The Courier & Advertiser (Perth and Perthshire Edition)
Government cash to secure stability of V&A post-Covid
Millions of pounds have been committed to the V&A Dundee to secure its future as the effects of coronavirus are felt on the leisure sector.
Bosses at the museum have said the £12 million Scottish Government cash boost will allow for the V&A to develop into Scotland’s “centre for design” as the extra funding is delivered over the next three years.
The new money will be in addition to the £1m annual funding already delivered by the Scottish Government.
Like all museums across the country, the V&A was forced to close last year as the coronavirus pandemic swept the nation.
After a restricted reopening over the summer, it was forced to close again as the second wave of infections struck.
The money will allow for a number of new partnerships to be announced later this year aimed at promoting design as one of Scotland’s “greatest resources”.
It is expected the partnerships will build on already existing projects, such as:
Design for Business, which works with organisations across Scotland to apply design skills to social or business challenges;
Schools Design Challenge, which helps secondary schools empower pupils to solve life problems;
Sewing Box for the Future, which sees the museum working with Dundee University to address waste in the fashion industry;
Work with Alzheimer Scotland to deliver digital activities for people with dementia and their carers;
Community outreach and skills development, including working with Dundee charity Front Lounge to train young parents for an SQA qualification in textiles.
It is hoped the extra money will also help protect jobs at the museum.
A study found the V&A created a £75m boost to the Scottish economy in its first year.
Culture Secretary Fiona Hyslop said: “Since opening in 2018, V&A Dundee has become an important part of Scotland’s cultural life and has played a unique role as Scotland’s design museum.”
Museum director Leonie Bell said: “V&A Dundee is unique in Scotland as a place to explore and enjoy design of the past, present and future, and as a catalyst for new thinking, innovation and debate.”
The museum will reopen later in 2021 with new exhibition Night Fever: Designing Club Culture.
The show will be the first large-scale examination of the relationship between club culture and design, charting the evolution of nightclubs from the 1960s to the present day.