Design Museum to overhaul its galleries ahead of its 40th anniversary

"The Design Museum has announced that it's planning to overhaul its permanent gallery spaces in the lead up to its 40th anniversary in 2029. The current collection gallery - titled Designer, Maker, User - was inaugurated in 2016 when the Design Museum relocated to Kensington. It had an expected lifespan of between 5-7 years, but by the time the overhaul starts, it will likely have been in place for a decade."

"Next year marks a decade since moving to our landmark home in Kensington. We have achieved many of our goals since then and the museum has evolved into an institution that is helping to set the cultural agenda, not least through record-breaking exhibitions. Expanding and improving our permanent gallery for our 40th anniversary is at the heart of our new Transformation 2029 strategy to future-proof the museum for the next decade and beyond."

"The museum has now been granted just under £270,000 by the National Lottery Heritage Fund towards the cost of planning the overhaul, ahead of applying for around £2.7 million to carry out the rebuilding works. The current gallery also has an inflexible fixed layout, which restricts how they can refresh the displays. One aim of the overhaul is to make the space more flexible, allowing for the addition of new acquisitions and the adjustment of layouts as needed."

The Design Museum plans a major overhaul of its permanent galleries ahead of its 40th anniversary in 2029, replacing the Designer, Maker, User gallery installed in 2016. The current gallery exceeded its expected 5-7 year lifespan and will likely have been in place for a decade when works begin. The museum received just under £270,000 from the National Lottery Heritage Fund to plan the project and will apply for around £2.7 million to execute rebuilding works. The overhaul aims to replace an inflexible fixed layout with adaptable spaces for new acquisitions and changing displays under the Transformation 2029 strategy. Recent record-breaking temporary exhibitions, including The World of Tim Burton and Barbie, have driven visitor growth.

Read at ianVisits