Blog / The Missing Museum: A Space for Imagining Possibilities

The Missing Museum: A Space for Imagining Possibilities

by DJ McDowall, Creative Director, The Imaginarium + Co-Curator of The Missing Museum. 

The power of The Missing Museum dwells not in its walls—because, quite simply, it has none. It exists within empty rooms, spaces without limit, a museum that lives and breathes within the expansiveness and responsiveness of The Imaginarium. Here, we don’t just dwell on the possibilities; we actively create them.

More than a museum, it is an invitation—an open call to explore, question, and (re)claim the narratives that have long been under-represented, misrepresented or erased. It challenges outdated frameworks of curation and replaces the invisible hand of the traditional curator with something far more democratic: a cohort of Community Curators. Through participatory approaches, we shift the power, making space for voices that have long been on the margins—or actively hidden or ignored—to take centre stage, (re)claiming and (re)placing their space in our shared collective history.

The Art of (Re)Placement

At The Missing Museum, we don’t just reveal history—we proactively (re)view it, (re)present it, and (re)place it where it rightfully belongs, in the hearts and minds of its local communities. By asking what belongs in a museum and who gets to decide what is saved or lost, we spark deeper questions and conversations about inclusion, representation, and the power dynamics of storytelling. What happens when communities, rather than institutions, curate their own histories? The answer lies in the museum’s ongoing evolution—a living, breathing archive of collective memory and possibility.

The Curious Case of Forres and its Missing Museum

When The Missing Museum team landed in Forres for the first time, we found a striking synchronicity—there was, quite literally, a missing museum in the heart of the community.

This revelation exploded open The Imaginarium. We were so clearly where we needed to be. At that moment, Forres was exploring options for the reopening of its main local museum and its future sustainability. 

The Missing Museum’s interactive Participatory Appraisal approach was one we knew could be of use, exemplifying the potential of our creative participatory practice for undertaking rich, meaningful community consultation. The Missing Museum had found a focus, its raison d’etre for Forres —allowing us to fully harness its framework and methodologies, applying them to help engage community members and decision-makers alike, while helping to shift perspectives on what a museum could be. Forres, with its rich cultural tapestry and vibrant community spirit, felt like a natural home.

The Alchemy of Community

Collectively, we couldn’t believe the synchronicities that arose—the like-minded souls, the natural symbiosis of our practice, and the aligned levels of our values and passion were a joy to behold. It was as if fate itself had orchestrated our arrival. 

And then, there was Margot Henderson—the inimitable, renowned storyteller, poet and cultural custodian, who lives down Memory Lane. Margot’s work dovetailed perfectly into The Missing Museum mindset, bringing voices of the past into conversation with the present, helping to inform our futures. Her passion for uncovering hidden histories and amplifying marginalised narratives made her an invaluable ally in our mission to explore what heritage means to the communities of Forres today, while also exemplifying how we can make it truly engaging and meaningful. Margot was already the personification and living embodiment of The Missing Museum. There couldn’t have been a better match.

The Missing Museum is an active concept conceived and created by The Imaginarium. This Forres edition was commissioned through The Stove Network on behalf of Findhorn Bay Arts, with contributions from Margot Henderson, Kresanna Aigner (Findhorn Bay Arts), Helen Avenell (Heritage Consultant), Christiane Friauf (Friends of the Falconer), and the many other kindred spirits we have engaged with along the way. We’ve found an ecosystem like ours that cultivates creative placemaking and is passionate about reimagining and reactivating the power of its cultural heritage through a creative, contemporary, relevant, and community-led lens.

Flexing the Boundaries of a Museum

The Missing Museum is constantly flexing and reshaping the notion of what a museum can be. What stories are worth telling? What stories are missing? What objects are worth preserving? Who decides? And most importantly, what informs that decision-making process? These are the questions that drive our work, pushing us to explore new ways of engaging with audiences and creating experiences that are not just informative, but transformative.

From rethinking what’s considered ‘museum-worthy’ and ‘valuable’, to designing exhibitions and pop-up experiences that are as dynamic and fluid as the communities they represent, The Missing Museum exists in a state of perpetual becoming. And that’s the beauty of it—it is never finished, never static, on a continuum of responsiveness, reflection, questing, and questioning.

A Space for Everyone

Whether you’re a little curious, a wannabe Curatrix, a gamer, a budding Enola Holmes, a re-enactor, a history buff, a maker, a creative thinker, or a local decision-maker seeking inspiration—The Missing Museum offers something for you.

It’s a space where inspiration meets action, where hidden stories come to life, where time travel exists, allowing the past, present, and future to collide in delightfully unexpected ways.

It is a canvas for collective imagination and collective ‘imagineering’. 

So, get ready to step inside—or rather, step into the possibilities.

Step into The Missing Museum, here, the extraordinary tales of our past await, ready to surprise and inspire, revealing histories that are as unexpected as they are enlightening.

 “History is not just what has happened; it is also what we choose to remember and choose to forget.” —  Jill Lepore, American historian and journalist.

Four women artists  meeting  in a garden planning The Missing Museum project.

Related Project

2024
 - 2025
We invite you to explore the lost histories of Moray by reimagining Moray - Then and Now and immerse yourself in the wild of The Missing Museum to become our Community Co-Curators taking a fresh look at how we (re)view the past and its impact on our future.

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Read artist and storyteller Margot Henderson's blog on our latest project The Missing Museum.