The Flower Monster workshop: a creative method for professionals in libraries, archives and museums to reflect on democracy

Purpose Democracy is often invoked as a core value of public libraries, archives and museums (LAMs) in Western countries. This article starts from the proposition that democratic work in LAMs is more than a mission statement, an abstract ideal, or a rhetorical label. Therefore, it presents the Flower Monster workshop, a creative visual workshop tool designed to help LAM professionals critically examine and reflect on their role in supporting democracy in day-to-day work. Design/methodology/approach The theory-based workshop was developed through iterative collaboration between researchers, an artist and LAM practitioners. It evolved from traditional process diagrams into a complex, tentacled visual representation accompanied by figures of democracy. The tool employs speculative, non-deterministic and playful imagery to facilitate open-ended discussions rather than prescriptive solutions. Workshops with practitioners and researchers tested and refined the model. Findings The Flower Monster and the accompanying figures of democracy serve both as a heuristic device and a provocation for institutional discussions on democracy. By avoiding deterministic frameworks, the visual tool engages LAM professionals in meaningful dialogue about democratic values, institutional practices and societal challenges without imposing predetermined answers. Practical implications The workshop provides LAM professionals with a practical workshop tool for addressing urgent questions about their own and their institutions' democracy work. Its non-prescriptive nature enables culturally sensitive, context-specific discussions about democracy support while respecting institutional diversity and professional autonomy. Originality/value This work introduces an innovative, arts-based approach to addressing democracy work in cultural heritage institutions. The speculative and playful visual methodology represents an innovative departure from conventional strategic planning tools, offering LAMs a creative framework for navigating politically complex terrain.