Belonging in Wild
The project’s goals were as follows:
- Support neurodivergent and d/Deaf young adults and artists to contribute their knowledge and experience of the natural world and environmental action
- To increase wider public understanding and awareness of different multi-sensory experiences of the natural world through the Wild exhibition
- Test and shape the museum’s internal working practices and approach to equitable co-creation with underrepresented communities
On World Environment Day 2024, Manchester Museum opened Wild, a major new exhibition which explores human relationships to ‘wildness’ and nature. From international rewilding projects to local urban environments, Wild shares examples of how nature is experienced and accessed now and aims to inspire action and imagination for our wild futures.
The Belonging in Wild project set out to work with neurodivergent and d/Deaf young adults and artists to investigate and contribute their experiences through a display of new artwork in the exhibition.
“My daughter nearly cried when we found the Open Dyslexia folders. She was so happy she was able to sit and read something more easily.”
Working in partnership with Venture Arts, Pinc College, Manchester Deaf Centre and SORD over 18 months, the project included co-developed artist residencies, artist-led workshops, a neurodivergent-friendly ‘Climate Café’ and nature walks with local community group Ardwick Climate Action.
A group from Manchester Deaf Centre’s Children and Young People’s Service were supported by a filmmaker to direct and produce ‘Escape to the Wild’, reflecting their creative vision of what nature and wildness represents to them as d/Deaf and hard of hearing young adults.
For Neurodiversity Celebration Week, Pinc College students and Venture Arts artists took over the Wild exhibition with a pop-up display, workshops and artist talks – including the accomplished autistic wildlife photographer Alfie Bowen.
“I most enjoyed how adaptive the event was to neurodivergent people, and how welcoming everyone was. The art, of course, was wonderful to look at, and the talk we attended was really lovely and uplifting. I loved it all!”
Guided by partners and the museum’s environmental action manager and Wild curatorial team, the project created space for reflection on how different lived experiences shape our relationship to individual and collective environmental action.
As the Wild exhibition comes to an end, the next steps are to reflect on Belonging in Wild’s legacy. At Manchester Museum it has grown partnerships and opportunities to continue improving neurodivergent and d/Deaf representation and experience in the museum, enabled the further development of accessible resources for visitors, and supported staff and volunteer learning that can be embedded in future strategic planning.
