Victoria Gallery & Museum | University of Liverpool

Visioning and Outline Masterplanning

In a nutshell...

The Victoria Gallery and Museum (VGM) occupies one of the University of Liverpool's most iconic buildings. Since opening in 2008, it has provided a home for the University's art and heritage collections, welcoming visitors from across Liverpool and beyond.

Working with David Morley Architects, A Different View undertook an early-stage masterplan to reimagine the future of VGM and the wider Victoria Building. Together, we developed an ambitious new vision: a place where culture, heritage, research and contemporary life come together, and where conversations are at the heart of everything.

History

VGM was established in 2008, in the wake of Liverpool's European Capital of Culture year. It quickly became an important cultural destination, attracting more than 80,000 visitors annually before 2020. However, changing visitor expectations and a decline in attendance presented an opportunity to reconsider its role and potential.

The University of Liverpool also had ambitions to make its research, innovation and expertise more accessible, strengthening its connections with the city and creating new opportunities for collaboration.

The challenge was to bring these ambitions together within a historic building, rethinking how its spaces, collections and activities could serve a much wider range of audiences.

The Process

Through consultation and workshops with VGM staff and senior members of the University community, we explored existing strengths, future ambitions and opportunities for change.

We started where we always start – with the "why". An in-person visioning workshop opened up wide-ranging conversations about what the VGM wanted to achieve and which problems the masterplan needed to solve. From this we framed all of the work around four audience outcome pillars drawn from the VGM's own vision: Inspiration, Learning, Creation of Knowledge and Enjoyment.

The central idea that emerged was simple but transformative: conversations.

We wanted to explore how VGM could become more than a traditional museum and gallery: a place that was relevant to contemporary life, welcoming to different communities and actively connected to the intellectual and creative energy of the University. Our thinking was also informed by the University's Reimagining Libraries, Museums and Galleries Strategy (2024–2031). We began to explore what excellence could mean for VGM specifically, identifying an opportunity to establish the organisation as a leader in social engagement and contemporary interpretation.

While the museum already has a loyal family audience, there are opportunities to reach people who may not traditionally engage with the University or feel that its spaces are for them.

We explored how VGM could help demystify university life, giving local people greater access to academics, research and collections, while supporting the University's widening participation ambitions.

A new chapter for the Victoria Building

The ambition was to create a place that is confident in its heritage but firmly rooted in the contemporary world. A place where collections spark conversations, research becomes accessible, new partnerships flourish and visitors feel empowered to bring their own experiences and perspectives.

By embracing creativity, curiosity and collaboration, VGM has the potential to become a go-to destination in Liverpool: a place to meet, discover, experiment and create.

Ultimately, this is about reimagining what a university museum can be, and creating a new original for the Victoria Building.

Outcomes

The masterplan has become a living document for the University rather than a report on a shelf. It has:

· Set the curatorial direction for the reopening of Tate Hall

· Inspired the team to test and use spaces differently, experimenting with what the building can do

· Become the go-to document for strategic conversations with stakeholders as well as onboarding new members of the team

· Strengthened leadership confidence in the emerging vision

· Continued to shape discussions about larger-scale development, governance and the repositioning of the University's cultural offer

A note from Joanne Fitton, Deputy Director Libraries, Museums and Galleries, University of Liverpool:

"Working with ADV on an early masterplan for the VGM at the University of Liverpool was both inspiring and grounding. It supported my own leadership confidence in the vision we were developing, having very reflective conversations with Ros, and helping the team to raise its gaze. The team took all views on board, having

meaningful conversations with senior leaders that had traction. The ADV team were respected by a broader team who wanted their voice to be heard.

The report produced has and continues to inform the work we are doing. It is our foundation for conversation, experimentation and proving what is possible. It is the go to document to help onboard new staff in our team. It is the go to document to have strategic conversations with stakeholders. It set the tone for the curatorial direction for the reopening of Tate Hall in the VGM. It has inspired the testing and using of spaces differently, and it continues to influence our discussions for bigger development, governance and repositioning of our cultural offer."

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What we did -

Planning & Strategy

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A Different View; VGM;