Join us to explore how museums can design and sustain participatory practice that is ethical, inclusive and capable of creating meaningful change.

Across the UK, museums are re-evaluating what participation truly means. Many organisations have experimented with consultation and co-creation, yet it can remain difficult to embed shared decision-making structurally, balance community influence with institutional responsibility, and sustain relationships beyond individual projects.

This interactive study day explores what it takes to move from inviting people to participate towards enabling them to influence what museums do and how decisions are made. Drawing on almost two decades of experience across national museums, cultural institutions and place-based organisations, Afia will share honest learning from a range of participatory projects. These include community-led approaches to interpreting place, architecture and lived experience; establishing paid structures through which young people can influence major cultural developments; evaluating collaborative museum practice in ways that centre the people involved; and exploring community-rooted models of cultural leadership and governance.

The day will consider different dimensions of participation, including trust-building, youth leadership, shared authority, institutional change, participatory evaluation and long-term relationship building. It will also explore the less tidy realities of the work: what happens when collaboration becomes complex, expectations conflict, institutional systems create barriers or projects do not develop as originally planned.

Through case studies, real-life dilemmas, practical exercises and peer exchange, participants will have opportunities to reflect on their own work, learn from the experience of others and identify realistic actions they can take back to their organisations. The day is designed for anyone working in or alongside museums and cultural settings, whether they are new to participatory practice, already developing it or looking to deepen and rethink their approach. It offers an honest and supportive space to explore the complexities of the work, share experiences and reflect alongside others.

Reimagining Participation in Museums: Building Power With, Not For, Communities
Study Day, Tuesday 9 February, Central London
Led by Afia Yeboah Owoyale

About the Workshop Leader

Afia Yeboah Owoyale is a cultural producer, community engagement specialist and consultant with almost two decades of experience across the arts, museums and heritage sectors. Her career has included roles and projects with the Southbank Centre, Chisenhale Dance Space, the V&A, the Horniman Museum and Gardens, the British Museum, and a range of community-led and place-based cultural organisations. She is Senior Producer for Community Partnerships and Participatory Practice at V&A East, where she has led programmes and partnerships that bring community knowledge, lived experience and young people’s voices into the development of a major new cultural institution. Alongside this, she works independently across participatory practice, audience development, evaluation and organisational learning. She is also Co-Chair and a community representative for Three Rivers Bexley, part of Arts Council England’s Creative People and Places programme.

Book Tickets

Click ‘Select options’ below to book your place on the study day. Tickets are available on a sliding scale from £137 – £177. Book with colleagues for multiple delegate discounts. Book your ticket online below or email info@museum-id.com if you prefer to be invoiced.

Want to join us for several study days? You can save with our 2027 Study Day Ticket Bundle.

20% of tickets are available at a reduced rate for museum workers who may often be excluded from training and professional development opportunities, including people of colour, LGBTQ+ members of staff, students, freelancers, and those working at small independent museums. Reduced rate tickets are £97 – email info@museum-id.com to check availability and to book a ticket at the reduced rate.

Tickets are non-refundable but may be swapped between colleagues at the same organisation and between different study days (if places are available). If the workshop is postponed, your ticket remains valid for the rescheduled date.