V&A at Dundee has been awarded £9.4m by the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) towards its development. The grant will support the capital costs of the building as well as education work.
Philip Long, director of V&A at Dundee, described the award as a massive vote of confidence in the project.
“Scotland's achievement in design is world-class and centuries old. The development of V&A at Dundee will for the first time provide Scotland with a dedicated centre to celebrate that achievement, as well as a place to see and understand the design creativity of other countries and cultures.”
The HLF grant will help to fund the Scottish Design Galleries. The content of the galleries is currently being developed and will range from the 17th century to the present day across all media.
Construction of the new museum will begin in the summer. It is anticipated the building will complete in late 2016, with the first full year of programming in 2017.
But the development has not been without its detractors. One museum professional told Museums Journal that it was a shame that Scotland’s award winning institutions were not considered good enough to take on the challenge of developing a new cultural institution in Dundee.
The source, who preferred not to be named, asked if there were any guarantees that income generated wouldn’t end up in already well-resourced London institutions.
In response, Long said the V&A at Dundee had been developed by Scottish partners from the outset.
“V&A at Dundee is not an 'out-station' of the V&A, but a partnership project developed for its particular local and national context by a dedicated team based in Dundee. It is not a franchise motivated by financial return, but will contribute to the development of design and the broader prosperity of Dundee and Scotland.
"There is no question that any of the income generated by V&A at Dundee will be transferred to London - it will all be invested back into V&A at Dundee to the benefit of its activities.
"From a V&A perspective, V&A at Dundee will also allow the museum's extraordinary holdings of design, particularly those items with Scottish heritage, to be shared more widely.”
V&A at Dundee is being delivered by Design Dundee Ltd, a partnership between the Victoria and Albert Museum, Dundee City Council, the University of Dundee, the University of Abertay and Scottish Enterprise.
The Scottish Government has committed £15m towards the project’s £45m capital budget. Creative Scotland is expected to make a decision shortly on the museum’s Round 2 submission.
The remaining £15m is being sought from private sources.
Philip Long, director of V&A at Dundee, described the award as a massive vote of confidence in the project.
“Scotland's achievement in design is world-class and centuries old. The development of V&A at Dundee will for the first time provide Scotland with a dedicated centre to celebrate that achievement, as well as a place to see and understand the design creativity of other countries and cultures.”
The HLF grant will help to fund the Scottish Design Galleries. The content of the galleries is currently being developed and will range from the 17th century to the present day across all media.
Construction of the new museum will begin in the summer. It is anticipated the building will complete in late 2016, with the first full year of programming in 2017.
But the development has not been without its detractors. One museum professional told Museums Journal that it was a shame that Scotland’s award winning institutions were not considered good enough to take on the challenge of developing a new cultural institution in Dundee.
The source, who preferred not to be named, asked if there were any guarantees that income generated wouldn’t end up in already well-resourced London institutions.
In response, Long said the V&A at Dundee had been developed by Scottish partners from the outset.
“V&A at Dundee is not an 'out-station' of the V&A, but a partnership project developed for its particular local and national context by a dedicated team based in Dundee. It is not a franchise motivated by financial return, but will contribute to the development of design and the broader prosperity of Dundee and Scotland.
"There is no question that any of the income generated by V&A at Dundee will be transferred to London - it will all be invested back into V&A at Dundee to the benefit of its activities.
"From a V&A perspective, V&A at Dundee will also allow the museum's extraordinary holdings of design, particularly those items with Scottish heritage, to be shared more widely.”
V&A at Dundee is being delivered by Design Dundee Ltd, a partnership between the Victoria and Albert Museum, Dundee City Council, the University of Dundee, the University of Abertay and Scottish Enterprise.
The Scottish Government has committed £15m towards the project’s £45m capital budget. Creative Scotland is expected to make a decision shortly on the museum’s Round 2 submission.
The remaining £15m is being sought from private sources.