V&A has touched 100,000 lives before opening, say operators

Exhibitions and talks have been taking place to spread the word

Dundee’s new flagship V&A museum has already reached more than 100,000 people as part of its pre-opening programme, its operators say.

The museum, to open in September, has been going around small community centres as well as major international design festivals.

Exhibitions such as the Schools Design Challenge in Dundee’s Overgate shopping centre and the international Milan Design Triennale reached almost 70,000, while staff talks and international and local public events reached around 30,000.

The figure was revealed during a Scottish Parliament reception yesterday to celebrate the £80.1 million museum.

Philip Long, director of V&A Dundee, said involving the public in the museum’s programme made sense as design is about “improving people’s lives”.

He said: “V&A Dundee is a new museum for the whole of Scotland and since 2013 our team has been active across Scotland, the UK and overseas.

“Design is fundamentally about improving people’s lives and from the start of V&A Dundee, we’ve put people at the heart of our programme and we’ve gone out to them, in schools, community halls, shopping centres and even a mobile travelling gallery.

“We could not have achieved this without the incredible support of our partners, founders and funders who have all made it possible for us to reach huge numbers of people before we’ve even opened. Now, we’re focused on the hard work ahead, to get V&A Dundee open on Saturday September 15 and to show world-class exhibitions alongside permanent galleries and a regularly changing programme of events for people of all ages.”

Young people will play a central role in the opening event, as part of Scotland’s Year of Young People 2018.

A new V&A Dundee Young People’s Collective, a group of young people aged 16-24 from diverse backgrounds across the city, will help design and plan the opening celebration.

The first exhibition will follow, named Ocean Liners: Speed and Style, which reimagines the golden age of ocean travel and explores all aspects of ship design.

Seona Reid, chairwoman of the Heritage Lottery Fund Scotland committee, said: “When it opens its doors to the world in September, V&A Dundee will be a very significant addition to Scotland’s cultural landscape and legacy.

“As well as celebrating the notable contribution that Scots and Scotland have made and continue to make, to the world of design, V&A Dundee will inform, educate and inspire people with the power of design across the ages and across the world.”

We’ve put people at the heart of our programme. PHILIP LONG, V&A

Pictures: Julie Howden/Alan Richardson. Left: a V&A Bonnets project fashion show at the Wellgate Centre, Dundee. Right: the launch of the V&A Community Garden with volunteer Joyce Hannah Cuthbert and V&A Dundee director Philip Long.

Clockwise from top: Rosebank Primary School and Our Lady’s RC Primary School pupils help out making bonnets; the Scottish Design Relay at the Michelin Training Centre, Dundee; and Joyce Hannah Cuthbert tells of her “funusual” experience in the V&A...