training in violin, recorder, early music instruments and bassoon
  • GOVERNANCE: Advisory group of Culture Unstained; climate advisor to Up Projects; former Parent Governor of the BRIT School for Performing Arts & Technology; former trustee of ONCA.

Work experience

May 2018 – present: Founding Director of Climate Museum UK

Projects and achievements include:

  • Activist Museum Award supported by University of Leicester, an enquiry into the links between climate and colonial histories, and exploring ideas for an ‘eco lens’ on digital cultural collections.
  • Royal Academy Eco Visionaries exhibition – participatory workshop to create an Earth First city, and a pop-up installation of our collections.
  • Hayward Gallery Among the Trees exhibition – training workshops for teachers, and workshop for three primary schools, linking climate and trees.
  • Kings College London – a programme for students and public in response to the ‘Lost Girl’ exhibition
  • Kirklees Declares – our Print It Yourself display was in a pop-up shop in Huddersfield with a programme of activities to explore the Earth crisis.
  • Lewisham Local – running Creative Climate Conversations with Lewisham residents

March 2006-present: Founding Director of Flow Associates

I founded Flow Associates with Mark Stevenson, and since 2010 helped form a sister branch in India. Since 2015 my co-director is Susanne Buck. In 2019, I became part time to set up Climate Museum UK, and Alex Flowers has joined as a director.

In Flow, we bring teams of excellent people together to support cultural organisations with learning and digital strategies and research. Small selection of typical projects:

  • Future Views: Research and creative consultative workshops for three Bridge organisations to imagine the future of cultural learning
  • Evaluation of the Happy Museums Project
  • Mapping the use of technology in the heritage sector to inform HLF policy
  • Research to inform ACE strategy on commissioning digital services for children, young people and the education sector
  • Evaluation of the National Museums Online Learning Project
  • Advising English Heritage on collections, education and outreach strategy
  • Advocacy for Open Culture digital strategy with Collections Trust & MLA
  • Delivered the National Collections Online Study for national museums & Culture24
  • Facilitation of schools creative enquiry projects for Creative Partnerships.

2002-2006           Head of Learning at the British Library

As a key member of the Senior Leadership Team, I was responsible for an organisation-wide learning strategy, I set up and managed the British Library Learning team, who ran workshops, major projects and websites based on principles of ‘creative enquiry’. The role included: Chair of Public & Learning Web Group; negotiating joint projects with BBC; developing new public exhibitions; partnerships with universities; representing BL on national education policies. I also devised three Strategic Commissioning projects for DCMS/DfES, including Campaign: make an impact, a successful nationwide project.

1999-2002           Cultural learning consultant, including:

  • Teaching, training teachers and evaluating projects for many galleries and museums, including Tate Modern & Tate Britain
  • Lead consultant for Clore Duffield Foundation (especially for The Artworks Awards)
  • Co-ordinating museum partnerships for the Workers Educational Association
  • Writing books & articles, published by engage review, The Art Book & Heinemann & editor of engagements, printed newsletter for gallery education

1998      Young at Art Coordinator, University of the Arts

I set up 40 courses, 12 awards, teacher training & careers initiative for 5 art colleges, for the first widening participation programme at the University of the Arts (previously the London Institute).

I managed the Tate Education programme for 100,000 school visitors, including teacher training, special projects, study days and education resources. This role included: Curating 15 project exhibitions; co-devising programmes for families, youth, art students and community groups; representing Education on the Displays Committee; helping to develop Tate Modern and the website www.tate.org.uk

1985-2000           Formative work experiences & traineeships, including:

  • 1995-2000 engage (National Association for Gallery Education), executive for London organising training events, research projects and newsletters
  • 1993: Brighton Hospital Arts, Cross-arts work with disabled people
  • 1991: Brighton Museums & Art Gallery, Voluntary education assistant
  • 1991: Teaching Art History at Brighton College of Technology
  • 1990-1991: Sussex Archaeological Society, 1 year as a trainee and 3 months as Education Officer
  • 1987: Brighton Museums & Art Gallery, voluntary exhibitions assistant
  • 1985-6: Norwich Castle Museum, 1 year FT as curatorial assistant.

Qualifications

  • 1998-2002: Chelsea College of Art & Design, MA in Art History
  • 1991-1992: University of Brighton, Post Graduate Certificate in Education
  • 1990-1991: BCT, City & Guilds Certificate in Further & Adult Education
  • 1986-1989: University of Sussex, BA Hons in History of Art

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