Head of V&A’s academic programmes resigned citing ‘racist’ and ‘culturally insensitive’ behaviours, letter reveals

Yuko Kikuchi, former head of academic programmes at the Victoria and Albert Museum (V&A) in London, resigned at the end of January after alleging “racist” and “culturally insensitive” behavior by museum staff toward her and her students. In a letter dated 26 January to V&A director Tristram Hunt and trustees of the museum’s research committee, Kikuchi said the incidents suggested “a culture of systemic racism” and described her letter as whistleblowing supported by 12 academics, including artist Sonia Boyce and Sarah Teasley. Kikuchi, who is Japanese and has lived in the UK since 1989, said she felt unwelcome from her October 2023 start and cited microaggressions, exclusion from key meetings, and resistance to proposals, including pushback to decolonisation-focused course content introduced in 2024. The V&A’s academic programmes include collaborations such as an Imperial College London module and an MA History of Design run with the Royal College of Art under the V&A Research Institute (VARI).

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