Museum truly open to all

With one week to go until we open the doors of V&A Dundee – a living room for the city – we hope you are as excited as us to start using this striking building as a place to gather, be inspired and learn.

Since the inception of V&A Dundee, we have been dedicated to making it open and accessible to all. But what do we mean by that? And what are we doing to ensure that even the hardest to reach parts of our community feel that this special cultural centre is as much for them as it is for others?

V&A Dundee will be packed full of learning and engagement opportunities centred on design to inspire and delight visitors of all ages and abilities. We will offer an exciting programme of events and workshops inspired by our building and exhibitions so everyone can share our enthusiasm for design.

Since 2014, we have been engaging with community groups as the building work got under way and planning programmes for when we open.

If you caught Peter Nurick’s article earlier this week, you will have read about the outreach and education projects we’ve already undertaken. The Community Garden and Bonnetmakers are two highlights to date.

Our learning programmes will be central to the heartbeat of the museum.

It is very important to us that schools from across Scotland can come to the museum and that it enriches their learning experience. This includes a travel grant scheme so transport costs are not a barrier to visiting.

The national schools programme, which includes free school visits, has been co-designed with teachers and will be delivered by practising designers.

From games design to fashion and from architecture to product design, our schools programme encourages pupils and teachers to be curious, ask questions and solve problems.

While initially for schools in Tayside and Fife, they will be open to all schools from early next year.

Dundee is a city of people with many different backgrounds – from local Dundonians to those who have chosen to make the city their home.

Some of these groups can often find themselves detached and disengaged from the wider Dundee community and we want V&A Dundee to be part of the solution that makes them feel at home and part of the city’s exciting future.

V&A Dundee has worked with local charity Amina Muslim Women’s Resource Centre to carry out a collaborative project to connect the local Black, Asian and minority ethnic community to the museum. This project is supported by the Rank Foundation and develops on years of relationship building between Amina and V&A Dundee.

With the support of the Life Changes Trust, V&A Dundee is also working with the local Care Inspectorate team and care providers to develop resources and activities to deliver meaningful experiences for those living with dementia, as well as those who care for them.

Further work to support adults living with – and recovering from – addiction is also planned, as well as projects to support those living in isolation.

V&A Dundee’s front door is open, free and it always will be. While we have a café and restaurant on site, schools can use our dedicated picnic room during term time. At weekends and school holidays, this area will also be available for families.

Being a purpose-built museum, V&A Dundee has been designed with everything you need to get around. From lift access to the top floor for galleries, restaurant and picnic areas to wide spaces to move around we want everyone, no matter what barriers they face, to have the same level of access.

We are thrilled to be preparing to launch the first dedicated design museum in Scotland and to be at the heart of a truly incredible city.

Picture: Kim Cessford. V&A Dundee has been working with local community groups to make everyone in the city feel at home in the museum.