166. Madeleine Haddon

Madeleine Haddon, Curator of V&A East, is a curator and writer whose work reexamines art historical narratives through contemporary lenses. Her interests and projects span both historical and contemporary art, from Nuestra Casa: Rediscovering the Treasures of the Hispanic Society Museum & Library to current commissions by contemporary artists for the new V&A East. Madeleine brings a critical and innovative perspective to the evolving role of museums for diverse audiences. She serves on advisory committees for Harvard Art Museums, Public Arts Trust of India, Photo London, CORA Foundation, and Athena Art Foundation.

The first building of V&A East, V&A East Storehouse, opens on May 31 and will house over 250,000 objects and 1,000 archives from the V&A’s collection. Through programs like “Order an Object,” visitors can request specific works and gain behind-the-scenes insight into how objects are stored and conserved. V&A East Storehouse will also feature the forthcoming David Bowie Centre, opening this September, showcasing the newly acquired archive of over 90,000 objects belonging to David Bowie.

She and Zuckerman discuss V&A East’s upcoming openings, including the phased development of a dynamic working museum store offering an innovative “order an object” service that reimagines public access to collections, the museum’s deep commitment to accessibility, community engagement, and inclusivity — as well as its new commissions program, designed to foster meaningful dialogues between historic collections and contemporary artistic practice, the evolving role of museums in the twenty-first century, and how institutions like V&A East are reshaping the ways audiences encounter, experience, and connect with art and culture.