What unites Dundee in Scotland, Stratford in east London and Shenzhen in southern China? They are all locations for Victoria and Albert Museum (V&A) outposts as the organisation expands beyond its South Kensington home.
The Stratford project is part of the Olympicopolis culture hub being created on the site of the London 2012 Olympics; the scheme in Shenzhen is a design museum being developed with a Hong Kong-based partner; and the V&A Museum of Design Dundee has various partners, including two universities and the city council.
But what is the strategy for this expansion and how will these satellites be funded and managed?
“The V&A’s approach is very much as collaborative working with appropriate partners, rather than an expansionist strategy,” says a V&A spokeswoman. “The aim is to broaden access to our vast collection.”
But some culture professionals remain unconvinced. “The temptation to extend the franchise is irresistible,” says the design critic Stephen Bayley, who co-founded the Boilerhouse project at the V&A in 1982.
“Obviously, the Guggenheim, Tate and Louvre are reference points… but brand extension is the ruin of businesses that attempt it. I wonder whether it will become an expensive diversion.”
Dundee City Council revealed in January that the V&A Museum of Design Dundee, which is to open by 2018, would cost £80m, up from previous estimates of £45m. The Scottish government has pledged an additional £10m towards it.
But crucially, the V&A, one of five founding partners along with Dundee council, is not responsible for fundraising or running costs.
“We will provide major V&A exhibitions without our usual hire fees,” says the spokeswoman, who stresses that the London institution is lending its “established brand” to the project, and playing an advisory role.
The Shekou Design Museum is a joint project with China Merchants Group, a Hong Kong-based conglomerate. Its property arm, China Merchants Property Development Company, is driving the venture. The V&A signed a five-year deal with it last year.
The museum will be part of the 70,000 sq metre Sea World Arts and Culture Centre designed by the Tokyo-based architect Fumihiko Maki. “The V&A will have a branded gallery and the opportunity to present exhibitions within the Shekou Design Museum,” says the V&A spokeswoman.
The V&A has sent a senior curator to work in Shenzhen on a three-year secondment, while a London-based curatorial team will devise a narrative for the gallery.
On the Olympicopolis site, the spokeswoman says that “permanent galleries will include the first dedicated museum space in the UK to document the full breadth of digital design”. There will also be space for a rolling programme of exhibitions.
Museums Journal understands that the Stratford branch will cost more than £100m but the V&A is not responsible for fundraising. The London Legacy Development Corporation, which is leading the fundraising, declined to comment on costs.
The winning design team for the site, which may include an outpost of the Washington DC-based Smithsonian Museum, is due to be announced in May.
Asked about plans for the South Kensington base, the spokeswoman said that its Future Plan initiative is ongoing. This includes the launch of the Europe 1600-1800 galleries this spring and purpose-built exhibition spaces due for completion in 2017.
“The V&A’s main home remains South Kensington and that is where our fundraising energy goes.”
The Stratford project is part of the Olympicopolis culture hub being created on the site of the London 2012 Olympics; the scheme in Shenzhen is a design museum being developed with a Hong Kong-based partner; and the V&A Museum of Design Dundee has various partners, including two universities and the city council.
But what is the strategy for this expansion and how will these satellites be funded and managed?
“The V&A’s approach is very much as collaborative working with appropriate partners, rather than an expansionist strategy,” says a V&A spokeswoman. “The aim is to broaden access to our vast collection.”
But some culture professionals remain unconvinced. “The temptation to extend the franchise is irresistible,” says the design critic Stephen Bayley, who co-founded the Boilerhouse project at the V&A in 1982.
“Obviously, the Guggenheim, Tate and Louvre are reference points… but brand extension is the ruin of businesses that attempt it. I wonder whether it will become an expensive diversion.”
Dundee City Council revealed in January that the V&A Museum of Design Dundee, which is to open by 2018, would cost £80m, up from previous estimates of £45m. The Scottish government has pledged an additional £10m towards it.
But crucially, the V&A, one of five founding partners along with Dundee council, is not responsible for fundraising or running costs.
“We will provide major V&A exhibitions without our usual hire fees,” says the spokeswoman, who stresses that the London institution is lending its “established brand” to the project, and playing an advisory role.
The Shekou Design Museum is a joint project with China Merchants Group, a Hong Kong-based conglomerate. Its property arm, China Merchants Property Development Company, is driving the venture. The V&A signed a five-year deal with it last year.
The museum will be part of the 70,000 sq metre Sea World Arts and Culture Centre designed by the Tokyo-based architect Fumihiko Maki. “The V&A will have a branded gallery and the opportunity to present exhibitions within the Shekou Design Museum,” says the V&A spokeswoman.
The V&A has sent a senior curator to work in Shenzhen on a three-year secondment, while a London-based curatorial team will devise a narrative for the gallery.
On the Olympicopolis site, the spokeswoman says that “permanent galleries will include the first dedicated museum space in the UK to document the full breadth of digital design”. There will also be space for a rolling programme of exhibitions.
Museums Journal understands that the Stratford branch will cost more than £100m but the V&A is not responsible for fundraising. The London Legacy Development Corporation, which is leading the fundraising, declined to comment on costs.
The winning design team for the site, which may include an outpost of the Washington DC-based Smithsonian Museum, is due to be announced in May.
Asked about plans for the South Kensington base, the spokeswoman said that its Future Plan initiative is ongoing. This includes the launch of the Europe 1600-1800 galleries this spring and purpose-built exhibition spaces due for completion in 2017.
“The V&A’s main home remains South Kensington and that is where our fundraising energy goes.”