What Is the V&A Website?

Updated

The V&A website (vam.ac.uk) is the official online home of the V&A, a family of art, design and performance museums. It is where you check what exhibitions and events are on, browse the collections, plan a visit to one of the museum sites, and find membership and shop information. General admission is free, while some exhibitions and events carry a separate charge; members visit free.

What the V&A is

The V&A describes itself as "a family of museums dedicated to the power of creativity," with a mission to champion design and creativity in all its forms, advance cultural knowledge, and inspire makers, creators and innovators. Its scope is art, design and performance rather than a single collection type.

The family covers several locations:

Site Location
V&A South Kensington London
Young V&A Bethnal Green, London
V&A East Museum and V&A East Storehouse Queen Elizabeth Park, London
V&A Dundee Dundee, Scotland
V&A Wedgwood Collection Barlaston, Stoke-on-Trent

What you can do on the site

  • See what's on. The exhibitions and events listings show title, venue, closing date and price. Examples from the site include Constantinople to Istanbul: One City, Two Empires at V&A South Kensington, Inside Aardman: Wallace & Gromit and Friends at Young V&A (£12.50), Schiaparelli: Fashion Becomes Art at V&A South Kensington, The Music is Black: A British Story at V&A East Museum (weekday £22.50 / weekend £24.50), Rising Voices: Contemporary Art from Asia, Australia and the Pacific at V&A South Kensington (£17.00), and the David Bowie Centre at V&A East Storehouse (£5.00). Some listings are marked sold out, so check availability before planning around a specific show.
  • Browse the collections. Collection pages group objects by material or theme, such as Glass, Wedgwood, Tiles and Stained glass, with a "View more from our collections" path.
  • Plan around free and paid offerings. A festival listing such as V&A x LDF: Awakenings is marked Free, which helps you separate no-cost visits from ticketed exhibitions.
  • Join as a member. Membership includes unlimited free entry to all exhibitions, access to two Member spaces, 10% off in all V&A Shops, and members-only previews and events.
  • Shop. The V&A Shop range includes exhibition-related books and merchandise, such as the Schiaparelli: Fashion Becomes Art exhibition book (from £25) and tote bag (£10).
  • Sign up for emails. The site offers updates on exhibitions, events, courses, products and ways to support the V&A, with unsubscribe options.

When the site is the right starting point

Use vam.ac.uk when you want official, current information on what is showing, which venue to visit, whether an exhibition is ticketed or free, and what membership includes. If you are deciding between a free general visit and a paid exhibition, the listings give you both the price and the closing date in one place, which is the fastest way to check whether a trip lines up with a specific show.