Culture in Crisis

The V&A founded the Culture in Crisis programme and for over a decade worked to bring together those with a shared interest in heritage preservation, developing an important forum for sharing information, supporting collective action and raising public awareness. From its founding, the programme’s mission has been to help to protect the world's cultural heritage and support communities that suffer cultural loss, whether through conflict, criminal acts or the impacts of the climate crisis.

Through our collective efforts, Culture in Crisis generated a thriving public programme with an international reputation, comprising annual international conferences as well as bi-monthly public lectures, seminars and symposiums (in person and online). In 2019 the programme launched an ambitious digital project, to bring together the world’s heritage preservation projects onto a freely accessible database, the Culture in Crisis Portal. This is now the world’s largest database of heritage preservation activities, with over 1,200 projects connecting over 600 organisations, funders and practitioners, welcoming over 35,000 users from 182 countries each year.

As an international organisation with collections from around the globe, we understand the impact of cultural heritage loss on communities and the contrasting positive role its preservation can have in rebuilding and recovering these areas following wars and disasters. Working with organisations from a variety of backgrounds we continue our commitment to protecting the world's cultural heritage and supporting communities that suffer cultural loss, whether through conflict, criminal acts or the impacts of the climate crisis.

Since its launch in December 2019, the Culture in Crisis Portal has rapidly grown to become the world’s largest and most accessible database of heritage protection projects from around the globe. The free digital resource enables users to quickly and easily register their heritage preservation projects, as well as providing an intelligent search feature to explore listings already in existence.

Together we can use the Portal to learn from each other, share experiences and work to protect the world’s cultural heritage.

Commencing in 2020 and returning in 2021, The Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport, the British Council and the V&A's Culture in Crisis Programme convened an annual series of webinar events, under the banner of 'Culture in Crisis Conversations'. These digital events examined how the experiences of recent years encouraged cultural organisations across the globe to adapt and transform in the face of global challenges and new opportunities; looking to build a future that is more sustainable, equitable and ecological.

The Culture in Crisis Podcast brought together important voices in the field of heritage preservation to share their unique experiences and insights. Topics included designed solutions to threats facing cultural heritage, and the ongoing fight against the illicit trade of cultural property.

Over the years, the Culture in Crisis Programme convened a number of major international conferences, bringing together an interdisciplinary field of global professionals to discuss key issues and debates relating to the protection of heritage. These meetings afforded us the opportunity to 'think big' about emerging questions within the field and bring voices together to promote collaborative working, both within and beyond the heritage sector.