Plastic Fantastic? exhibition

In 2026, the Youth Forum worked on our Plastic Fantastic? special exhibition at Wakefield Museum.

Plastic Fantastic? explores the history, impact and future of plastics. It delves into their place in our homes and lives, and their effect on our planet today.

The Youth Forum worked with our Curator and Exhibitions Officer to help shape the exhibition. They shared their ideas and feedback on how the exhibition should look and feel. They discussed what visitors should be able to do in the exhibition.

They felt that the exhibition should tell a balanced story about plastics. We should share the positive impact plastic has had on our lives and the gallery should be colourful and joyful. But they also said that we should also talk about the problems with plastic and how they affect our environment.

The Youth Forum wanted to empower people to help with the plastics problem in a positive, hopeful way.

They decided to develop a Youth Forum pledge to encourage people to take action. They looked at the waste hierarchy, ‘Reduce, Reuse, Recycle’, and chose to focus on reuse. They wanted to use their imagination and creativity to give waste plastic a second life.

The Youth Forum decided on a pledge based on the exhibition:  

"Most plastic gets one life, get creative and give it two."

To inspire people, the Youth Forum put the pledge into action themselves. They collected waste plastic and turned old toys, bottle tops and packaging into unique new artworks. These are now on display in the exhibition.

Will you join their pledge?