Young V&A: Nurturing children’s creativity and curiosity

Photo credit: Young V&A

In summer 2023, the former V&A Museum of Childhood, based in London, the UK, will re-open as Young V&A – a new national museum entirely dedicated to children, young people, their families and carers. Young V&A aims to inspire young people to be creative through art, design, and performance, to empower educators, and to connect young people with the ingenuity of creative professionals and each other. This has meant a major redevelopment of the Young V&A Museum, first established in 1872, which is undergoing significant transformation.

Creativity provides us with the skills we need to navigate the present and adapt to the future. Cultural institutions, such as museums, can help encourage creativity, especially when they are interactive, exciting, and modern, attracting young people and their families. With this in mind, Young V&A has been co-designed with and for children and young people, with the aim of creating an entirely new visitor experience. Plans include three new galleries named Play, Imagine, and Design, which will feature interactive displays showcasing objects from the V&A’s vast collection. There will also be learning spaces for hands-on creative activities, practical workshops, play sessions and performance.

“A world-class museum that nurtures curiosity, experimentation and celebrates play, Young V&A will be a global champion for children’s creativity in all its forms,” says Dr Helen Charman, director of Young V&A.

Oak Foundation’s Special Interest Programme (SIP) is supporting the V&A to undertake these renovations. The funding will help the V&A to design new gallery spaces and programmes in collaboration with local children, parents, and teachers. This will help create active, relevant, and social experiences that respond to young people’s needs, both individually and in the context of local, national, and global challenges. To find out more about SIP, click here. To find out more about the Young V&A, click here.