Looking at the Climate Crisis from the “comfort” of the museum: Izzy Hicks MA Museum Studies

Art and Energy first met Izzy Hicks through our Let’s Change Culture work with Plymouth Culture, she joined several sessions as we worked with creative organisations across Plymouth to explore how culture can take action for a brighter greener future.

Izzy uses these sessions as a case study in her dissertation for her Museum Studies MA and talks more broadly about the power of art in talking about the climate crisis and how it can be a vehicle of change. Read more about Izzy’s learning and read her full dissertation below.

“During my time at Arts University Plymouth (AUP) I grew more passionate about sustainability and green community-led problem solving, within the context of a creative institution. I began to see how powerfully connected our creativity and resulting activism were, making an impact on a micro/personal level to a macro/national level. It really was my experience of the two Let’s Change Culture sessions that boosted my belief in this symbiosis. It was seeing how grounding a hand-focused activity was, like making a pom-pom, that encouraged more open and honest conversations with a group of strangers. 

The empowerment that is born from honest and creative interactions really can lead to positive change that ripples through into people’s routines and then into their professional spaces. 

My research was situated within museums and galleries, via the Museum Studies Masters programme at AUP. It was within this context that  I looked at the museum as a resource to engage people in living more kindly with the earth. A resource that is the coalescence of art and science, that can inform intuitive development. This in turn  moves forward ones understanding of the impact of previous decisions. Museums don’t always embody this role, but I argue that to exist in the ever-changing world of today: radical change, accessible science and hopeful creativity are crucial. 

I plan to continue my research beyond my distinction grade and apply it physically within the creative industry, engaging people in sustainability and facilitating positive, safe learning.”

Read Izzy’s dissertation: Looking at the Climate Crisis from the “comfort” of the museum: Izzy Hicks, Museum Studies MA, 2025

Connect with Izzy via her Linkedin profile - https://www.linkedin.com/in/izzy-hicks-0a7a8a338/