20 February 2009

'V&A at Dundee: Making It Happen' - A Cultural Accumulator

The benefits a major cultural institution can bring to a city and its surrounding area will be examined at a public lecture at the University of Dundee on Tuesday February 24th.

The lecture by Godfrey Worsdale, Director of the BALTIC Centre of Contemporary Art in Gateshead, is being held to launch the 'V&A at Dundee: Making It Happen' conference, which will explore how to create a presence for the Victoria & Albert Museum (V&A) in Dundee.

In his lecture, titled 'A Cultural Accumulator', Mr Worsdale, who is also the former director of the widely acclaimed Middlesbrough Institute of Modern Art (MIMA), will outline the many economic and cultural benefits that can follow the development of new cultural institutions, based on his own experiences.

The lecture takes place on Tuesday 24th February at 6pm in the Dalhousie Building, Old Hawkhill. Tickets for this free lecture are available from University Tower Building Reception, www.dundee.ac.uk/tickets (under other free lectures), 01382 385564, or events@dundee.ac.uk.

The 'V&A at Dundee: Making It Happen' conference will continue at 9am on 25th February with a series of sessions exploring how developing a major new cultural institution could positively change the perception of Dundee. The conference will present the findings of a recent major feasibility study which concluded that creating a V&A at Dundee would have major economic and cultural advantages for the City, and Scotland as a whole.

Delegates from Bilbao and Newcastle Gateshead will also present case study evidence of the impact of major cultural developments in their cities - the Guggenheim in Bilbao and the BALTIC Centre of Contemporary Art in Gateshead - and the conference will conclude with an interactive session on how to translate the findings of the feasibility study into reality.

Limited public tickets are available - overspill theatre only - for the conference 'V&A at Dundee - Making it Happen' on 25th February, from 9am-5:30pm. Contact 01382 385564 or email events@dundee.ac.uk for tickets or further information.

NOTES TO EDITORS
A copy of the full programme for the conference is available on request from the University press office.

For media enquiries contact:
Roddy Isles
Head, Press Office
University of Dundee
Nethergate Dundee, DD1 4HN
TEL: 01382 384910
E-MAIL: r.isles@dundee.ac.uk