Young V&A’s redesign put children’s creativity at its centre
The July 2023 reopening converted the former Museum of Childhood into a more hands-on venue.
Explainer
Young V&A opened in Bethnal Green, London, on July 1, 2023, following the transformation of the former V&A Museum of Childhood. The redesigned institution placed children and young people at the centre of its approach to art, design and performance.
The V&A described an audience from birth to age 14 and a programme developed with young people. Its opening material listed sensory play spaces, a construction area, a performance and storytelling stage, a design studio and other opportunities to make and experiment.
The collection remained part of the experience. The opening announcement described about 2,000 objects drawn from the museum’s art, design and performance holdings, connecting practical activities with examples of creative work across different places and periods.
The distinction between a display about childhood and a museum designed for children is visible in those choices. Visitors were given spaces to build, tell stories and investigate design as well as to look at objects. The building’s new use therefore involved interpretation and activity, not only a new name.
The V&A’s later 2024 account of the completed project confirmed the July 2023 opening and described a £13 million capital transformation. Its emphasis on hands-on activity connected the collection with spaces designed around children’s interests. Building, storytelling and design work became ways into the material on display, giving families several forms of participation within the same museum visit and broadening the building’s established educational role.
Sources
- Young V&A opening announcement — 2023-03-01
- Young V&A completed-project account — 2024-04-30
