PROJECTS
Design For Life
Students from Eltham Hill Technology College explore the V&A (click image for larger version)
This is a new project funded through the Government's 'strategic commissioning' scheme for national/regional museum education partnerships (funded jointly by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport and the Department for Children, Schools and Families). The project is led by the Victoria and Albert Museum (V&A) and focuses on engaging young people in creative design through use of museums. It builds on the strengths of the previous Image & Identity partnership project funded under the same scheme.
Design For Life aims to identify ways in which museums can support young people in developing their talents so that they become active producers or consumers in the the creative economy as adults. Over 2008-09, partner museums worked with young people aged 11-18 from schools and community groups to research and pilot a varied range of design-based learning programmes inspired by museum collections.
Over the next two years the project plans to develop a replicable design learning 'package' to enthuse young people about creative design and its potential in their lives. In Spring 2010 there will be a national exhibition of young people's work at the V&A with an accompanying young people's conference. Online resources and training/dissemination events will promote wider participation by museums nationwide.
Here on the V&A website you will find a case study from each partner's programme for 2008-09. It is hoped that this information will provide ideas and discussion points for museum colleagues, teachers and community group leaders interested in using museums to support creative design.
Design For Life Partners 2008-09
Action for Children (formerly NCH, the children's charity)
http://www.actionforchildren.org.uk/
Birmingham Museum & Art Gallery
Victoria & Albert Museum, London
Museums Sheffield
Shipley Art Gallery, Tyne and Wear Museums
Click here to see Design For Life Full Project Plan 2009-2011 (PDF, file 113 KB)
Click here to see Design For Life Full Evaluation Report 2008-2009 (PDF file, 1061 KB)
Click here to see Design For Life Additional Research (PDF file, 465 KB)