Speaker: Lucy Hay, Founder and Head Artist, Art on Scarves
Every visitor steps into a museum or heritage site with curiosity and leaves with memories, emotions and a sense of connection to the stories they have encountered.
This talk explores the link between those emotional moments and the choices people make in the gift shop. When a visitor selects a scarf, print or keepsake, they are not simply making a purchase, they are choosing to take a piece of their experience home.
That gift becomes a living reminder. Each time it is worn, displayed or touched, it rekindles the feeling of the exhibition, the atmosphere of the gallery, the wonder of discovery. It allows visitors to relive their visit in small, meaningful ways, turning a single day out into an enduring relationship with the institution.
From a commercial perspective, limited edition and collectible pieces offer museums and heritage sites a powerful opportunity. Carefully designed, exhibition specific collections create a sense of exclusivity and urgency, encouraging purchase in the moment while building long term brand affinity. Visitors are not just buying a product, they are acquiring a piece of cultural history tied to a specific time and place.
By partnering with smaller, artisan led creators, museums gain the flexibility to produce meaningful, bespoke collections in manageable quantities. This allows for lower minimum order volumes, faster design responsiveness and truly thoughtful storytelling. Rather than mass produced merchandise with high volume commitments, these collaborations enable curated, distinctive retail that reflects the institution’s identity and values.
Drawing on Lucy’s experience as a designer of wearable art, this session shares how objects can be crafted to reflect the spirit of an exhibition or place, transforming products into personal treasures. Museums and heritage organisations are invited to see retail not as a transaction, but as an extension of the visitor journey, where thoughtfully designed, collectible gifts continue the story long after the visit, evoking memories that inspire guests to return time and again.
Lucy Hay
