V&A Dundee halves its major exhibit output to cut costs

V&A Dundee will reduce the number of major exhibitions it stages each year as part of “mitigating measures” to cut costs.

The move means the Scottish design museum will host only one annual paid exhibition.

A new report sent to the Scottish government by the organisation confirmed that the programming change, first introduced on a trial basis in 2022 in response to the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic, will become permanent for the foreseeable future.

The reduction in exhibits is part of a range of measures designed to financially bolster the venue in what it describes as a “volatile operating environment”. Other actions include covering operational costs from financial reserves and cutting overall spending.

In comments to the Scottish parliament last week, V&A Dundee director Leonie Bell said that over the previous five years, the museum had endured “year on year of mitigating measures”, leading to difficulties “to plan beyond a year ahead”.

An independent report published in September 2023 estimated that V&A Dundee had generated £304m for the Scottish economy in the five years since it opened.

The venue receives most of its funding from the Scottish government, which recently increased its grant for 2024/25 by £800,000, taking it to £3.8m.