When the V&A made the decision to update its Museum of Childhood – which has been operating in East London since 1872 – it decided to let young people help design the new museum themselves.

“From the outset, we’ve really worked with young people to think about their needs and their perspectives. That’s informed every aspect of the museum,” Dr Helen Charman, director of Young V&A, tells Attractions Management.

The Young V&A, which opened in July in Bethnal Green, is a free museum exploring art, design and performance created for and with young people aged up to 14 years. It’s the product of a seven-year project that involved detailed consultation with more than 22,000 children, young people, parents and teachers.

The result is a spacious museum housed in the renovated 150-year-old Grade II listed building that was home to the Museum of Childhood. Revamped by architecture studios De Matos Ryan and AOC, it features three major new galleries where visitors can make noise, interact with the exhibits, design their own creations and learn while having fun.

There are no fusty statues or ‘don’t touch’ signs here – instead it features a striking red performance stage, a giant marble run, a spiral staircase informed by optical illusions, an open design studio and exhibits that range from a Syrian rattle dating back to 2300 BC to Team GB medallist Sky Brown’s old skateboard.

Boosting creativity
Young people’s input can be seen throughout the museum, from the colour scheme developed with children to storytelling displays and a self-portrait-making station proposed by local pupils. Exhibits include a patchwork quilt made by students using sustainable practices to communicate their thoughts on fast fashion.

“We know creativity is a vital life skill,” says Charman. “Global organisations such as the World Economic Forum and the OECD have been making calls for 21st century skills – creativity, collaboration, communication, critical thinking and confidence. A museum that promotes creative confidence in young people – which is at the very heart of the Young V&A – is very much needed right now.

“It’s about young people having confidence in their ideas; feeling they can bring their ideas into the world and that those ideas can effect change.”

The museum is divided into three galleries broadly aimed at different age ranges (although all children can explore all areas): Play, designed for pre-walkers, featuring a Mini Museum focusing on how small children learn in a sensory environment; Imagine, which has a focus on imaginary worlds and features a stage with props and costumes for children to create their own performances; and Design, which invites older children to think like designers. See overleaf for more details.

Collaborative working
For many museums aimed at children, learning programmes are designed once the museum is already operational. At the Young V&A, curatorial and learning teams worked together from the outset to think about which objects to include in the museum and how to present them.

The displays and exhibitions address topics that children said were important to them, and there are plenty of inspiring stories of creative acts by young people around the world.

Object labels are kept short; instead there’s a focus on encouraging children and their adults to think creatively and collaboratively. Galleries have been designed to be as dynamic and interactive as possible, with things to do to help visitors act on the inspiration they take from the collections around them.

“Young people’s voices and creativity are embedded throughout the museum,” says Charman.

“There was a very structured process of co-design, with local children working with the architects to create the museum that they wanted. Over the past two years, we also carried out a massive outreach programme working with schools, children’s centres, libraries and adventure playgrounds in Tower Hamlets.

“Every interactive in the Young V&A has been co-designed and tested with young people. Children have interviewed some of our featured artists, and you can hear those interviews on recordings throughout the museum.

“It’s such a playful, optimistic and uplifting environment. Children come running and gliding in on their scooters; they point, and say ‘wow, look at that!’ It’s a joy to see.”