How to think like an ancestor

Join RSA fellow and Amateur Ancestor Justine Boussard on a unique time-travelling workshop designed to expand your sense of agency when it comes to tackling the climate emergency.

Part museum tour of the Great North Museum: Hancock and part participatory workshop at the Farrell Centre, we will look for the roots of our current predicaments, before imagining futures worth longing for and our pathway to them.

This workshop is designed to allow you to take a step back from day-to-day delivery to look at the bigger picture. If you wish to explore what your and your organisation’s roles are in these urgent times, then this is the workshop for you. If you need reenergising in your own climate work, then this is the workshop for you too.

About Justine Boussard FRSA:

Justine is a curator and storyteller with over 15 years’ experience working in the heritage and public art sectors. She founded the Amateur Ancestor Project in 2020 to explore the role of museum collections in addressing the climate crisis from a cultural perspective. Through her programmes, participants from all sectors and walks of life get to expand their sense of time, reflect on how worldviews shape the way we live, think beyond silos, and rediscover their sense of agency. The Amateur Ancestor project has been supported by the Arts Council, Creative UK and the Natural History Museum. It features in Rob Hopkin’s latest book How To Fall in Love With The Future, in the chapter: ‘Learning from the Pioneers’.

Happily relocated in the North East since 2023, she has worked extensively with North East Museums and Sunderland Museum and Winter Gardens amongst others. She is a member of Climate Museum UK and as of 2025, a fellow of the RSA.

Taking part in RSA in-person events

To participate in this event, you will need to register for a ticket so that we can manage capacity. Our events are frequently oversubscribed so if you are subsequently unable to attend, please cancel your Eventbrite booking so we can make room for others on the Wait List.

Accessibility and Inclusivity

At the RSA, we strive to create an inclusive and supportive environment for all Fellows. We ask that you fill out the accessibility requirements box in your Eventbrite booking form in advance of our events to ensure that we can accommodate such requirements.

Join Circle and connect with others who attend this event

Join Circle, the RSA’s community platform, to stay up to date on the latest events and connect with Fellows across the world. To get started on Circle, you need to have a My RSA account. If you already have a My RSA account, your account details will be the same for Circle.

Data and Personal Information

By registering for this event you consent to receiving communications about this event, both before and after, and you agree to the sharing of your name, organisation & title with the Fellow(s) and/or partner organisation(s) hosting this event. Attendees also agree to the sharing of their name and organisation with other delegates at the event so that they might contact you. If you do not wish this information to be shared, please let us know by emailing: fellowship@rsa.org.uk.

Please note that filming/photography may take place at this event for promotional and archival purposes. If you would prefer not to be photographed, please let us know by contacting fellowship@rsa.org.uk.

The information you provide when registering for an event will be retained by the RSA and will be used to record attendance at the event. To understand more about how the RSA uses your data, please see our Privacy Policy.

Please be aware that registrations will close two hours before the event is due to start.