V&A East communities

Between 2022 and 2025, our Director Gus Casely-Hayford and staff from our Learning and Engagement team visited 81 schools across east London to bring objects from the V&A collection directly into classrooms.

The project supported young people and teaching staff to engage with objects and discuss subjects ranging from colonialism and repatriation to careers in museums. Your Collection aimed to build connections with young people, schools and colleges ahead of the opening of V&A East.

Written by: Kamal Hussain, V&A East Community Engagement Coordinator
Published: May 2025

The V&A East Youth Collective is made up of young east Londoners who want to inform change in their local communities. They collaborate with the team here to centre the needs of young local people across the vision and design of V&A East. This artwork by cohort 3 of the Youth Collective reinterprets the London Underground’s colourful lines, travelling through locations in east London significant to the group’s making processes and journeys to working together. The collage of materials sourced in the area is layered with textiles and illustrations by local artist Olivia Twist, to reimagine east London as a sourcebook.

Written by: Maia Ardalla, former V&A East Producer: Young People
Published: May 2025

Description: Necklaces inspired by Tamil Nadu necklace (museum no. IS.143-2019)
Maker: Students from Plashet School

Description: Box inspired by Asante box for storing gold dust (museum no. M.1135-1926)
Maker: Students from Plashet School

Description: Pomanders inspired by silver pomander (museum no. 1131-1864)
Maker: Students from Plashet School

Description: ‘How We Make’ multimedia board
Maker: V&A East Youth Collective cohort 3, Olivia Twist (illustrator)

Working Museum