Make Space Exhibition

Exhibition and workshops – May 2025

At the end of May 2025, Make Space York hosted a public exhibition at SPARK in York city centre that brought together research, lived experience, creativity and practical ideas for change. Over the course of the weekend, more than 300 people visited the exhibition, including teenage girls, parents and carers, design professionals, planners and developers, playground manufacturers, community organisations and local councillors.

The exhibition was created to raise awareness of how park design affects women and girls’ use of public space. Research shows that girls’ presence in parks declines sharply during their teenage years, and the patterns set at this age often continue into adulthood. Parks can either support freedom, confidence and connection, or quietly push girls away through design choices that overlook their needs and experiences.

What the exhibition shared

The exhibition brought together national research and local action. It explored the wider evidence on gender and public space, alongside the story of the Make Space York project in Rowntree Park. Visitors were able to follow the journey from the project’s earliest conversations with girls, through to what has been achieved so far, including the co creation of a dedicated space in the park and the annual Festival of Free Events for teenage girls.

Alongside York’s work, the exhibition featured case studies from across the UK, including Bath, Chelmsford and Calderdale, showing how engagement with girls is beginning to shape new approaches to park design and planning. There were also examples of what better can look like internationally, helping visitors imagine parks that support socialising, creativity, safety and belonging.

The exhibition also highlighted the Safer Parks: Improving Access for Women and Girls guidance, in which Rowntree Park is featured as a national case study. This helped connect local action in York to wider policy, practice and professional conversations.

Seen and Heard: teenage girls at the centre

At the heart of the exhibition were the voices and experiences of teenage girls. Two photographic exhibitions titled ‘Teenage Play’ and ‘Seen and Heard’ were created by photographer Bec Hudson Smith in collaboration with Abigail Gaines. The images explored how girls use space, how they play, and how they experience being visible in public environments.

Seen and Heard paired portraits of girls with their own words, sharing their thoughts, frustrations and hopes for parks and public spaces. These images invited visitors to slow down, listen and reflect and they became a powerful starting point for conversation throughout the weekend.

Making, sharing and imagining together

The exhibition was not just something to look at. Throughout the weekend, visitors were invited to take part in creative and interactive activities. These included making zines, badges and manifestos, designing ideal parks using mood boards, and sharing lived experiences and ideas for change.

Workshops were run over the weekend by Jade and Chloe from York Zine Fest, whose experience and warmth helped create a welcoming, playful space where people of all ages felt able to take part, experiment and share their ideas.

Another workshop was led by artist Lucy Monkman -‘Chains’. Ahead of the exhibition, girls took part in workshops to create self portrait links for a growing chain. During the exhibition, more visitors were invited to add their own links. The chain represented both the barriers girls face when accessing parks and public space, and the power of collective action when people come together. By the end of the weekend, it stood as a visible symbol of connection, solidarity and shared responsibility.

Why it matters

Make Space York began with no funding, just a desire to listen to girls and understand how they felt about their local park. What has followed shows what can happen when lived experience is taken seriously and supported by community action. Small changes, shaped with care, can have a meaningful impact.

The exhibition at SPARK created space for conversation, learning and imagination. It brought together people who design, manage and influence public spaces with those who use them every day. By sharing evidence, creativity and real voices, the exhibition invited visitors to question the status quo and consider how parks and public spaces could work better for everyone.

Teenage girls were not treated as a problem to be solved, but as experts in their own lives. The exhibition celebrated their insight, creativity and leadership, and made clear that more inclusive parks are possible when we choose to listen and act.

Make Space York continues, but this exhibition marked an important moment. A moment of being seen, being heard, and imagining what could come next.