Dr Emily Bradfield

Practitioner Research Associate Collections and Wellbeing

Emily works at the intersection of art, health and wellbeing and is interested in using creative research methods to explore inclusive practice. Her research focuses on how it feels to be ‘in’ the Museum, working with people living with non-visible disabilities and chronic conditions; and developing principles for inclusive practice in the Museum.

The People’s Museum marks the second phase of Take a Walk in My Shoes, a participatory research project focused on the experiences of adults with non-visible disabilities in the Museum. In this phase, community participants are exploring what an accessible and inclusive museum might look like, through a variety of smaller research projects.

Museums for Life has developed from Reimagining, an evaluative project, which explored older adults’ experiences of health and wellbeing initiatives in the Museum. The current phase focuses on creating a new set of principles for inclusive practice in the Museum. The framework is being developed in collaboration with participants, creative practitioners and Museum colleagues and will be piloted through the development of museum programmes.

Emily holds a PhD in Creative Ageing (University of Derby), and an MSc in Cultural Events Management (De Montfort University). She is Founder and Co-Chair of the British Society of Gerontology’s Creative Ageing Special Interest Group, and a member of the Arts Health Early Career Research Network.

Emily has been working in the field of Creative Health within the charity and hospital arts sectors since 2016, leading a local mental health charity (Arts and Minds) and working as an Independent Consultant and Researcher working with clients including: University College London Hospitals Arts and Heritage; Fullscope; Hampshire Cultural Trust; and Air Arts (the arts charity for University Hospitals of Derby and Burton). 

Email: erb71@cam.ac.uk