Fieldnote #16: In which we imagine co-designing an exhibition by using the UN SDG’s

A recurring theme is emerging: a desire to include, and collaborate with, diverse perspectives during creative processes.

This approach makes sense.

It enables access to unconventional thinking, new ideas, and different types of outputs. And these outputs will resonate with more types of people.

But how do we collaborate?

Switching to a collaborative mindset is difficult if you are an incumbent organisation with entrenched ways of working inherited from a previous epoch.

#

A quick way to begin authentic collaboration is to engage with changemakers. These are people with a mindset primed to engage in collaborative activities (I have written about changemakers in a previous fieldnote).

How?

First, a facilitating framework needs to be established.

The United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDG’s) provide this. The 17 goals can galvanise around various social, environmental and economic challenges that our world faces.

By collaborating through this framework, organizations and individuals can ensure their work contributes to larger societal goals and creates positive change.

#

Let us imagine that we are developing an exhibition around a painting.

We might begin by interpreting themes in the artwork and then drawing connections between these and the 17 goals.

A cluster of 3–5 goals might be chosen. These become connective hubs between the painting and wider global initiatives, volunteer networks, crowdfunding campaigns, social summits, and local networks.

The painting is acting as a bridge, or a platform, for dialogue and participatory action.

Then a programme might be developed aimed at empowering people to become their own creative protagonist in this UN world. They can find opportunities to engage in various forms of collective action, creative connection, and curative commonality.

Going further, the shared language of the SDG’s can interlink exhibitions together. This might happen both internally and externally with other institutions. This is an authentic way to amplify an exhibitions impact and extend its reach beyond the gallery walls.

A crucial part of this approach will be innovating the documentation of the exhibition so that it has an afterlife.