Adobe and V&A to inspire a new generation of diverse creators

Image credit ©Victoria and Albert Museum, London

Art-focused studies and creativity nurture cognitive, emotional and social development as well as critical skills in the modern world. But aggressive budget cuts in UK state schools are compounding access issues and depriving young people of creative opportunities.

Budget cuts have exacerbated concerning trends around class inequality. A recent study from the Creative Industries Policy and Evidence Centre found that people from more privileged backgrounds are twice as likely to be employed in the cultural sector and only 16% of creative industry roles are occupied by working class professionals.

With 93% of the population attending state-funding schools, the arts, cultural and creative industries are becoming the preserve of the privileged and that needs to change.

Transforming access to the arts for young creators

Today we’re excited to share details of the global expansion of the Adobe Creative Residency programme through an Adobe Foundation supported multi-year collaboration, with two prestigious arts institutions, the Victoria and Albert Museum (V&A) in London and the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in New York. Part of Adobe’s longstanding commitment to Creativity for All, the new Adobe x Museums programme will transform access to the arts and creative expression for young people, as well as inspire and create access for a new, diverse generation of creators.

The Adobe Creative Residency program was founded in 2015 and has supported 34 artists globally with access to tools, skills, and resources including mentorship and compensation, to explore their passions and enable them to focus on furthering their creative interests and careers.

In the first of a multi-year programme through Adobe Foundation support, $4.1 million in grants will be used to fund the inaugural year for Adobe x Museums, giving access to invaluable opportunities for underrepresented emerging creatives and tripling the reach of school and youth programming at both institutions. This is an exciting step forward in our journey in supporting the development of a more inclusive industry that reflects the rich culture of the society in which we live.

Image credit ©Victoria and Albert Museum, London

Building a legacy for the arts with the V&A

The Adobe Foundation funding will enable the V&A to employ three full-time residents, five days a week for 12 months - significantly boosting its existing residents programme, which currently employs two part-time residents over six months.

New Residents at the V&A – as well as those at MoMA – will play a key role in the expansion of the institutions’ public programming efforts. For the V&A, this involves tripling its annual engagements with schools, young people and family programming from 78,500 to nearly 250,000. Residents will work with local communities across the UK to create a new model of programming outside the museum to build and sustain links with young people in underserved communities.

The expanded V&A learning programme will increase access to creative education among young people with a particular emphasis on schools with high levels of pupil premium and free school meals. It also includes English language learners, students with learning disabilities, and economically disadvantaged students in schools and communities where creative programmes have been reduced and/or eliminated from budgets.

Additionally, each Resident will receive studio space, mentorship, access to the Museum’s resources and staff expertise. Their work will be featured in a six-month exhibition at the close of their residency at the V&A South Kensington.

Social change in the arts is desperately needed and long overdue. Today’s announcement marks the advent of a new era for the arts, and a new chapter in our journey to elevate diverse voices and deliver Creativity for All.

MoMA and the V&A join a growing cohort of our museum grantees, including the Museum of Art & Photography in Bangalore, India (funded by Adobe).

Call for interests for the Adobe x V&A Creative Residents programme are now open. The applications process has been intentionally designed to minimise the administrative burden and to encourage applicants from diverse backgrounds. There are no degree requirements, and we recognise the importance of lived experience and bringing diverse voices into the museum.

The Creative Residents programme plans to extend collaborations with additional art institutions around the world. For more information on the latest Creative Programming and Creative Residents programme, visit: https://www.adobe.com/about-adobe/creative-residency.html