Founded in 2012, the Waltons RTÉ lyric fm Music for Schools Competition is a non-profit national event celebrating and supporting music in Irish schools.
All primary and post-primary schools in the Republic of Ireland are eligible to enter the Competition, and schools from all 26 counties have participated in previous years.
The Competition’s objective is to promote the enormous benefits of creative music making for young people. Its open nature offers schools the opportunity to think and work creatively in any genre (or genres) of music and with any combination of students, developing an original musical project that has learning potential at every stage of the process.
Each year’s Competition culminates in a gala Finalists Concert in the National Concert Hall, in which twelve Finalist school music groups (six primary and six post-primary) perform before their peers and a panel of distinguished adjudicators. The entire concert is streamed live by RTÉ lyric fm and can be watched from anywhere in Ireland or around the world.
At the end of the Finalists Concert, the adjudicators announce six winning groups (three primary and three post-primary), which receive trophies and awards totalling €7,000 worth of vouchers for musical instruments and equipment from Waltons Music Ireland for their schools, including two First Prizes of €2,000 vouchers, two Second Prizes of €1,000 vouchers and two Third Prizes of €500 vouchers.
How It Works
Primary and post-primary schools put together instrumental, vocal or mixed student music groups (between 10 and 40 performers), which create ensemble pieces or songs that respond in some way to the year’s Competition theme. A group can be made up of any combination of singers or instrumentalists you choose. And this year’s theme is The Key of Life.
Schools submit an online entry form and send a video of the group’s performance as well as a jpeg photograph of the group.
The initial entries are judged by a team of first-round adjudicators, and twelve Finalist groups (six primary and six post-primary) are selected.
The Finalists are announced on RTÉ lyric fm. Groups not selected as Finalists but displaying real merit are designated as either Commended or Highly Commended. Certificates are produced for the schools and all student performers, and the groups are listed on the Waltons New School of Music website. Finalists’ entry videos are added to the Music for Schools Competition YouTube channel.
The twelve Finalist groups perform in a gala Finalists Concert at the National Concert Hall. Their performances are assessed by a panel of distinguished adjudicators, who announce the six winning groups at the end of the concert. Finalists Concert videos are later added to the Music for Schools Competition YouTube channel, and both videos and photos are added to the Waltons New School of Music website.
2025 Competition Calendar:
Wednesday, 12 February 2025, 5 pm
Deadline for schools to submit their entries.
Friday, 28 February 2025
The twelve Finalist schools are announced on RTÉ lyric fm.
The Creative Ireland Programme and Oide are delighted to present their Autumn/Winter 2024 series of professional development workshops for teachers to support engagement with the arts and learning.
The courses include:
STE(A)M SEAI Workshop Making Connections: Energy within and across junior cycle specifications Dates: Saturday 9 November 2024 10:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. Location: Mount Lucas, Daingean, Co Offaly, R35 XW10
Online via Zoom: Tuesday 19 November 2024 7:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m. Online via Zoom
Oide Creativity, in collaboration with Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI), presents a one-day or online STE(A)M elective workshop, open to teachers from all subject disciplines. For full details go here.
Crafting Connections
A creative writing workshop Dates: Saturday 16 November 2024 10:30 a.m. – 3:30 p. m. Location: Museum of Literature Ireland (MoLI), 86 St. Stephen’s Green, D02 XY43
Oide Creativity, in collaboration with poet and writer Colm Keegan, presents a one-day workshop, open to all teachers. This workshop will take place in the Museum of Literature Ireland (MoLI). For full details go here.
This workshop offers participants an opportunity to:
explore the Museum of Literature Ireland (MoLI) and use it as a stimulus and source of inspiration,
engage in an active listening process as a means to discussing the relationship between teachers and students in the classroom,
consider the written word and Joyce’s use of language,
discuss how words are mediated through multi-modal texts in the world today,
enjoy time and space to develop their own writing.
Introduction to Visual Thinking Strategies (VTS): Learning to look
Dates: Saturday 16 November and Saturday 30 November 2024 Location: Irish Museum of Modern Art (IMMA)
Oide Creativity in collaboration with artist Claire Halpin and the Irish Museum of Modern Art (IMMA), presents a two-day elective workshop, open to all teachers. For full details go here.
This workshop offers participants an opportunity to:
look at and respond to a range of images utilising the VTS method of looking,
practice the VTS method of looking in a collaborative and supportive environment,
discuss how thoughtful and responsible image selection supports aesthetic development and critical thinking skills,
reflect on how the VTS method can be utilised to engage students in analysing imagery.
Spaces are limited for each workshop. A waiting list will apply.
For more information on full list of Oide Creativity workshops, dates and to book your place, please visit: www.creativity.oide.ie/
Good Vibes Project Deadline: 15 December 2024
The Good Vibes Arts Calendar Project, associated with the Open Science Scenario Project at University College Cork, invites anyone with an interest in the arts, to get involved in the pilot 2025 Art Calendar Project. The project is open to individuals but is also an ideal project for primary or secondary school class groups to participate in.
You are invited to develop creative ideas in response to the question:
Have you perhaps come across a piece of art (song, poem, play, novel, painting, drawing, photograph, film, sculpture etc.) that resonates strongly with you? A piece of art that in the currently overwhelmingly crisis-ridden world might reassure people, give them hope and strengthen their sense that humans can do better?
The 2025 Arts Calendar Project pilot aims to inspire with a weekly online calendar featuring a selection of 52 pieces of art from submissions.
Individuals or groups who are interested in getting involved, please share your selected piece as follows:
In English, briefly introduce the piece of art you have selected (max. 150 words), explain why it has touched you personally and might have an uplifting impact also on others,
add any additional information (image, link, source/copyright etc.) that helps to convey a vivid impression of the selected piece of art,
You are welcome to send up to three proposals if you wish.
As cultural and linguistic diversity is valued in this project, contributors with a first language other than English are encouraged to provide a first language version of their proposal(s).
The Guidelines are for early years educators, school-age childcare practitioners and childminders who are currently working to support the meaningful inclusion of autistic children in early learning and care, school-age childcare and childminding settings.
They form part of a wider suite of universal and targeted supports under the Access and Inclusion Model (AIM) which have been designed to ensure children with a disability and additional needs can access and participate in the ECCE programme and early learning and care settings more broadly.
The Guidelines fulfil a commitment in the recently launched National Autism Innovation Strategy, which aims to address the bespoke challenges and barriers facing autistic people and to improve understanding and accommodation of autism within society and across the public system.
Each year 2,735 services benefit from AIM supports.
Speaking about the National Guidelines, Minister O’Gorman said:
“I am delighted to announce the publication of National Guidelines to Support the Inclusion of Autistic Children in Early Learning and Care and School-Age Childcare Settings.
Meaningful inclusion of neurodivergent children and their families in settings starts with the early years educators and school-age practitioners being fully informed of their role in active inclusion.
These Guidelines form part of the Access and Inclusion Model (AIM) suite of supports and resources supporting the inclusion of children in the ECCE programme and beyond.
I hope the Guidelines assist early years educators and school-age childcare practitioners with the important role they play to support the inclusion of all children in their settings.”
Welcoming the publication of these guidelines, Minister of State with responsibility for Disability, Anne Rabbitte added:
“I warmly welcome these National Guidelines for those working with our youngest children. They deliver on an action of our Department’s Autism Innovation Strategy.
This Strategy will work hard to respond and enhance the lived experience of autistic people, their families and carers, so we can ensure that challenges and barriers currently being faced are being adequately addressed and to improve understanding and accommodation of autism within society and across the public system.
These guidelines for early learning and care, school-age childcare and childminding settings are an example of a clear action that can make a tangible difference to children’s lives.”
Mother Tongues Festival 2025 – Open Call for Artists Closing Date: Sunday, 27 October 2024
The Mother Tongues Festival, Ireland’s largest celebration of linguistic diversity through the arts, is calling upon artists like you to be a part of an unforgettable event in 2025. Get ready to make a difference, connect with diverse communities, and showcase your artistic practice like never before.
The Mother Tongues Festival is an inclusive platform that invites artists from all backgrounds to participate in workshops, performances and exhibitions that embrace the power of multilingualism.
The festival encourage everyone, regardless of their linguistic background, to explore new horizons, learn something new and most importantly, have a blast doing it. The festival is all about celebrating your mother tongue and the multitude of languages spoken in Ireland.
Your Chance to Shine
For the 2025 edition of the Mother Tongues Festival, they are searching for passionate artists to lead workshops that captivate, educate, and entertain. Whether your field is music, visual arts, dance, storytelling, traditional arts and crafts, or any form of performance, they want to hear from you.
The workshops must be designed for families (parents/carers will attend with children) catering for children in the following age groups: 2 to 3 years, 3 to 6 years and 6 to 8 years.
While all proposals are welcome, they are particularly interested in those which encourage active participation and link clearly to one of the following themes:
Creativity and multilingualism
an activity that promotes creativity and language, that fosters an understanding of linguistic diversity or an appreciation of all languages
Languages from shared heritage
an activity that promotes a single language by showing the relevance of the links between language and heritage
Each selected artist will receive a budget of €250 per workshop.
The festival is particularly interested in proposals that celebrate languages beyond English, with a special emphasis on those from Latin America, Asia, and Africa. Your unique perspective can enrich the festival and create a vibrant cultural exchange.
For more information about this open call and details on how to submit your proposal click here: mothertonguesfestival.com
The deadline is Sunday, October 27th 2024. The workshop will be held on February 22nd 2025 in Tallaght.
Branar
Closing Date: 31st October 2024
Branar is accepting applications from schools for their Acorn Digital Arts Flag programme.
Branar’s Acorn Digital Arts Flag is a whole school initiative designed to promote and reward arts engagement in schools. Branar is proud to be partnering with Acorn Life Group to make this happen each year.
The Acorn Digital Arts Flag programme includes:
A series of 6 arts workshops in video format that teachers and pupils can do in the classroom (there is a version for junior classrooms and one for senior classrooms)
Suggestions for extending the workshop activities in the classroom
Documentation to support engagement with the workshops and to build on them afterward in the classroom
Completion of the Acorn Digital Arts Flag is intended to be a statement of achievement and intent with regard to the prominence and status of the arts in the school. It will be a visible beacon that indicates a commitment to the importance of participation in the arts for the students of the school, both within and outside their classrooms.
Further details about what’s involved, see Branar’s website branar.ie/en/schools or watch this introduction video:
This programme is free to apply for schools in Ireland so please share with any teachers/schools you think may be interested.
RTÉ’s ‘This is Art!’ Closing Date: 3rd November 2024, at Midnight
Exciting news! The “This is Art! 2024” competition is now open for entries, and they need your help to inspire the next generation of young artists.
RTÉ’s ‘This is Art!’ is a free-to-enter youth art competition celebrating the creative talents of young people of all abilities across the island of Ireland. Open to individuals and class groups aged 18 and under, the competition welcomes various art forms, including paintings, drawings, sculptures, and digital art.
The Judges this year, including artists Maser, Leah Hewson, and Aideen Barry, along with curators Tadhg Crowley from The Glucksman Cork and Sheena Barrett IMMA, will review submissions and award prizes worth €10,000 across five categories.
Student entries will be hosted on the RTÉ website www.rte.ie/thisisart as a digital gallery.
The theme for this years completion is “This is Imagination!”
Closing Date: 6 November 2024 Opportunity for artists passionate about developing performances for young audiences Baboró seeks two artists to participate in professional development workshops hosted by international European festivals.
Selected artists will:
Participate in two 5-day practical sessions in 2025 with a cohort of 11 other professional artists from across Europe;
Experience two European children’s arts festivals with their workshop cohort;
Receive a daily fee of €200 to cover workshop and travel days. The cost of all travel, accommodation and festival tickets will be covered.
This opportunity is made possible through Baboró’s partnership with BABEL, a 4-year Creative Europe project emphasising communication and multilingualism in Theatre for Young Audiences (TYA).
Is this opportunity for you?
Baboró strives to make sure that all children in Ireland see themselves and their stories reflected in the arts. They endeavour to deliver projects and present performances which reflect the diversity of the Ireland we live in today. They strongly encourage artists from currently underrepresented backgrounds to apply.
Information Session
If you would like to know more about this opportunity or the application process, please join the Baboró team at their online info session on Monday, 16 September at 2:30pm on Zoom.
Burrenbeo Trust has opened the latest round of the National Heritage Keepers Programme. Over 150 groups and schools have completed the free programme to date. Heritage Keepers are now looking for community groups and senior classes of primary schools to take part in its highly anticipated fourth round. Through a series of online workshops Heritage Keepers empowers groups and schools to delve into their local heritage and provides funding to allow them to take positive action. Rather than seeking to separate built, cultural and natural heritage the programme works on the principle that all aspects of heritage are very closely inter-linked and that these aspects work together to create our distinctive Places. Last year, 70 schools and communities participated in the programme, with the majority successfully completing local funded projects and actions. These actions included exhibitions, heritage trails, tree planting, podcast creation, booklets, wildlife ponds, oral history projects and ‘Place Celebration’ days. Funding for fieldtrips is also provided meaning participants get to visit local heritage sites in person rather than just learning about them online.
The programme consists of five two-hour online workshops, followed by dedicated support while completing the funded action. It is open for expressions of interest, with options to begin this autumn or in the New Year.
The National Museum of Ireland has launched its latest programme of guided tours, workshops and resources for primary and post primary schools for the autumn/winter 2024 term.
Available from September 2024, the programme offers students an opportunity to explore priceless treasures, Ireland’s military past, traditional rural life, natural history and more through guided tours, workshops and classroom resources.
All of the activities are designed to complement the primary and post primary curricula and are offered free of charge to schools.
Schools can visit three Museum sites in Dublin and Co Mayo this year. Click on a location below to see what is on offer at each Museum.
The NMI – Natural History, also known as the ‘Dead Zoo’, closed on 2 September 2024, so a school visit is not possible at this location. However, teachers can still book a virtual session for your school and explore the fascinating Natural History Collections through a range of classroom activities and resources.
The Arts Council announced this week that 184 new schools and Youthreach centres across Ireland will join its Creative Schools programme. This brings to 1,100 the number of Irish schools who have participated since the programme began in 2018. One in four Irish schools will have now been part of the Creative Schools programme.
This is a critical development for the arts and young people in Ireland and helps to fulfil the Arts Council’s aim for all children to have the opportunity to participate fully in a range of art forms within our education system. The Arts Council works to ensure that all children can fully enjoy their right to arts and culture.
There were 300 applications to the programmme this year, a significant increase on 2023 numbers. This year’s Creative Schools intake includes 53 DEIS schools and 23 Irish language schools as well as seven youthreach centres and eight special schools. The 184 schools chosen will each receive a €4,000 grant and will work with a professional Creative Associate for two years who will support them to develop and implement their own bespoke Creative School Plan.
Participating in the Creative School programme empowers children and young people to develop, implement and evaluate arts and creative activity throughout their schools and Youthreach centres. The initiative also enables schools to discover additional ways of working and uncover the impact of creativity on children and young people’s learning, development and well-being. Schools who take part explore creativity in all its forms and embrace how it can be celebrated in so many ways. From baking to creating and designing gardens, from photography to performance, from working with other community groups to transforming areas of their own schools, the impact of Creative Schools is already felt in every county.
Minister for Education Norma Foley TD said: “It is wonderful to welcome the 186 schools to the Creative Schools initiative 2024. I would like to personally welcome these new schools into this unique programme. I’m very excited to see how these creative and captivating projects will develop over the coming two years.”
Also speaking today, Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media Catherine Martin TD said: “I would like to congratulate the 186 schools and Youthreach centres that have successfully applied to become a Creative School. This new cohort of schools and school communities have the opportunity to embark on a unique two-year journey of creativity and discovery. With this additional set of schools, it now means that, since inception in 2018, 1 in 4 schools in Ireland will have experienced Creative Schools. Again, this year sees a continuous increase in the diversity of settings in receipt of support. This is a testament to its impact and the strength of the partnership between the Art Council, the Department of Education and the all-of-government Creative Ireland Programme.”
Speaking about today’s announcement Director of the Arts Council Maureen Kennelly said: “We warmly welcome our new cohort of 186 schools to Creative Schools. Following the wonderful success of Creative February for schools this year, we are heartened to see a clear increase in applications for this incredible resource. By this stage of the programme, we’re delighted to say that 25% of all schools in Ireland have connected with us. We know that arts experiences with, for and by children can be transformative. Working with our partners in the Department of Education, and in the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media and in Creative Ireland, we are looking forward to another school year full of exploration, creative thinking, discovery and most importantly fun”.
‘Tales to Scale’ is a project run by Fighting Words focused on engaging with DEIS schools across Ireland. It offers creative workshops for DEIS primary and post-primary schools free of charge. They can run between 90 mins to 2 hours.
The workshops are in two parts: group work and individual writing time. The first part of the workshop focuses on the group creating the beginning of a story together. A facilitator works with the class to develop characters, incorporating the many ideas that pop up around the room into the plot.
The second part of the workshop allows each student to explore individual creation. Armed with paper, pencils and colours, students can either finish the group story or create something new – they can draw, write, sing – it’s completely up to them!
At the very end, there will be time to share work if the students wish, followed by positive feedback from the volunteer mentors.
After the facilitators says goodbye to the wonderful writers (the students), teachers are welcome to adopt the structures in the classroom and continue to encourage creativity.
Fighting Words is looking for an Irish Language Project Coordinator who will be responsible for organising and providing workshops, projects, and more through Irish outside the Gaeltacht.
Fighting Words offers free creative writing workshops through Irish for children, young people and other groups throughout the country.
Workshops are held through Irish with Irish schools, other schools, youth groups and communities.
The vast majority of demand is in Dublin with the majority of workshops being delivered at the centre on Russell Street. Travel to another location is required from time to time.
This is a full-time position on a temporary contract – September 2024 to June 2025 – with the possibility of an extension depending on funding.
€3,141.17 will be paid per month, which is €37,694 pro rata as a gross salary per year.
If you are interested in this position, and the chance to work with a great team and an exciting organisation, send a CV to info@fightingwords.ie by Friday 30th August.
Further information can be found here: https://www.fightingwords.ie/news/taimid-ag-fostu/we-are-hiring-comhordaitheoir-tionscadail-gaeilge
The Arts in Education Portal Editorial Committee welcomes submissions of proposals for workshops and presentations that represent quality practice and thinking within the field of arts and creativity in education. This year, the Portal Day will have a special focus on ‘Amplifying All Voices’.
The Committee particularly want to profile projects that represent children from diverse communities and children who are seldom heard. The closing date for submissions is 5pm Monday 9th September 2024.
Criteria for selection of proposals:
The Arts in Education Portal Editorial Committee welcomes submissions of proposals for workshops and presentations that represent:
Dynamic approaches
New ways of working
Work that represents a commitment to excellence
Strong aesthetic and/or educational outcomes
Presentations/ workshops that include children’s voices
Our selection of proposals will also be informed by a desire for:
Good geographic national spread
A range of art forms
Early years, primary post-primary and Youthreach representation
Equal representation of both arts in education and creative sectors
A balance of practical and theoretical approaches
How to apply:
Submissions should be made using the online form, please click the following link to access the form and read the full application guidelines.
For further enquiries, contact events@artsineducation.ie.
Department of Education
Minister for Education Norma Foley TD has announced details of the 425 schools selected to take part in the innovative 2024 BLAST Arts in Education Residencies programme, as well as of 42 new Creative Clusters involving 138 schools nationwide. Both initiatives are part of the Creative Youth Plan 2023 – 2027. BLAST residency projects are creative collaborations between the artist/creative practitioner, teacher, children and young people in and with the school under the coordination of the 21 full-time Education Support Centres of Ireland (ESCI). Each residency is worth €1,100 which is fully funded by the Department of Education with the local ESC managing the administration of the Artist/Creative Practitioner’s 20-hour residency. BLAST residencies can be delivered throughout the academic year 2024/25.
The 42 new Creative Clusters announced will see schools come together over two years to work on a project of their choice. A Cluster may receive up to €15,000 in funding to help them bring their plans and ideas around a project of their choice to fruition, with support from a local facilitator and their local ESC, between 2024 and 2026. The programme is designed to help schools build a project of learning and activities which is tailor-made for their students.
Minister Foley said: “I am pleased to announce today details of the 425 schools which will take part in the 2024 BLAST Arts in Education Residencies Programme, as well as the schools to take part in 42 new Creative Clusters. The Government’s investment of nearly €1.2 million in these initiatives for 2024 represents the extent of its commitment to providing access to the arts for children and young people. We know the very positive benefits which can be reaped from opportunities to be creative and that is at the heart of BLAST and Creative Clusters. These programmes will support children and young people by equipping them with skills such as the ability to connect and collaborate with others, engage in creative and critical thinking, and practice inclusivity at every level.”
Inspire the next generation of architects and creative problem solvers by leading collaborative design workshops for TY students. The Irish Architecture Foundation invites applications from architects and architectural graduates to participate in the 12th cycle of the national Architects in Schools programme. This is a great opportunity to share your knowledge of architecture with young people and teachers in a fun and engaging way. If you have good communication skills and are looking for exciting ways to expand your practice, they would love to hear from you.
You will work directly with Transition Year students in their school, supporting them as they learn how to explore, research, design and communicate their ideas about architecture and the built environment. You will also collaborate with students and teachers to select work for the annual Architects in Schools exhibition event in May 2025.
Architects in Schools is supported by the Arts Council of Ireland, the Department of Education and the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage.
How to apply: Complete the application form ( see link below)
Closing date: Wednesday 7 August, 18:00
How it works:
– The time commitment is 20 hours or more per year, it’s up to you!
– Work with 1, 2, 3 or 4 schools
– The Irish Architecture Foundation will match you with schools in the county/counties you request
– Flexible schedule, agreed between you and your assigned school(s)
– Share your own creativity, experience and unique perspectives with young people!
– 20 CPD points offered for each school programme
Hours:
20 hours per school (consisting of 12 hours of workshop facilitation & 8 hours of preparation time). This can be divided into 4 x 3 hours, 3 x 4 hours, 2 x 6 hours etc. of workshop delivery time.
Late August 2024: Offer of places. Complete acceptance form.
2024/25 Programme Delivery: Workshops can take place anytime between 15 September 2024 and 11 April 2025. Dates, times and workshop duration will be arranged directly between the designated teacher / TY coordinator and the assigned architect.
By Friday 28 March 2025: Submission of exhibition material (5 photographs, short text) by architects, via an online portal.
Mayo Education Support Centre Dates and Deadlines: Registration open. Last date for registration is Wednesday 14th August. Access to the course closes at 5pm on 16th August for all participants
The Explorers Education Programme online course aims to provide engaging activities, resources, and support for teachers to incorporate Marine Content through Science, Maths, English, Geography, and the Arts into the class curriculum. Launched in 2006, the Explorers Education Programme, funded and supported by the Marine Institute promotes ocean awareness, knowledge, and engagement, as well as supports ocean literacy and marine education in primary schools in Ireland.
By learning about the ocean literacy concepts; enabling us to understand the influence of the ocean on us and our influence on the ocean; as well as supporting engagement with the UN Sustainable Development Goals 12 and 14, teachers will be able to incorporate marine themes with a range of primary subjects and learning methodologies. Through a series of seashore focuses videos and activities participants will explore
• Biodiversity, and adaptation to the life on the shore,
• Sustainability fisheries and future of our coastal ecosystems
• Environmental awareness and care, and design and make
• Outdoor learning and planning fieldwork
• Using ICT to bring the Ocean into the classroom
• Methods for SSE and exploring work samples and self-reflection tools
The course provides teachers the opportunity to develop their individual and collective skills through the delivery of ocean literacy concepts and learning about the seashore online as well as through nature. The teachers will become proactive in:
• Assessing their own abilities as well as positively contributing to understanding the importance of the ocean
• Being able to communicate about the ocean in a meaningful way
• Using these skills to make informed and responsible decisions regarding the ocean and its resources in line with SDG14
Based over 5 modules, participants will use a range of pre-recorded video content, teacher resources, workbooks, and lesson plans to complete tasks. On completion participants can request a pack of Explorers Educational Resources to be sent to their school. This course is approved for E.P.V. certification by the Department of Education
For more information see here.
Music Generation
Music Generation recently released their Annual Report for 2023. In 2023, Music Generation reached 8% of children and young people in Ireland, a total of 115,936 programme participants. The year was full of collaborations across counties, vibrant youth-led festivals and young musicians creating new music with professional artists.
513 Musician Educators actively delivered programmes in 2023, a further 514 visits from 204 Professional Musicians/ Ensembles across twenty-five Local Music Education Programme (LMEP) Areas.
Many programmes offered a mix of sound and music forms including: Foundational or Pre-Instrumental Recording and Production, Singer-Songwriter, Creative Music Making, Composition, Music Technology, Spoken Word, Rap, Podcasting.
We have selected some programme highlights from Music Generation’s Annual Report:
Music Generation Leitrim ran pop-up bucket drumming and percussion workshops at primary and secondary schools throughout the county. During these workshops, children and young people learned the basics of bucket drumming and other percussion instruments, as well as singing songs.
Music Generation Louth curated a series of guest workshops with Berlin-based digital artist Æ Mak. The series was designed to build a progression route from the technology programme TY Trax. It aimed to inspire participants to continue as creative musicians beyond the school experience.
Music Generation Offaly participated in the official opening of the new Esker Arts Centre in Tullamore. A choir of children from two local primary schools performed with local musician Tolü Makay, with accompaniment from musicians Donal Lunny and Graham Henderson. President Michael D. Higgins and his wife Sabina attended the event along with local dignitaries and guests from the community
Music Generation Tipperary hosted the “Big Sing Along” performance workshop at the Source Arts Centre, Thurles. Three workshops were delivered over one day and attended by more than 600 children and young people from local primary school programmes including “Primary Beats” and “Tune Up Tipp”. These programmes focus on early years and instrumental performance music education.
The report also detailed national events where young musicians from Music Generation programmes were invited to bring their music to national and international audiences. Music Generation Laois performed at Child Summit 2023 hosted by The Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth. Young singers from Paddock National School, performed a segment of “Bicycles, Boomerangs and Blue Macaws”, a suite based on the United Nations Convention on the rights of the child. The Lundy Model of Participation (2007) was used to facilitate and empower the voice of the child throughout the songwriting process, the programme also encompassed pupils from Cloneyhurke and Rath National Schools.
The Arts in Education Portal Editorial Committee welcomes submissions of proposals for workshops and presentations that represent quality practice and thinking within the field of arts and creativity in education. This year, the Portal Day will have a special focus on ‘Amplifying All Voices’.
The Committee particularly want to profile projects that represent children from diverse communities and children who are seldom heard. The closing date for submissions is 5pm Monday 9th September 2024.
Criteria for selection of proposals:
The Arts in Education Portal Editorial Committee welcomes submissions of proposals for workshops and presentations that represent:
Dynamic approaches
New ways of working
Work that represents a commitment to excellence
Strong aesthetic and/or educational outcomes
Presentations/ workshops that include children’s voices
Our selection of proposals will also be informed by a desire for:
Good geographic national spread
A range of art forms
Early years, primary post-primary and Youthreach representation
Equal representation of both arts in education and creative sectors
A balance of practical and theoretical approaches
How to apply:
Submissions should be made using the online form, please click the following link to access the form and read the full application guidelines.
For further enquiries, contact events@artsineducation.ie.
Fighting Words
Fighting Words are taking bookings for the 2024 -2025 academic year for free secondary school students creative writing workshops. This is a great way to get students excited about writing. Creative writing is a skill that anyone can learn, develop and enjoy. Students are supported throughout the two-hour session by a team of trained and vetting writing mentors, who provide plenty of positive feedback and advice.
Benefits Outside the Classroom
These workshops are not only beneficial for students’ creativity, but help develop writing skills and self-confidence, which they can take with them and apply to their daily lives outside of the classroom.
The Team
The workshops are run by teams of volunteer writing mentors, supervised by Fighting Words staff using fun and interactive formats. Specialist workshops are delivered by experienced practitioners in a variety of fields, such as playwriting, graphic fiction, short stories and more.
All programming is focused on supporting children and young people to tell their own stories in their own voice and at their own pace. There is never a focus on spelling or grammar. The content is decided by the participants, with advice and guidance from the Fighting Words team.
Baboró offers a small Go See Fund to support artists and creatives to travel within Ireland to see work for children. The fund is designed for those who make or wish to make work for children and are looking for inspiration, new approaches to presentation, etc. To ensure this small fund can benefit as many individuals as possible, it will support the cost of event tickets and travel within the island of Ireland only, up to a maximum of €100 per application.
If you wish to apply for this funding, you need to please outline in 1-2 pages:
Information about your practice
Details of the work you wish to see (inc. title, artist/company, age range of audience, and the venue/festival at which it will be presented)
Why you wish to see this particular piece of work
How you think seeing it will benefit your practice
A brief budget outlining the costs that the fund would cover
You can send completed applications to the Artist & Programme Coordinator at rachel@baboro.ie with the subject line ‘Go See Fund Application’. Applications are accepted on an ongoing basis throughout the year. For further details, please visit: https://www.baboro.ie/artists/grow/go-see-fund.
Grace Park Educate Together National School
Deadline: 12 noon, Wednesday 26th June, 2024
Grace Park Educate Together Public Art Working Group are seeking expressions of interest from artists whose practice focuses on permanent visual artwork(s) to be sited in the foyer of their school building in a visual medium. The school is open to the idea of the artworks travelling throughout the interior of the building also once this does not impact on the budget for an engagement process with all of their students.
Grace Park ETNS is a child-centred, co-educational, equality based and democratic primary school under the patronage of Educate Together. The school has 423 students, with 16 mainstream classes from Junior Infants to 6th Class and 2 Autism Classes. There are 25 teachers and 16 additional needs assistants (ANAs) working alongside the children in our school.
The school asks that artists who apply consider the following:
It is expected that artwork(s) will be interactive for the children in this age group: 5 – 12 years.
The Public Art Working Group are not interested in the Digital Art Medium for this commission.
The school is located at DCU All Hallows Campus, Grace Park Road, Drumcondra, Dublin 9
The selection process will take the form of a Two Stage Open Competition. The closing date for receipt of Stage 1 completed application form together with supporting documentation and material is 12 noon, Wednesday 26th June 2024. It is anticipated that the project would commence in Summer 2024 and be completed by June 2025.
The commission was originally posted on Visual Artists Ireland and you can read further details on the briefing document: https://visualartists.ie/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/FINAL-2024-Apr-GP-ETNS-Stage-1-Brief.pdf
The Arts Council of Ireland
Date: 10th July
The Arts Council’s Arts Participation and the Young People Children and Education teams are hosting a joint information session on the Project Award 2025.
The purpose of the YPCE Project Award is to support artists to develop and deliver ambitious and original projects with and for children and young people. Projects may be interdisciplinary or focused on a specific artform.
You can join them online to learn more about the Project Award 2025 and how it can support your initiatives in the areas of Arts Participation and/or Young People, Children and Education.
The information session will take place on Zoom and is an opportunity to learn more about the Project Award and how it can support your initiatives in the areas of Arts Participation and/or Young People, Children and Education.
This practical online clinic will support and guide new and returning applicants to the award. You can register your interest for this information clinic taking place online Wednesday 10 July at 11:00am. There will also be an opportunity for attendees to submit their questions in advance of the clinic. If you have a question relating to the Arts Participation Project Award or Young People, Children and Education Project Award, please send it in advance to caroline.magnani@artscouncil.ie by Friday 5 July.
Cultural Hub for kids, The Ark, is running this five day course over the summer from 12 – 16 August. Artist Jole Bortoli will deliver this hugely popular hands-on, creative course for teachers focusing on a visual arts approach to exploring narrative, literacy & other subjects.
This is a five-day Department of Education EPV-approved summer course for teachers. It runs from 10 am – 3 pm each day with breaks and is suitable for all levels of experience.
The aim of the course is to enable participants to start the new school year with an enhanced toolbox of skills and knowledge, in order to effectively deliver the visual arts curriculum in the classroom. Participants will be engaged ‘hands-on’ throughout this course so learning will be through doing. Working in teams and individually, participants will cover a range of curriculum strands including drawing, painting, print, 3D construction, fabric, and fibre.
A strong emphasis will be on building skills and creative confidence. The group will also explore how visual art can be used to link with other subjects, as well as to promote visual literacy. Time will also be given for individual reflection, school self-evaluation and group discussion.
This course will appeal to teachers of all levels of experience and will be facilitated by the visual arts and education specialist and founder of Art to Heart, Jole Bortoli. This is a continuing professional development opportunity
Members of the Portal team recently ventured out to meet with colleagues, artists, theatre-makers and arts professionals who had convened in Sligo for Performing Arts Forum’s Annual Gathering. This was the first event to occur under the new name having recently re-branded from Theatre Forum. Their fully booked annual conference touched down in Sligo on Tuesday 28th and Wednesday 29th May with several hundred in attendance.
This Portal is managed by Kids’ Own Publishing based in Sligo so it was only a stroll across town to join proceedings.
Over the two days, the gathering explored many themes under the concept Where Connection Creates Change including freedom of expression, career viability and sustainability, advocacy, audience research and lots more. For the Portal it was an opportunity to hear from associate groups Theatre For Young Audiences (TYAI) and the Young Curators / Lasta Festival.
We connected with many individual artists, theatre makers, venue managers who make and present work, run outreach programmes, participate in TAP+/BLAST/Creative Clusters with young people.
There was a fantastic buzz with lots of opportunities for discussion, entertainment and discovery. More information on https://performingartsforum.ie/
Arts in Education Portal
Teachers, artists and arts in eduction professionals gathered in Sligo Education Centre on Saturday last for a day of sharing experience, gathering new ideas and networking with colleagues. This, the eighth of our Portal Regional Days, focused on best arts and creativity in education practice in the Northwest. This year’s gathering also saw attendees travel from Galway and Dublin.
The morning session saw two highly engaging presentations which demonstrated excellent Teacher Creative Practitioner/Artist partnerships. The first was from artist Andy Parsons and teacher Triona O’Dowd Hill who brought to life their process-based, abstract art project undertaken by Triona’s class at St Cecilia’s School, Sligo; a school that caters for students with moderate to profound learning disabilities.⠀The project, facilitated by Kids’ Own Publishing, focused on the partnerships between teacher and artist, and between artist and students. Triona and Andy spoke of the many ways the students asserted their creative voice and the sense of equality brought to the project by inviting TY students from the Ursuline College to participate in a collaborative session. The second presentation was delivered by teacher Karen Brogan and arts professional Leslie Ryan on their Creative Cluster project involving a group of five rural schools in West Sligo. Karen started by describing their project as an adventure, in which they took creativity and the creative arts as a lens in which to explore their local heritage, ecology and environment. They highlighted the benefits and the opportunities that came from working as a Creative Cluster and the impact it had within their schools and wider local communities.
Image: Artist Andy Parsons and teacher Triona O’Dowd Hill (left) and teacher Karen Brogan and arts professsional Leslie Ryan (right) speaking at the 2024 Regional Day
Before breaking for lunch, practical advice was provided through two sector bulletins where attendees heard from Daragh McDaid, Director Sligo Education Centre and Rhona McGrath of Roscommon County Council Arts Office who provide an overview of the supports and initiatives available through ESCI and the Local Authority Arts Offices.
After a morning of sharing practice, the group enjoyed a fab lunch catered by Blend Cafe.
Two creative workshops were available in the afternoon session, these offered attendees fun, stimulating, hands-on activities. Kathleen Gallagher led an interactive art workshop with Scratch and Makey Makey. Participants were encouraged to think outside the box and transform everyday objects into touchpads that interact with computers, bringing the worlds of coding and art together. Meanwhile Maeve Pudney, co-owner of artisan design studio Pop Out Projects immersed participants into the traditional craft of weaving using a bespoke table-top loom and genuine Donegal tweed wool yarn. Participants tried their hand at creating colourful bookmarks and coasters, seeing enormous possibilities for application within the classroom.
Thank you to everyone who joined us on the day. For those who missed the mornings discussions, we recorded both of the main talks and these will be available as podcasts later in the summer.
Irish Museum of Modern Art (IMMA)
IMMA invites teachers and tutors from pre-primary, primary, secondary schools and colleges to bring their student groups to IMMA any time during opening hours. Teachers and tutors can book bespoke guided tours and talks focused on specific exhibitions, and can access related digital resources, such as study notes and videos.
Before the school breaks for the summer holidays, why not come and see some exciting sculpture? In IMMA’s Garden Galleries, Hilary Heron: A Retrospective celebrates the pioneering work of modernist sculptor Hilary Heron (1923 – 1977). Hilary Heron was a Dublin born sculptor who co-represented Ireland at the 1956 Venice Biennale alongside painter Louis le Brocquy (1916 – 2012).
She was a courageous sculptor who travelled extensively, absorbing cultures whilst pursing new modern ideals. She created works in wood, terracotta, steel, bronze and with welding, in this practice she was ground breaking, as there were few women welders in the 1950s.
Also on exhibition are a selection of artworks by contemporary Irish female sculptors, who like Heron, have represented Ireland in the Venice Biennale.
Book a Tour and Workshop
You can book a guided tour with a member of the Visitor Engagement Team, who will explore and tease out the artworks with your class. The tour is followed by a workshop in the Matheson Creativity Hub. A combination of both will take approximately 2 hours. To make a booking, please visit: https://immatours.ticketsolve.com/ticketbooth/shows/1173590867/events/428615079
ZOOM Presentation
If you cannot come to see this exhibition in person, IMMA can bring it directly onto your smartboard via Zoom presentation. A member of the Visitor Engagement Team can present and host a discussion with your class group.
If you would like some more information or to book a session then contact joan.walker@imma.ie
Reflection
Towards the end of our playschool year 2023 we had the pleasure of welcoming welcoming Kids’ Own associate artists Maree Hensey and Naomi Draper into our playspace, as our playschool took part in the Arts in Early Learning and Care (ELC) and School Age Childcare (SAC) Pilot. Embarking on a journey of creativity and learning together, we put the child’s experience at the centre.
Upon reflection a number of points of interest are highlighted for me. Firstly, what a privilege it is to be able to work with such an enthusiastic, empowered and autonomous group. The ability of the group both children and adults to adapt to and embrace new learning opportunities is evidence of the hard work, perseverance and resilience present in the group individually and as a whole.
Secondly, how exposure to new approaches and ways of doing things can energise practitioners – we saw an enhanced enthusiasm for viewing creativity as a process rather than a product in practitioners, parents, families and the children themselves. Some children (and, more particularly, adults) can tend to view the product as being more important than the process. This arts project helped to challenge this idea and resulted in a more balanced approach towards the process of making art.
Thirdly, the presence of new adults within the setting sparked conversation and directed interactions in new ways, giving Early Years Practitioners opportunities to model pro-social behaviour e.g. inclusion, respect of others, listening, empathy and personal responsibility. The children observed their trusted adults welcoming newcomers with confidence, acceptance and high-regard. This modelled behaviours through which the children acquired learning completely unrelated to art and creativity, but useful and important for their future pro-social development.
Finally, the evolving nature of the project allowed us to reflect upon the constantly changing dynamic of the group and the emerging opportunities, the life of a young child changes quickly as do their needs, interests and motivations. The adults within the group (both artists and practitioners) were able to acknowledge, accept this and use a go with the flow approach when needed, allowing movement of learning from child-to-adult as well as from adult-to-child.
FÍS Film Project
Deadline: 5pm, 28th June 2024
There is an open invitation to all Dept. of Education designated Irish primary schools to enter their films into the annual national FÍS Film Awards competition. To enter, primary schools across the country are asked to create an (up to) five-minute film on a subject of their choice, registration is not required.
Awards may be made in a wide variety of categories including Documentary, Comedy, Acting, Storytelling, Adaptation, Animation, Special Effects, Direction, Costume, Editing, Production Design, Cinematography, Sound Track, Best Newcomer, Best Junior Class Production, Curriculum Relevance, among others.
The FIS website is packed with resources and tools on incorporating film into the primary classroom, with lesson plans, videos, technical guides and templates to help get you started with your submission.
The deadline for entries is Friday 28 June at 5pm, for further details on the competition including the rules and guidelines and judging criteria, please visit https://fisfilmproject.ie/competition/
Shortlisted schools must be available to attend the FÍS Film Awards Ceremony, which takes place in the Helix Theatre, DCU Dublin. It is a large-scale national event with over 900 people in attendance, filmed and broadcast by students and staff from the National Film School, at the Institute of Art, Design & Technology (IADT).
European Parliament
Date: exhibition runs until 18 September
This pedagogical kit aims to provide educators with practical guidance for the exhibition Art in Democracy. Next to a temporary physical exhibition all the material is always accessible online. The information provided takes a more generic approach, so that it is adaptable to educational contexts at international level that vary in the different countries.
The kit is divided into several sections, including:
specific information about how the seven selected topics as well as the individual artworks of the exhibition relate to the overarching theme of democracy with a ‘teacher’s corner’ giving some hands-on ideas of students’ own creations;
ideas for using the interviews that some of the represented artists gave about their works in the exhibition;
a concrete lesson plan based on a methodology following democratic principles and giving a variety of activities that can easily be applied in the classroom.
an additional resources list for further information about the EU, the European Elections 2024 as well as links to related examples in art history.
With the next European Elections approaching in June 2024, it is interesting for students to reflect on democracy and what it means to them. Seeing Europe and its democratic values through the eyes of its artists offers the opportunity to address the topic of democracy and democratic values via aesthetic and experience-based learning. Artistic expression can more easily lead to student engagement, facilitate classroom discussions and trigger reflection on this topic.
The Portal Team are delighted to announce the first of the of the two recipients of the 2024 Arts in Education Portal Documentation Award. We are very excited to be working with each recipient in the coming months to document their projects. These projects will be showcased on the portal as the documentation progresses.
Project title: Let’s Get Real
The project “Let’s Get Real” consists of creating an advocacy multimedia film with animated elements to share the learner’s ideas of home life, work life, relationships, health, and education and explore how laws and society is changing to make these human rights prevalent. There are five learners, working with Streetwise staff Ruth O’ Keeffe and Patricia Dooley under the guidance of artist Ana Colomer. The sound design is the result of a partnership piece with Oisín Ó Cualáin from Music Generation inspired by the learners’ work.
Using green screen technology and stop motion animation, they are trying to deliver an honest, personal message about themselves. There is nothing strange or supernatural in our film but quite the opposite, we just point and enumerate the small things that make us who we are. What we enjoy, what we do in our day-to-day routines, and our dreams and hopes for the future, simple things that others might take for granted, like going to work or enjoying a meal with friends.
The process consists of:
Storyboarding, green screen video telling the viewer about us and then creating animations to match the autobiographical video bites. These animations are made with tablets and stop motion studio, but each scene has a different background, elements, and props to accompany the narrative.
This specific creative & educational process has been led by the learners at their pace, to convey the message that is paramount to them & their peers.
Artist: Ana Colomer
Ana Colomer is a visual artist based in Ennis Co. Clare. Ana works as a community artist and arts educator. She is a tutor for LCYP, LCETB, a Creative Associate for Creative Schools, Arts Council, and an Associate Artist for Helium Arts. She holds a Bachelor Degree in Fine Arts by Seville University and a H Dip.
Ana is a firm believer in the importance of a holistic approach when educating at any level, such as primary, post primary or in adult education settings. This holistic approach should have the arts at the centre of it, promoting different ways of learning and prioritising the wellbeing and the joy of creative thinking.
This is Ana’s third collaborative project with Streetwise. “This project is truly special, there is so much effort and love put into it through collaborative learning, and it offers an intimate insight into the lives of people currently living in Ireland with intellectual disabilities.”
Department of Education
Deadline: 21st June 2024
The Department of Education has announced TAP+ 2024 Summer Course registration is now open.
Free to all primary & special school teachers. Hosted by your local full time Education Support Centre. Approved and led by the Department of Education and Education Support Centres Ireland (ESCI) under Creative Youth 2023-2027.
Teacher Artist Partnership+ (TAP+) is a creativity rich summer course that supports professional development through wellbeing, relationships and creative partnership for teachers and artists /creative practitioners.
Participants create, explore and collaborate to enhance arts and creativity in education through creative process, critical reflection, collaboration and enjoyment.
TAP+ Teacher Registration Flyer
During the summer course teachers will have the opportunity to apply for a TAP+ Residency to take place in partnership with a creative practitioner from their summer course and their students in the school year 2024/2025. Each ESC will have 8 Residencies for participating teachers on the TAP+ Summer Course.
Please use the following link to register for the upcoming TAP+ Summer Course link
Announcing a wonderful opportunity for artists and creative practitioners of all disciplines to broaden their practice through Teacher Artist Partnership+ (TAP+) professional development and in-school residency programme.
Develop creative partnerships with teachers and children. Receive funded training and residencies that bring the arts and creativity to children all over Ireland through TAP+, an initiative of Creative Youth 2023-27 under Creative Ireland and led by the Department of Education.
TAP+ Overview
TAP+ 2024 Artist Call-Out flyer
TAP+ Summer Course running 1st to 5th July 2024 in your local Education Support Centre
– Fully paid training to support artists and creative practitioners to work in primary and special schools
TAP+ In-school Residencies
– Bringing learning into practice through creative partnership with teachers and children
– Funded 20-hour residencies in the school year 2024/25
– Access to the BLAST register of creative practitioners to deliver in-school residencies
Artists / Creative Practitioners apply for TAP+ via expressions of interest addressed to the Director of Tralee Education Support Centre submitted to artsineducation@traleeesc.ie no later than 5pm on Friday 7th June 2024. Expressions of interest should be in the form of a letter of max 600 words, accompanied by a CV or short bio with links to images or samples of relevant work.
Towards the end of our playschool year 2023 we had the pleasure of welcoming welcoming Kids’ Own associate artists Maree Hensey and Naomi Draper into our playspace, as our playschool took part in the Arts in Early Learning and Care (ELC) and School Age Childcare (SAC) Pilot. Embarking on a journey of creativity and learning together, we put the child’s experience at the centre.
We have a natural diversity of families and family backgrounds represented at playschool and we place a high value on the richness of the different cultural backgrounds that are represented within the group, both adults and children – we are a community made up of many different parts.
When we introduced the idea of visiting artists to the families there was a general sense of interest and curiosity with parents making comments such as “What is going to be expected of my child…How will they interact with my child…I don’t like art, I was never any good at school…Will my child’s ability be judged…What type of art will be involved?”.
Some parents are artists themselves and were naturally excited and impressed by the idea. One hundred percent of families gave their consent for their child to take part in the art project.
It soon became evident that a great number of parents had fixed ideas about what both ‘Art’ and ‘Artists’ were and some parents talked about their expectations e.g. “It will be lots of colouring…There will be careful painting”.
As the weeks rolled by and the project unfolded I am sure that comments from children at home added detail to parents’ interpretation of what was happening with the artists at playschool.
One of the favourite links between families and playschool was the gallery which we opened after one session, where parents were invited to view and experience the group’s work. This presented a wonderful opportunity for parents to interact with the artists and to get to know them, as well as to appreciate the work the children were doing.
We have very strong, positive bonds with the families who use our service, we value parental input and encourage open communication between parents and the service providers.
The arts project was very much a shared experience where a recognition and value was placed upon the contribution made by families towards the overall development of the child both within and outside of the setting. The introduction of the community artists into our space strengthened the link between our service provision and the local community – the project formed a conduit for interaction and involvement.
Creative Youth
Creative Ireland have released the review of the Creative Youth Plan 2018-2022.
Trinity College Dublin have undertaken a systematic review of the first Creative Youth Plan. Since 2017, Creative Youth has had a significant impact nationally which has included support for over 2,000 schools and Youthreach centres to enrich their students experience through a range of creative programmes, and provided access to programmes such as creative writing, youth drama, music, and creative technology, as well as supporting educators in embedding creativity into their programmes
The report is a systematic review of outcomes and trends across the Creative Youth Plan 2017 – 2022.
Department of Education & The Arts Council of Ireland
The application deadline for the following Arts In Education initiatives are closing.
Creative Schools
Deadline: 2nd May 2024
Participating schools/centres will be provided with a package of supports that includes working with a Creative Associate, training and networking to support them to create their Creative School Plan, as well as seed funding to begin to implement their Plan.
Successful schools will receive €4,000 to implement their plans over the school years 2024–25 and 2025–26.
In addition to downloading and reading the guidelines, you can find out more about the Creative Schools Initiative here.
BLAST
Deadline: 10th May 2024
Minister for Education Norma Foley, TD, has invited primary, post-primary, special schools and YouthReach to apply for the BLAST – Bringing Live Arts to Students and Teachers – arts in education initiative 2024/25. The 2024 programme will enable 425 new arts in education residencies in schools over the course of the year.
BLAST aims to provide pupils in schools all over the country, time and the space to work with a professional artist/creative practitioner on imaginative and joyful projects. BLAST is a key Department of Education initiative of the Creative Youth Plan 2023-2027 which aims to foster creativity in schools focus and to provide young people with opportunities to learn and develop the key skills and competencies of collaboration, critical thinking, problem-solving, and innovation.
Innovative BLAST residencies are designed and developed between the artist/creative practitioner, teacher, students and the school community under the coordination of the 21 full-time Education Support Centres Ireland (ESCI) network.
The Department of Education is pleased to announce the opening of a new round of Creative Clusters for the two years commencing September 2024. The programme is open to primary and post-primary schools, including special schools, as well as YouthReach centres.
Up to €575,000 has been made available this year for Creative Clusters and this will enable up to 210 schools to come together across 42 clusters.
Each Creative Cluster will receive grant funding of €3,000 per school over a two-year period to implement their project 2024–2026.
3 schools would receive €9,000
5 schools would receive €15,000
In addition to financial support above each cluster will also receive:
A Creative Cluster Facilitator
Teacher Substitution to attend workshops and meetings
As part of the redevelopment of the Primary School Curriculum, NCCA is now consulting on five Draft Primary Curriculum Specifications in Arts Education; Modern Foreign Languages (MFL) in the Primary Language Curriculum; Social and Environmental Education (SEE); Science, Technology and Engineering (STE) Education; and Wellbeing from March to June 2024.
The consultation includes gathering feedback from children, working with schools networks, online and in-person focus groups, online questionnaires, written submissions, bilateral meetings and a consultation conference.
Here are some of the ways you can get involved and have your say:
Focus Group Events: Online and in-person focus groups will take place for teachers, school leaders and parents. The in-person focus groups will take place across the country.
Questionnaires: There are two online questionnaires, one for education professionals and one for parents. Each should take no more than ten minutes to complete.
Written submissions: Individuals, groups and organisations are invited to make an online written submission on one or more of the Draft Primary Curriculum Specifications.
For more information on the consultation and how you can get involved, please visit their dedicated consultation page.
Department for Education – TAP+
Minister for Education Norma Foley TD has announced the opening of registration for the 2024 Teacher Artist Partnership+ summer courses for primary and special school teachers, artists and creative practitioners.
These professional development summer courses for teachers and creative practitioners are aimed at enhancing arts and creativity in education in primary and special schools. The Teacher Artist Partnership+ Summer Courses will be provided free of charge in each of the 21 full-time Education Centres in Ireland this summer. Each course will have 20 primary teachers and 4 professional artists participating.
Minister Foley said: “I hope that this exciting initiative will help teachers and schools to further enhance creativity in their classrooms. It is important that our children are allowed to express themselves and learn to adapt and collaborate.”
The Creative Youth Programme aims to develop the creative potential of every child. Professional development for both teachers and creative practitioners working in schools is critical to the long-term success and sustainability of creativity in education.
To achieve the long-term objectives of cultural and creative education, it is necessary to build a critical mass of education and creative practitioner professionals who are versed in the theoretical frameworks of arts and creativity education and equipped with the skills and techniques for delivering programmes in partnership.
The TAP+ residency element of this programme will give students of all ages in primary and special schools the opportunity to have their TAP+ trained teacher and artist working together in their classroom facilitating the development of these essential skills for students to enjoy and explore artistic and creative expression.
TAP+ provides trained teachers with the opportunity to host a fully funded TAP+ Artist in Residency in their school in 2024/25. This Department of Education-led initiative is a highly innovative, creative and participant-responsive programme that promotes professional learning towards partnership.
Mónica Muñoz Dance presents FALL and FLOAT: A Dance show for schools in venues across Ireland recommended for children from age 4+.
With playful energy, impressive acrobatics, comic timing and a joyful soundscape, two dancers create a magical world through the clever manipulation of simple balloons. Their imagination seems to know no bounds- resulting in a hypnotic, funny and uplifting performance full of falling, throwing, catching, stumbling, floating… and sometimes maybe even a little bit of flying.
The tour takes place in May across selected venues throughout the country:
15 MayBackstage Theatre, Longford 16 MayNenagh Arts Centre, Co. Tipperary 21 MayCivic Theatre, Tallaght, Dublin 24 23 MayMermaid Arts Centre, Bray, Co. Wicklow 5 JuneSource Arts, Thurles, Co. Tipperary 8 June Dunamaise Arts Centre, Portlaoise *Family shows for Cruinniú na nÓg 12 JuneDraíocht Blanchardstown, Dublin 15. 13 JuneRiverbank Arts Centre, Newbridge, Co. Kildare
Schools and Teachers interested in attending should contact their local venue and book directly through their box office. Ticket prices vary, and teachers attend FREE with their classes.
Towards the end of our playschool year 2023 we had the pleasure of welcoming Kids’ Own associate artists Maree Hensey and Naomi Draper into our playspace, as our playschool took part in the Arts in Early Learning and Care (ELC) and School Age Childcare (SAC) Pilot. Embarking on a journey of creativity and learning together, we put the child’s experience at the centre.
Placing the child at the centre of practice requires a greater investment of energy from the adult. It is usually more stressful and certainly appears more chaotic and messy than putting the adult’s needs at the centre of practice.
In our space we try always to put the experience of the child at the centre of all we do – empowering for the child, exhausting for the adult! One of the many benefits of adopting a truly child-centred approach means that by the end of the year the group is very well defined, usually extremely confident, inclusive and cohesive with members confident, and comfortable within their own role and expectations. This can be beneficial when introducing new adults into the setting, allowing for the swift development of trust and rapport.
Strong leadership is important in ensuring that staff feel supported and secure in their role when new adults are introduced, especially staff are being asked to step away from their comfort zone into unfamiliar and unknown areas: e.g. “I’m rubbish at art…..I don’t know anything about art”. Thoughtful use of supportive, inclusive, non-threatening language can enhance and promote a feeling of mutual respect and encouragement, protecting positive outcomes for all of the adults involved.
We observed how the adults in the setting, both staff and artists, developed positive, supportive links, sharing the experience and learning that emerged through reflective practice: e.g. “I’ve noticed how ______ really loves working with charcoal….We should bring that resource into the playspace more often…..I really enjoyed working with the flowers, twigs, moss that we collected on the nature lane, I never thought of using them in that way before”.
Reflective practice should be a cornerstone of practice in the Early Years and is the hallmark of a high quality service – embracing new ways of doing things, seeking out and welcoming new challenges and reflecting upon this process empowers staff and encourages creative and innovative thinking.
The adult’s experience enhances the child’s experience.
Inviting the artists into our space elevated our practice and energised our thought processes, supporting our continued professional development.
Kids’ Own Publishing Partnership Deadline 3 April 2024
Kids’ Own, the current Arts in Education Portal Mangers, is seeking an experienced individual to assist with elements of the Arts in Education Portal programme in 2024. Reporting to the Arts in Education Portal Manager, and the CEO of Kids’ Own, the Portal Assistant will assist with key events and content development for the Portal. We invite applications from suitably qualified individuals for this fixed term contract for service.
Launched in 2015, the Arts in Education Portal is the key national digital resource of arts and education practice in Ireland. The ethos for the Portal is about building a community of practice within arts and creativity in education, and providing a space – both online and offline – where artists and teachers can be supported and inspired. It provides a platform through which good collaboration practice in arts-in-education and arts education will be supported, developed and enhanced.
The specifications of the contract are set out below.
Coordination of Portal events, particularly the Spring Regional Day, in Sligo in late Spring 2024 and the National Arts in Education Portal Day which will take place in Dublin in early November 2024. Event coordination will include pre-event planning, organising guest speakers, communications with ticket holders and management of all event logistics. Coordinating third-party suppliers, freelancers, videographers and designers to ensure on-time delivery of assets.
Developing social media content to promote the content of the Arts in Education Portal website and events, ensuring the delivery of effective, cohesive, and engaging brand messaging.
Assistance with the management of the Arts in Education Portal website, including updating content.
Assisting with the development of content for the AIE Portal, which could include travelling to different education settings to document arts in education projects.
The successful applicant will have:
A strong interest in arts in education and collaborative arts practice.
Experience in event coordination.
Experience with self-directed projects.
Strong digital skills, including experience using WordPress.
Proven track record in managing social media campaigns, across platforms including Facebook, Instagram, X, and LinkedIn.
Expertise in documenting creative projects.
Ability to travel when required for meetings, events etc. Full, clean driving license and access to own transport.
Excellent interpersonal and communication skills.
Excellent organisational and time-management skills.
The ability to work well as part of a small team.
Desirable:
Experience in working with non-profit or charitable organisations.
How to apply:
Applicants should send a detailed CV, along with a cover letter outlining their interest in this piece of work, with reference to relevant experience, and any other relevant details.
Fee: there is a set fee of €12,000 for the delivery of these services. There will be additional funds available for travel and other expenses to be confirmed with the successful applicant(s).
Timeline: Timelines will be agreed with successful candidate, but candidates should note dates of Regional and National Day events are in May and November.
Deadline: Wednesday 3rd April
How to apply: please send a cover letter detailing your experience, approach, and interest in the role, along with a CV to ciara@kidsown.ie
Department of Education: BLAST Initiative
Application Deadline: 10th May 2024
Applications for BLAST are now open.
Minister for Education Norma Foley, TD, has invited primary, post-primary, special schools and YouthReach to apply for the BLAST – Bringing Live Arts to Students and Teachers – arts in education initiative 2024/25.
Minister Foley is delighted to confirm that BLAST will be running in 2024 for the fourth time. The 2024 programme will enable 425 new arts in education residencies in schools over the course of the year.
BLAST aims to provide pupils in schools all over the country, time and the space to work with a professional artist/creative practitioner on imaginative and joyful projects. BLAST is a key Department of Education initiative of the Creative Youth Plan 2023-2027 which aims to foster creativity in schools focus and to provide young people with opportunities to learn and develop the key skills and competencies of collaboration, critical thinking, problem-solving, and innovation.
Innovative BLAST residencies are designed and developed between the artist/creative practitioner, teacher, students and the school community under the coordination of the 21 full-time Education Support Centres Ireland (ESCI) network.
Minister Foley said: “I am extremely proud to announce the launch of BLAST 2024, which builds on the great success of the BLAST 2021, 2022 and 2023 Programme.”
BLAST Arts & Creativity in Education Residency 2024/2025 apply online here: LINK
FÍS FILM Project
Deadline: Friday 19th April 2024 at 5pm
Irish primary schools are invited to enter the 2024 FÍS Storyboard Storytelling competition. The FÍS Storyboard Storytelling Competition is open to all primary schools in the Republic of Ireland. Only storyboards created and produced by primary school pupils and their teacher(s) will be eligible, i.e., the storyboard must be the school’s own original work.
To enter schools should create a storyboard that is a visual interpretation of a story, a concept, a topic, a poem or nursery rhyme. Suggested themes are as follows but not limited to:
Everyday heroes, e.g. ‘a day-in-the-life of someone in your community who supports others
Staycation
Local History / Folklore
As Gaeilge
Curriculum relevant topic, e.g. environmental exploration, climate change, history, science, etc.
Time capsule, e.g. school of the future, letters to grandchildren, a snapshot of time
An adaptation of a traditional story / fairytale with a modern day twist
FÍS film making in schools – what would that be like in the future?
The pupils own original story
Judging Critera Highlights:
When reviewing storyboards submitted to the competition, judges will consider the following:
Excellence in visual interpretation of a story or concept or topic
Excellence in the use of artistic media e.g. a variety of art materials, copyright free images, etc.
Imagination and creativity
Curricular relevance
Support of pupils’ literacy skills development and enhanced learning
Use of different types of shots, i.e. close-ups, mid-shots, long-shots, etc. that help to convey the story
Evidence that the Storyboards could be developed in the future by the class or group into a FÍS film or stop-motion animation project for entry into the 19th Annual FÍS Film Awards competition 2024.
Kids’ Own have published two books by children and young people from the Roma and Traveller community Cork. They are offering complimentary copies of these books, together with the accompanying teacher learning resource, to schools and educators.
Explore the lives of Roma children with The Real Us. This publication shares their voices, experiences, and ambitions, challenging stereotypes and fostering empathy.
Discover insights from Traveller children with Grow Up Strong. Through narratives and artwork, this publication celebrates their experiences, highlighting the significance of their voices.
Developed by teachers, artists, and educators, the teacher resource supports the use of these books in classrooms. With a focus on fostering creativity and meaningful discussions, it aims to cultivate cultural understanding by centring children and young people’s experiences.
Tailored for upper primary and post-primary levels (Junior Cycle), these resources provide valuable perspectives and insights for your students’ educational journey.
Education Support Centres Ireland are offering a selection of CPD courses for teachers. Highlights of courses available are as follows:
Cork Education Support Centre
Course Title: Enriching Learning Through Play – The Power of Drama Games in your Classroom
Location: Online
Date: 10 April 2024
Level: Primary
Drama can sometimes feel like a strain for teachers! Join Debbie Cullinane for an enlightening, informative webinar, where you’ll delve into the magic of drama games for all ages and the positive impact they can have in your classroom. A huge bank of games & resources will be shared, along with practical ideas to seamlessly integrate drama games into your classroom.
Read more and register here: https://www.cesc.ie/primary-courses/3022-24-5938-spr-enriching-learning-through-play.html
Wexford Education Support Centre
Course Title: Senior Cycle Poetry
Location : Online
Date: 30 April 2024
Level: Post primary
Join facilitator Deidre Carroll in this CPD Course by Wexford Education Support Centre.
Looking at Language – What is required in a Comprehension exercise? Writing style – what is it? How to write an impactful piece. The composition – what to choose, what to write.
Course Title: Let’s Play
Location : Online
Date: 30 April 2024
Level: Primary and Post primary
Join multi-disciplinary artist Kajsa Kinsella for an exciting webinar titled “Let’s Play!” In this session, learn how to transform everyday objects into simple, cost-effective toys, games, and even musical instruments. Imagine the joy on your students’ faces as they learn to create, replicate, and share these fun projects, fostering a love for learning that lasts a lifetime.
This is a great opportunity to bring hands-on, interactive learning into your classroom.
Course Title: Sensory Arts for SEN
Location : Online
Date: 07 May 2024
Level: Primary, Special Education
Join Blackrock Education on this webinar where you will learn to create captivating educational, safe and sensory arts and crafts for and with SEN classes. Speaker Kajsa Kinsella will show you how to utilise everyday items to create educational material for children of different abilities, sensitivities and preferences.
Towards the end of our playschool year in 2023 we had the pleasure of welcoming Kids’ Own associate artists Maree Hensey and Naomi Draper into our playspace, as our playschool took part in the Arts in Early Learning and Care (ELC) and School Age Childcare (SAC) Pilot. Embarking on a journey of creativity and learning together, we put the child’s experience at the centre.
By placing the experience for the child at the centre it, the experience, becomes relevant and meaningful for the child – they are empowered and the process better reflects the individual need of each child. For example, a more confident and socially independent child will prioritise their learning through identifying and initiating contact with the newcomers. She will explore what they have to offer, what their contribution is going to be and how she can use this to further her own learning. She will embrace the new experience, quickly and enthusiastically seeking out learning e.g. “What’s your name?….What’s in your basket?….Can I have a go?….I need that” etc. etc.
A more reserved child, on the other hand, may prefer to spend his time in an observational role, building up learning through spectating, watching others, as they develop relationships and build trust. Once this phase is completed he is ready to take a more active role within the group once they become certain of expectation, roles and the new dynamics which are emerging.
Children experience art and the creative process differently to adults. Mostly children are creative in nature, possessing abundant curiosity and motivation to explore, experiment and create. Children do this all of the time through constructive play, arts and craft, mark making, dramatic role-play, musical play and physical play. It is, in fact, impossible to stop children from creating – it is how they learn.
The introduction of the artists directed the children’s learning and we observed how the child’s experience was enhanced through the patient, child-centred and facilitative approach adopted and employed by the artists.
UNESCO
This guide invites teachers to harness the transformative power of the arts through the research-informed Arts for Transformative Education model. This thinking tool for teachers was developed by analysing data from more than 600 teachers across 39 countries in the UNESCO Associated Schools Network (ASPnet).
The guide presents and explains the Arts for Transformative Education model – a thinking tool for understanding, planning and supporting transformative arts learning experiences. It also describes a curated collection of arts learning activities and projects from across the globe that may serve as inspiration for arts learning experiences suited to your own context.
This publication provides:
12 ‘learning experience descriptions’ illustrating how the Arts for Transformative Education model works in real-world learning.
JCSP Libraries are running an exciting new photography challenge. This inclusive challenge can be enjoyed by students in post-primary JCSP/DEIS schools across all year groups. The aim is to support young people to develop their artistic practice, creativity, originality and self-expression through the medium of photography.
The main idea behind this initiative is to promote visual literacy and creative thinking. To take part, students are encouraged to take a daily photo inspired by daily prompt words throughout February. Students can snap photographs of people, places or things around them. The prompt list encourages students to study the world around them and to focus on visual features including texture, pattern, colour and shape. Extra resources on jcsplibraries.com will also allow students to make connections between photography and numeracy, learn new tips and tricks, and to develop their literacy with photography keywords. The challenge is very flexible: individual students, clubs or classes can participate.
The Challenge is open to students in all post-primary JCSP/DEIS schools and that winners will be selected in 3 categories:
1. Junior
2. TY and Senior
3. Special Needs
HOW TO ENTER:
This exciting new photography competition is open to students in 2nd Level JCSP and DEIS schools across Ireland.
There will be three prizes categories: Junior Cycle, Senior Cycle, Special Needs.
Each school can submit a maximum of 5 entries per category.
All entries must be the original work of the students.
All entries must be submitted via the school and using the official entry form. Students should not submit entries directly.
Send a digital file or make a scan of all of your student entries and send them to info@jcsplibraries.ie along with a copy of the entry form detailing your school and participating students’ details.
The Department of Education is pleased to announce the opening of a new round of Creative Clusters for the two years commencing September 2024. The programme is open to primary and post-primary schools, including special schools, as well as YouthReach centres.
Up to €575,000 has been made available this year for Creative Clusters and this will enable up to 210 schools to come together across 42 clusters.
Each Creative Cluster will receive grant funding of €3,000 per school over a two-year period to implement their project 2024–2026.
3 schools would receive €9,000
5 schools would receive €15,000
In addition to financial support above each cluster will also receive:
A Creative Cluster Facilitator
Teacher Substitution to attend workshops and meetings
Eligible Schools – The following schools are welcome to apply to participate in Creative Clusters:
Schools that have not yet participated in Creative Clusters.
Schools that have not yet participated in Creative Schools and those who will complete Creative Schools Year 2 in the 2023/24 school year.
Schools that will complete Creative Clusters Year 2 in the 2023/24 school year. However, they must apply as part of a cluster who have not yet participated in the initiative. In this instance, it is required that this school applies to lead a cluster of schools that are new to the initiative.
The local Education Support Centre will have a key role in identifying and supporting a Creative Cluster for their local area. 42 Creative Clusters will be selected nationally – 2 per Education Support Centre.
In announcing this new round of Creative Clusters, Minister Foley said:
“This is a wonderful opportunity for schools to work together on a creative project of their choice. Schools are given complete freedom to design and develop their own project, with support from a local facilitator and their local education centre.”
Creative Clusters is an initiative of the Department of Education, led by and in partnership with the 21 full-time Education Centres (Education Support Centres Ireland – ESCI) and funded through the Schools Excellence Fund.
Deadline extended: 6 March 2024
The Arts in Education Portal editorial team are pleased to invite applications for a documentation award. Through the award, successful applicants will receive services to the value of €5,000 that will support them in the documentation of a current or upcoming project and a €500 stipend.
The purpose of the award is to support the development of documented outcomes from Arts in Education initiatives in Ireland, which can be shared with the arts in education community and give insights into different processes of engagement. This is part of the Arts in Education Portal Editorial Committee’s commitment to supporting and recognising the value of documentation and reflection as key components within arts in education initiatives.
Two awards will be offered through this opportunity.
Outcomes of the documentation process will include: a project video, a project feature to be showcased on the Portal’s Projects/Partnerships, and the option of a critical essay, with a view to also presenting the work as part of the Arts in Education Portal National Day in 2024.
The process will involve meetings with the Portal Team and a schedule of up to 2 visits over the course of the project to capture video and photographic documentation and support reflective processes among participants. These visits and meetings can be conducted virtually if required.
The portal team will edit and produce a project video and will liaise closely with the project partners to develop the content for the project feature. The critical essay would be cited in the Portal’s Reading Room and is optional. The author and focus of the essay can be decided by the project organisers in collaboration with the Portal Team.
Criteria
To be considered for this opportunity, projects must:
Have started in Autumn 2023 and continue into 2024, or take place in 2024. Please note if selected, filming of engagement sessions will take place after 19th March 2024.
Have a minimum duration of 8 weeks.
Involve a professional artist working collaboratively within an educational setting (early years, primary or post-primary).
Be underpinned by a strong ethos of collaboration and a commitment to excellence. Focus on the creative process, with children having an active and collaborative role.
Additional criteria
Successful applicants will be asked to ensure that relevant permissions/consent have been sought for the documentation of participants.
Please ensure your application has been approved by all project partners prior to submission.
Deadline for submission is 5pm, Wednesday 6 March 2024.
Note: this article was amended on 29/02/24 to revise the deadline for submission from Friday 1 to Wednesday 6 March
International Teacher-Artist Partnership (I-TAP-PD) PD
Research reports from the International Teacher-Artist Partnership (I-TAP-PD) PD project were published in June 2023. The project focus was on enabling teachers and artists to jointly develop their understanding, expertise and creativity in ‘arts in education’ work with children and young people in education, community and arts settings. It is funded under the Erasmus+ KA2 Strategic Partnership for School Education initiative.
Consisting of a 5-day pre-service training course to prepare participants for their partnered engagement and a 20 hour in-situ residency in a primary school, the programme was piloted in four countries: Ireland, Serbia, Greece and the Netherlands.
I-TAP-PD focuses specifically on the partnership between a teacher and an artist, aiming to facilitate a strong foundation of relationship and inspiration before working together in the classroom. In co-creating this methodology a research group was organised to collect data about the impact of the programme and the residencies, and to monitor the development and finetuning of the training programme. The research team consists of representatives of each country.
Four residencies took place in Ireland during 2022, data from these, confirmed findings published internationally on TAP initiatives. In this case, sufficient allocation of time for residencies, whole school buy-in and political will and support were confirmed as the main enablers of TAP practices, whereas two residencies were hindered by a lack of support by school management. Key findings for the Irish research indicated that learning fell broadly into three categories: personal development, professional development and effective collaboration. The greatest areas of learning for teachers were in the collaborative sphere while artists reported significant personal development.
The research from each partner country is available to read on the I-TAP-PD website, including a short introduction and download link to each research reports from Ireland along with Greece, Serbia and the Netherlands. Read them all and explore how the programme and residencies were experienced and analysed within the different contexts.
The Arts Council of Ireland
Dates: 1st-29th Feb
The Arts Council is inviting all schools across Ireland to get involved in their first ever Creative February, a celebration of art and creativity in schools with a focus on fun, festivities, imagination and innovation. This initiative will run from the 1st to the 29th of February.
Creative February will recognise and affirm that our schools are truly creative places, filled with very creative people. From primary to secondary to alternative settings, all children and young people will be encouraged to MAKE, SEE, DO.
Make any style of art you choose – paint, draw, dance, knit, design, sculpt, code;
See art – visit a museum or gallery, attend a theatre or spoken word performances, dance shows, music gigs, or see architecture and local art in your town or city!
Do a creative project – as a team, as a class or as a school.
To help inspire, guide and motivate everyone taking part, the Arts Council will host a series of online workshops in collaboration with Monaghan Education Centre and Wexford Education Support Centre. These workshops will be divided: half will be catering for school staff and teachers, with the remainder dedicated to students.
The underlying theme for Creative February is Spring. Creation from new growth, the seeds of inspiration, this theme hopes to encourage students and school communities to reflect on where creativity begins in our lives, in every class, in every school and how it can grow and flourish.
Ongoing updates and details of webinars will appear across the Arts Council’s social media platforms and Creative February website.
Run by the Creative Schools team within the Arts Council, Creative February is open to every school in the country, and all are warmly invited to take part. A welcome pack, with posters and details has been distributed to each school across the country.
The Arts Council of Ireland
The Arts Council has warmly welcomed the publication of a landmark report which shows the impact, reach and influence of the Creative Schools Programme. Creative Schools is led by the Arts Council in partnership with the Department of Education, the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media and Creative Ireland.
The report by Dr Regina Murphy and Dr Eemer Eivers (Dublin City University) presents an evaluation of the first four years (2018-2022) of the initiative and provides information on the experiences of children and young people, teachers, educators, arts practitioners and artists. To date 971 schools, nearly a quarter of all schools in the country [~24%], have participated in the programme.
Participants in schools and centres, including children, students, teachers, principals, Creative Schools Coordinators and their supporting Creative Associates have been overwhelmingly positive in their overall attitudes towards the programme and in their reports of experience. 99% of participating schools said they would recommend the programme to other schools.
Schools from every county in Ireland have participated in the programme and all school types including 27 Youthreach Centres, have been well represented. The Creative Schools programme has successfully prioritised participation by DEIS Schools, small rural schools, Special Schools, Irish Language medium schools and Youthreach centres in response to interim findings from this report.
In many instances, changes to how students perceive their place in the school as well as improvements to the physical face of the school (e.g. an art installation or a student co-designed garden), can be directly attributed to the programme. The report also highlights that the Creative Schools initiative has been successful in promoting and infusing creativity in schools and drawing attention to the increasing importance of creativity in education.
Creative Schools has opened up a very broad range of experiences for students and pupils and each participating school has had a unique journey. The wide variety of activities undertaken by schools during their engagement in Creative Schools have included circus, architecture, heritage, music, comedy, literature, coding, traditional arts, science, horticulture, film, design, craft, drama, visual arts and dance.
The researchers Dr. Murphy and Dr. Eivers conclude:
“The overall Creative Schools initiative has transformed a very broad range of Irish schools in the Irish educational landscape more than any other initiative heretofore in placing learners in every county at the heart of the process, valuing and validating their perspectives and experiences, collaborating meaningfully with them while shifting the focus of arts education in particular from child-centred to child-led participatory practice.”
Maureen Kennelly, Arts Council Director said of the report:
“…By placing young people at the heart of decision making, we have been able to support schools to fully embrace the creative possibilities within their community and their locality…”
Catherine Martin TD, Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media said:
“Creative Schools, a key programme under the Creative Youth Plan, has gone from strength to strength since 2018, particularly in its reach to schools and those under the DEIS programme, in alternative settings and special schools. This report highlights positive impacts that Creative Schools has had on students and their school communities…”
Minister for Education, Norma Foley TD added:
“I welcome DCU’s Creative Schools report which highlights the success of the programme in putting the arts and creativity at the centre of education. It has given students the opportunity to develop creative projects on their own school grounds, to take part in workshops and performances and to visit galleries, theatres, heritage sites, cinemas, museums, libraries and local arts centres…”
Two Sixth Year students from Mungret Community College, Limerick who participated in the Creative Schools programme also gave their views about their experience.
Aaroh Jain: “I think Creative Schools had a profound impact on me, because it was a chance to exercise autonomy in our school, a platform to see if we could bring our own ideas to life.”
Eve Adedirann: “Creative Schools is a great way to explore interests you may have thought you never had.”
Fresh International Film Festival is accepting entries for Ireland’s Young Filmmaker of the Year 2024. Open to all young budding filmmakers and school groups, between 7 – 18 years of age, encouraging young people from Ireland and overseas to create, exhibit, and share films. Submissions are welcome across comedy, horror, drama, documentary, experimental, music video, animation.
The 28th annual Fresh International Film Festival will take place in April, showcasing hundreds of short films from Ireland’s future screen talent. A highlight of the festival is Ireland’s Young Filmmaker of the Year, an awards programme which acknowledges and celebrates the highest standards of youth filmmaking across three categories: Junior (7-12 years), Senior (13-18 years) and International (7-18 years). The awards include a prize fund, filmmaking equipment, mentoring sessions with creative professionals, and the opportunity for young people to have their work screened theatrically.
Dublin student Max Hendrickson (17) was named Ireland’s Young Filmmaker of the Year 2023 at the Fresh International Film Festival. His short animated film, The Tell-Tale Heart is a re-telling of Edgar Allan Poe’s famous short story and it scooped the top prize for the amazing young Director.
“I have been submitting to the Fresh International Film Festival since I was 12, and it has consistently provided the inspiration and motivation for me to keep making movies. It has been absolutely amazing to attend every year and meet other young filmmakers, and I urge all aspiring filmmakers to submit their work to Fresh”. – Max Hendrickson, Dublin; Ireland’s Young Filmmaker of the Year 2023.
Are you a school group who produced an original film work since January 2023? Closing date for entries is Friday, 1 February, 2024 and are welcomed in English (or English subtitles) and Irish.
This article was edited to amend the deadline date which was extended from 19 Jan to 1 Feb
The beginning of the year often signals the start of the funding cycle for artists and arts organisations, we have collated a number of upcoming webinars and sessions along with a selection grants of interest for artists working in the arts and creativity in education sector as well as school/education leaders.
Funding Opportunities from The Arts Council
The Arts Council is the national agency for funding, developing and promoting the arts in Ireland. They recently released the current schedule for funding opportunities for 2024. The full listing can be found here: https://www.artscouncil.ie/funding-opportunities-schedule/
For interest to school/education leaders and artists in the arts and creativity in education practice are a selection of relevant funding streams:
Creative Schools Initiative – opens 27th Feb, deadline 2nd May (open to Department of Education-recognised primary and post-primary schools and Youthreach centres)
Young People, Children and Education Residencies – opens 5th Mar, deadline 4th Apr (open to higher-education institutions that provide initial teacher education in partnership with an artist / arts organisation)
Date: Thursday 25th January 2024
VAI are hosting a webinar ‘An Artist’s Guide to Accessing Funding’ on Thursday 25th January at 11am via zoom with curator and critic Marianne O’Kane Boal. This event is supported by Clare, Limerick and Tipperary County Council Arts Offices.
The online session will consist of one 45 minute presentation that will take a closer look at all things ‘Funding and applications’ covering grants, bursaries, residencies, per cent for art commissions and project proposals. It is free to artists based in Counties Clare, Limerick and Tipperary and general admission is €10.
The Arts Council is also hosting a series of ‘Meet the Arts Council’ sessions in arts venues around the country in January/February.
These sessions are an opportunity to speak with Arts Council staff about funding opportunities and hear about what the Arts Council does.
Update: bookings have now closed for all events, but you are welcome to join the waiting list using the links below and the Arts Council will contact you if further places arise.
An Cumann Scoildrámaíochta, which is under the patronage of the Department of Gaeltacht and Rural Affairs, organises schools drama festivals on a countrywide basis to promote Irish medium drama in schools at both primary and post-primary level.
The festivals are organised on a local, provincial and national basis. These festivals give young people from every part of the country the opportunity to be directly involved in all aspects of drama production. As well as being a hugely enjoyable experience, participation also helps to build self-confidence, self-esteem and an overall fluency in the Irish language. Part of the fun is the competition element with the standard rising year after year.
The programme begins with the local festivals which are usually held in February and early March each year, provincial festivals follow in March and the national festival is held in April.
There are separate competitions and divisions based on school level, the size of school, age groups, operas/musicals and for primary schools that are not Irish-medium or Gaeltacht schools.
A repository of scripts translated into Irish are available in pdf format to download from An Cumann Scoildrámaíochta website.
If you are a drama producer involved with primary or post-primary students or if you are a teacher who would like to try producing a play for the first time ever, this is your chance to take part.
If you are interested in taking part, contact the representative listed for the festival nearest you or send an e-mail to eolas@scoildramaiocht.ie.
The Arts Council recently announced that offers have been made to 141 schools and centres across Ireland who applied to be part of the Creative Schools initiative.
The Creative Schools initiative gives opportunities for children and young people to build their artistic and creative skills. Each of the 141 schools taking part will receive a grant and work with a professional Creative Associate who will support them to develop and implement their own bespoke Creative School Plan over a two-year period.
The 141 new Creative Schools comprise 97 primary schools, 25 post-primary schools, 4 special schools and 10 Youthreach centres. Joining the programme this year are five schools in Alternative Settings who cater for young people with severe emotional and behavioural challenges. St Paul’s YEP, Dublin; St Laurence O’Toole’s Special School, Dublin; Henrietta Street School, Dublin; St Kevin’s School, Cork; and St Augustine’s Special School, Limerick will join the programme and receive enhanced supports.
Catherine Martin TD, Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media said:
“I am thrilled to see the continued success of the Creative Schools initiative and warmly welcome the 141 new schools and centres. Since 2018, Creative Schools has been a testament to the pivotal role creativity plays for children and young people across Ireland; in their education and for their school communities. I hope that the Creative School initiative continues to flourish and empower our young people as these new schools and centres embark on the programme.”
Norma Foley TD, Minister for Education said:
“I am pleased to see that 141 new schools and centres are now joining the Creative Schools Programme. Creative Schools puts the arts and creativity at the heart of children’s and young people’s lives. Over 970 schools and Youthreach centres have been invited to participate since it was set up in 2018. We are increasingly embedding the arts into the education system, which includes the development of a new subject – Drama, Film and Theatre Studies – which will commence in schools in 2025.”
Maureen Kennelly, Director of the Arts Council, said:
“We extend a warm welcome to the 141 new schools joining Creative Schools. The demand nationwide is a testament to the programme’s impact, and we’re excited even more schools in Ireland are now part of this creative journey. Collaborating with our partners in the Department of Education, the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport, and Media, as well as Creative Ireland, we anticipate another school year filled with creativity, consultation, and exploration.”
Participation empowers children and young people to develop, implement and evaluate arts and creative activity throughout their schools and centres. Creativity stimulates additional ways of working and has a positive impact on children and young people’s learning, development and well-being.
National Council for Special Education
Deadline: Friday 12th January 2024, 5pm
The European Federation of Associations of Teachers of the Deaf (FEAPDA), National Council for Special Education (NCSE) and British Association of Teachers of Deaf Children and Young People (BATOD), with support from BATOD Northern Ireland, invite all interested parties (teachers, professionals, lecturers, researchers, developers and manufacturers of technical devices, service providers, service users, policy makers, students etc) to present their work at the 27th FEAPDA Congress.
Deaf children and young people form a diverse group with varying experiences of hearing loss but who are also affected by other aspects of their lives. Additional medical and/or educational needs, cultural and social backgrounds and every individual’s own life experience will influence their experience of deafness.
This year’s congress will explore the diversity of deaf learners in their many lives: implications for our knowledge and practice.
Papers and presentations may consider issues such as:
Meeting the needs of children who are deaf with additional needs;
Meeting the needs of children whose deafness is not their primary need;
The experience of deaf children from minority communities;
How deaf individuals experience and define their own identities
Abstracts for paper presentations (30 min), workshops/interactive presentations (60 min) and poster presentations are welcomed.
The Emma O’Kane Bursary is an award for independent artists who want to think beyond the boundaries of their art form and practice and to explore dance or a physical language in their work. It honours the exceptional ethos and artistic practice of artist Emma O’Kane who died in 2021.
The Emma O’Kane Bursary is open to artists working in any artform and at any stage in their career. Whatever your background, lived experience or artistic practice, if you have the curiosity to explore and integrate dance, movement or other forms of physical language in your work, the courage to push art form boundaries and to challenge norms and the ambition to be the best that you can be as an artist, we would love to hear from you.
Over the course of the year, successful bursary recipients will receive a six-week residency at the Atrium at 42 Fairview Strand, Dublin along with a stipend for the duration of the residency and a research and materials budget. There will also be opportunities to avail of bespoke mentorships sessions and to attend professional morning dance classes.
The Emma O’Kane Bursary was created by Anu Productions, CoisCéim Dance Theatre, Crash Ensemble, Dublin Dance Festival, Fishamble: The New Play Company, Pavilion Theatre, Project Arts Centre The Ark, Dublin and a number of independent professionals. It was set up with a Collaborative Capacity Building Award from the The Arts Council / An Chomhairle Ealaíon in 2021 and is funded entirely by donation.
Léargas
Date: 18th January
Do you have ideas for an Erasmus+ project, but not sure where to start? Wondering how to promote inclusion in your Erasmus+ project?
Don’t miss this information session on 18th January for those working in primary and post-primary schools in Ireland and who are interested in learning about funding opportunities under Erasmus+. The event will be led by Inclusion and Impact Officer, Vasiliki Psarra, and will be a good opportunity to connect with other schools, share experiences and challenges and learn about additional supports.
This session will focus on the range of opportunities for pupils and staff in school education and the inclusions supports available. This session will cover pupil mobility, staff mobility, and how to apply. There will be time to answer any questions you may have.
After four long years without it, Waltons New School of Music and RTÉ lyric fm have announced the launch of the 2024 Waltons RTÉ lyric fm Music for Schools Competition!
Founded in 2012, the Music for Schools Competition is a non-profit national event celebrating and supporting music in Irish schools.
The Competition is open to all primary and post-primary schools in the Republic of Ireland, and hundreds of schools from all 26 counties have participated in previous years. Music groups of up to 40 members formed by schools will work together to produce a piece or song in response to this year’s Competition theme, Music Moves.
Groups can be made up of any combination of instrumentalists and singers that schools choose, and all music genres are welcome. (Past entries have included classical, Irish traditional, jazz, pop, rock, rap and folk). Schools are also encouraged to promote diversity and inclusiveness in their groups.
Twelve Finalist groups (six primary and six post-primary) will be selected to perform before their peers and a distinguished panel of adjudicators in the National Concert Hall on 8 April 2024. And at the end of the concert, the adjudicators will announce this year’s six winning groups (three primary and three post-primary), which will win awards totalling €7,000 worth of vouchers for musical instruments and equipment from Waltons Music to expand and enhance their schools’ music programmes. The entire concert will be streamed live by RTÉ lyric fm and can be watched from anywhere in Ireland or around the world.
The Music for Schools Competition offers schools the opportunity to think and work creatively with any combination of students, developing a creative and original musical project that has learning potential at every stage of the process.
Important Dates
Friday, 23 February 2024, 5 pm • Entry Deadline
Friday, 1 March • Announcement of Finalists on RTÉ lyric fm
Monday, 8 April • Finalists Concert, National Concert Hall
OIDE Creativity have released various dates for their creative and engaging workshops for teachers this autumn and winter.
The courses include:
Unlocking Shakespeare: The Merchant of Venice
Oide Creativity in collaboration with voice specialist Andrea Ainsworth, presents a one-day elective workshop, open to post-primary teachers from all subject disciplines.
This workshop offers participants an opportunity to:
focus on a prescribed Shakespeare play (junior cycle English)
experience practical, creative ways to lift Shakespeare’s language off the page and into action
reflect on how the workshop may support professional classroom practice and approaches to Classroom-Based Assessments (CBAs).
Get your World Turning With woodturner Willie Creighton
Oide Creativity and Oide Technology Subjects, in collaboration with woodturner Willie Creighton, present a one-day elective workshop, open to post-primary teachers from all subject disciplines.
This practical workshop offers participants an opportunity to:
experience exciting ways to create wood turned artefacts
discover the natural properties and aesthetics of wood through the craft
develop practical and creative approaches that may be used in classroom practice.
Page Turners
Oide Creativity, in collaboration with spoken word poet Erin Fornoff, author Sam Blake/Vanessa Fox O’ Loughlin and author Dave Rudden, presents a one-day series of workshops and a panel discussion, open to teachers from all subject disciplines.
These three writing workshops offer participants an opportunity to:
collaborate, share ideas, learn and reflect in a safe, supportive environment
learn practical, creative teaching methods
discuss writing tips, writing groups, and author visits.
Spaces are limited for each workshop. A waiting list will apply.
Minister for Education Norma Foley recently announced the latest updates to BLAST (Bringing Live Art to Students and Teachers) and Creative Clusters as part of the Creative Youth Plan 2023 – 2027. 425 schools have been selected to take part in the BLAST 2023 initiative and 40 new Creative Clusters were created.
The aim of the BLAST scheme is to give students in schools all over the country the opportunity to work with a professional artist on unique projects to be planned and developed between the artist, the teacher and the school under the co-ordination of the Education Support Centres Ireland ESCI network of 21 full-time education centres.
Announcing the creation of 425 new BLAST Arts in Education Residencies, Minister Foley said:
“The initiative will provide additional opportunities for schools to collaborate with established artists and creatives, supporting our children and young people to collaborate and engage in creative and critical thinking – all crucial skills for their futures… Each residency is worth €1,100 which is fully funded by the Department of Education and the local Education Centre will pay the Artist for a 20-hour residency which will be delivered throughout the academic year, commencing from September 2023. I look forward to seeing how these exciting artist in residency opportunities in schools develop over the coming year.”
With the creation of 40 new Creative Clusters, Minister Foley said:
“Now more than ever, it is important that our students are supported to develop their creativity and given flexibility to express themselves in a variety of exciting new ways. Today I am proud to announce the 140 schools that are coming together to form 40 new Creative Clusters. I look forward to seeing how these exciting projects develop over the coming two years. This year has once again seen a very significant level of interest from schools applying to participate in the 2023 Creative Clusters initiative across the country.
Each Creative Cluster will receive grant funding of €3,000 per school over a two-year period to implement their project in the 2023–2025 school years (e.g. a cluster of 3 schools would receive €9,000 over two years while a cluster of 5 schools would receive €15,000 over two years). Clusters will receive 50% of the total grant funding in Year 1, with the second 50% being provided in Year 2. In addition, but separate to the grant funding, all successful clusters are further supported with: A fully paid Creative Cluster Facilitator; paid Teacher Substitution to attend training and meetings; room hire, travel & subsistence.
Ticket booking for the Arts in Education 2023 National Portal Day will open on 12th October.
This year’s conference is taking place at Mary Immaculate College, Limerick on Saturday, 11 November 2023 in partnership with the Department of Arts Education & Physical Education. The event aims to bring together members of the arts in education and creative practice community from all across Ireland, to share, learn, talk, network, get inspired and continue interrogating best practice in the field.
The Programme will see a mix of presentations, smaller discussion-led sessions and creative workshops each addressing the special focus of ‘Seldom Heard Voices’ reflecting diversity and inclusion across school communities.
As previously announced The Portal Team is delighted to welcome guest speaker, artist/researcher Dr Jill Goodwin, who will deliver the conference keynote address. Using personal examples from her experience in schools, her research and her art practice, Jill will consider the spaces – both physical and psychological – we provide and inhabit. Can we make space to dream, to listen, to be?
Sneak Peek at the 2023 National Arts in Education Portal Day Programme
Presentation & Discussion: Seen and Heard – Refracting responses of children to a school-based theatre workshop and arising implications for the Arts and Education sectors
Lecturer in Drama Education Dr Tríona Stokes and Creative Producer/Curator Hannah Mullan will reflect on the findings from an engaged research project featuring a consultation with key stakeholders, including children, about the extent to which they felt seen and heard in a pre-production school-based theatre workshop by Monkeyshine. They will invite audience consideration and discussion for artists, teachers and teacher-artist collaboration and partnership.
Creative Workshop:Reflective Data Visualisation – Using art-based reflections to encourage participants to promote an individual as well as a collective understanding of social injustices.
Visual Art Education lecturer Anne Marie Morrin from Mary Immaculate College will present an original methodology called ‘The Data Reflective Wall’.The focus of this workshop is (in)equality and will place the participants’ own understanding of inequality and social justice at the forefront of the learning experience, building a sense of empathy and collective responsibility into a teaching and learning experience.
Ticket bookings open at 12 noon, Thursday 12th October 2023. Tickets are free but pre booking is essential as capacity is limited.
The Big Idea have created a full 14-week creative programme of learning resources for your Transition Year or Leaving Cert Applied students. Each teacher and tutor will receive a teaching pack to support in-class activities regardless of their school context. You will also join their B!G Teacher community with exclusive offers from their partners.
All resources are digitally formatted with two lessons per week. The adaptable format can be used for either a 40-minute class or a 1-hour class with teacher prompts and lesson plans included as well as built-in assessment structures and additional class materials.
Their national and international network of professional experts will share knowledge directly with your students, supporting them in their project development. Student teams will be matched with Big Idea industry Mentors giving them the opportunity to gain advice on next steps, ask questions to get students thinking, ask them things to consider or offer resources to explore.
There will be a free B!G Idea Learning Pack given to every student, which includes all the materials needed to engage in the programme.
In the first of a new guest blog series, artist Lorna Watkins talks about her thoughts and experiences on her TAP placement.
New Beginnings
Being an artist of any kind can be a lonely existence. I love my alone time, it’s necessary to do the work but other human exchange is needed from time to time. I need that human energy to feed into my work and to me. I had worked with adults on painting workshops before but had never really considered working with young people.
My studio work is cyclical, I tend to make more work during the winter than the summer as I’m a Mammy too, with kids off school it’s harder to to get to the studio every day.
In comes an email from Sligo Education Centre and I clicked on it. I don’t even remember signing up for it. They were offering the TAP+ CPD training. Truthfully I didn’t really know a whole lot about it but it sounded interesting. It turned out to be a week long of blissful discussion with other artists, theatre practitioners, composers and designers amongst passionate educators.
The exercises that we did during the course were fun, inventive, thought provoking and playful. As an artist once you complete the course you are given a TAP+ Residency with a Primary School. That year I got a TAP+ placement in the Our Lady of Mercy Primary School, Sligo paired with tutor Niamh Middleton. It was a wonderful experience and has energised my practice. As a result I have since worked on four BLAST projects, worked on several Youthreach projects and with the SMILY LGBTI group. All because I left myself open to the “what if?”
So artists out there. If you’ve ever wondered about Arts in Education, please go to your local Education Centre and enquire about the TAP+ CPD Summer Course.
The Portal Team is delighted to welcome guest speaker, artist/researcher Dr. Jill Goodwin, highly respected for her practice working with children labelled as having profound and multiple learning disabilities, who will deliver the conference keynote address.
Dr Jill Goodwin
Dr Jill Goodwin is a UK-based artist/researcher with a background in education. Her experience working with children labelled as having ‘profound and multiple learning disabilities’ has led her to seek and explore ways of sharing meaning without words, and she sees the arts as key to this process. Jill has recently worked as a consultant, mentor and trainer with arts and educational organisations, as well as with individual artists. She was Visiting Research Fellow with the ‘Centre for Research in Inclusion’ at the University of Southampton from 2020 – 2023, and Researcher-in-Residence with Oily Cart, a London-based sensory theatre company, from 2020 – 2022. Jill’s own art work privileges the sensory over the intellectual, making it innately inclusive.
The full line-up of the national day will be announced soonwhen ticket bookings will open online. This year’s event will again focus on ‘Seldom Heard Voices’ and will see a return to the usual mix of presentations, smaller discussion-led presentations and creative workshops addressing this theme.
These events bring together members of the arts in education community from all across Ireland, to share, learn, talk, network, get inspired, and continue interrogating best practice in the field.
Artists, teachers, academics and arts education professionals….Do you want to be part of the eighth annual National Arts in Education Portal Day?
The National Arts in Education Portal Day will take place at Mary Immaculate College on Saturday, 11 November 2023 in partnership with the Department of Arts Education & Physical Education. The event aims to bring together members of the arts in education and creative practice community from all across Ireland, to share, learn, talk, network, get inspired and continue interrogating best practice in the field.
The Arts in Education Portal Editorial Committee invites proposals from organisations or individuals who want to give dynamic and inspiring presentations or workshops that can offer sharing of skills, practical approaches, new insights and critical thinking across the field, from a range of perspectives.
This year, the Portal Day will continue the special focus of ‘Seldom Heard Voices’. The Committee particularly want to profile projects this year that reflect diversity and inclusion across school communities and represent all children.
Do you have a workshop or presentation that you would like to be included in the programme for this day? If so, please send us your proposal.
The deadline for submission of proposals is 5pm Friday 15th September 2023.
Creative Schools have launched a call out for Teacher Creative Associates. Scoileanna Ildánacha/Creative Schools is a flagship initiative of the Creative Ireland Programme to enable the creative potential of every child. Creative Schools is led by the Arts Council in partnership with the Department of Education.
It is expected that the Creative Associate will work in partnership with up to one school to develop expertise and approaches that will develop and sustain arts and creative practices in their schools. Creative Associates will draw on the range of opportunities within the school and wider community to stimulate and support creative practices as part of the school’s plan.
Creative Associates are educators with their own arts practice and a deep understanding of creativity and its potential to transform the lives of children and young people. They are dynamic agents for change uniquely placed to form sustainable partnerships between teachers, school staff, learners and other partners.
They are original thinkers who will match the needs of schools to creative opportunities in their locality. They can identify potential areas for improvement and will inspire, energise and drive schools forward in addressing these. Through this pioneering initiative, Creative Associates will have the chance to shape the place of the arts and creativity in Irish schools.
It is expected that up to 10 to 15 Teacher Creative Associates will be engaged to deliver services. Each associate will be partnered with one school within one the following regions:
Source Magazine has created a free online learning resource about photography, designed for the Senior Cycle. Its three interlinked strands of research, creativity and response aim to provide a context for students to develop critical and productive skills in photography.
They are written by Jesse Alexander, an experienced educationist in photography and contributor to Source. Each includes group discussion topics and suggested activities to help grasp their significance. They are illustrated with the work of some of the most celebrated photographers.
Portraiture & the Human Form: Portraiture has been an important part of art for centuries and photography has given the genre new opportunities. This essay looks at how portraiture photography compares and how it can reveal the private lives of its subjects, show their emotional states and personalities. We might see ourselves reflected in some!
Exterior & Interior Spaces: Many photographers concentrate on landscapes and cityscapes, along with interior spaces such as bedrooms, shared domestic spaces or parts of public buildings. They can make familiar places look strange and make the unfamiliar seem welcoming. After seeing many of the photographs included, we may see our own surroundings a little differently!
Documentary & Narrative The many forms of documentary photography often record everyday aspects of our lives, such as work or play, or it can be used to help professionals in many fields to do their work. For some, this is an opportunity to tell stories about how we live our lives. At times, this is an area where making art and documenting the world around us often cross over, making this, for many people, the most exciting area of photography to pursue or to look at!
Teachers can email research@source.ie to obtain a free digital subscription to Source, which includes access to the digital archive of the last 47 issues.
Teacher Artist Partnership + (TAP+) together with the Association of Local Authority Arts Officers are pleased to launch a Call Out for Artists/ Creative Practitioners to participate in the 2023 Face-to-Face TAP+ Programme.
TAP+ CPD Summer Course & Residency programme is open to Artists / Creative Practitioners (in all art forms / creative practices) who are committed to sharing creativity with children and teachers in primary and special schools.
To apply for TAP+ Summer Course and Residency please send expressions of interest to the Director of your local Education Support Centre (ESC): https://www.esci.ie/
Call Out for Teachers
Application Deadline: 26th June 2023
The Teacher Artist Partnership+ (TAP+) Summer Course explores partnership through arts and creativity in education in primary and special schools.
TAP+ trained teachers can apply to host a fully funded TAP+ artist/creative practitioner Residency in their school in 2023/2024.
TAP+ is a unique summer course that offers teachers the opportunity to explore professional learning through a partnership between teachers, artists, creative practitioners, and children. TAP+ aims to support creativity throughout the curriculum and focusing on wellbeing, literacy, and creative arts for all schools including DEIS.
FÍS have launched an open invitation to all Dept. of Education designated Irish primary schools to enter their films into the annual national FÍS Film Awards competition. There is no need to register in advance. To enter, primary schools across the country are asked to create an (up to) five-minute film on a subject of their choice.
Judging Criteria Highlights:
Imagination and creativity
Originality of the story
Curricular relevance (include details of subject/strand/strand unit where relevant)
Support of pupils’ literacy and/or numeracy skills development
Excellence in set design, costume design, film direction, film production, the use of sound, acting, cinematography, etc
Excellence in the art of storytelling
Excellence in the use of special techniques, e.g., animation or special effects
Excellence in visual interpretation of a story or concept
Shortlisted schools must be available to attend the FÍS Film Awards Ceremony, which takes place in the Helix Theatre, DCU Dublin. It is a large-scale national event with over 900 people in attendance, filmed and broadcast by students and staff from the National Film School, at the Institute of Art, Design & Technology (IADT). The awards ceremony is live- streamed via their website. Shortlisted schools must be available to attend the ceremony.
Arts in Junior Cycle have an extensive range of elective courses available to book for post-primary School teachers. Please see a selection of the course available below.
Lights, Camera, Action! A film production workshop
Date:Wednesday 7th, Thursday 8th and Friday 9th June
Times: 10.30am – 4pm
Location: Kilkenny Education Centre
This Arts in Junior Cycle workshop with Young Irish Film Makers (YIFM) in Kilkenny Education Centre will provide participants with an opportunity to:
understand how camera tells a story and consider film as visual language
engage in the three phases of production from concept to realisation, including: story-boarding, scripting, devising shot lists, filming, editing and creating a final rough cut
learn techniques to support classroom engagement with film-making across a range of contexts, including free software and using smart phones to film
This in-person workshop is open to junior cycle teachers of all subjects and disciplines.
Figurative Oil Painting workshop
Dates: Monday 19th and Tuesday 20th June
Times: 10.30am – 3.30pm
Location: Royal Hibernian Academy of Arts (RHA), Dublin
This Arts in Junior Cycle workshop with visual artist Blaise Smith in the RHA will provide participants with an opportunity to:
explore basic technical and material skills to underpin a professional painting practice
examine how compositional tools such as the Golden Mean and the Rule of Thirds are utilsed in traditional and contemporary oil painting
use a limited palette to create layers and flesh tones
explore basic anatomical structure of the human figure
Open to junior cycle teachers of all subject disciplines.
Do Your Own Thing! A workshop to explore the creative process
Dates: Thursday 22nd and Friday 23rd June
Time: 10.30am – 4.00pm
Location: Irish Museum of Modern Art
Arts in Junior Cycle in partnership with visual artist threadstories and writer and poet Colm Keegan offer a two-day workshop in The Irish Museum of Modern Art.
In this hands-on and practical workshop, participants will:
engage in an open-ended exploration of word and image, using a variety of art-making materials and writing prompts
consider their own relationship to education, art and self-expression
gain insights into the creative processes of a visual artist and a writer
explore IMMA and use it as a source of inspiration
discuss possible approaches to a range of stimuli
collaborate in a safe, supportive and experiential environment
This year Cruinniú na nÓg will be on 10th June 2023 and will feature more than 500 free creative activities for children and young people throughout the country. Cruinniú na nÓg 2023 is a collaboration between, the Creative Ireland Programme, local authorities and RTÉ and is the only event of its kind in the world.
Announcing Cruinniú na nÓg 2023, Minister Martin said:
“Every year Cruinniú na nÓgbecomes more firmly embedded into the lives of young people all over Ireland. There’s a huge programme of free creative activities for 10th June that will really stretch the imaginative muscles of all young people. Cruinniú na nÓg 2023 is a wonderful opportunity for the young people of Ireland to show off a little, try a new creative activity, make new friends and connect with their communities. Every event is free.”
The Creative Ireland Programme and its strategic partners have developed a number of creative projects, all planned to go live on Saturday 10th June 2023. These include:
Irish Street Arts, Circus and Spectacle Network (ISACS) will host open days for young people who want to try their hand at circus skills and street spectacle at their dedicated venues in Cloughjordan, Cork, Dublin and Galway. For those that can’t be there on the day, there will be a full range of online tutorials available.
Rhyme Island – This year Creative Ireland is teaming up with The Kabin Studio to get every young person in Ireland rapping. In preparation the Rhyme Island team have been travelling the length and breadth of the country holding a series of online and in-person workshops which will culminate in a massive day of rap at 17th Century Elizabeth Fort in Cork.
This is Art 2023 –Creative Ireland and RTÉ’s wonderful art competition for young people has returned, and the winning entries will be announced on 10th June 2023 along with a national on-line digital gallery of all entries.
TG4 with support from the Gaeltacht division of the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media will support ‘Our World’/ ‘Mo Dhomhan’several Cruinniú na nÓg projects groups which will include sand art projects.
Cruinniú na nÓg 2023 Ambassadors
This year, Creative Ireland have asked five wonderful young people to represent Cruinniú na nOg 2023 to inspire others with their creative energy and skills.
Caterina Chiu Paone (8)Last year Caterina triumphed in This is Art with her cat collage. Not only does Caterina make art but she loves Irish dancing, playing the guitar, writing and singing her own songs.
Sibéal de Spáinn (8) loves swimming, making art and recording radio shows. She made her first radio show in 2022 on Raidió Rí-Rá. Making art makes her feel great and that she is helping the world.
Jamie (the King) Forde (17) has been rapping at Knocknaheeny’s The Kabin in Cork since he was 10. With his friend MC Tiny (Darren Stewart) Jamie recorded ‘ Yeah Boy’ which they have performed in all over Cork, at Dublin Castle and on The Late, Late Toy Show.
Jodie Byrne (14) isa member of the Dublin Circus Club which she joined in 2022. In a relatively short period of time she was walking on stilts in the St Patrick’s Day parade. For Cruinniú na nÓg this year she will be at the Dublin Circus Club learning to spin plates.
Archie Evans (15) has been involved with the Dublin Circus Club for over a year and he loves it! Once a week he joins his friends in the club to learn everything from stilt walking to trapeze to juggling. Through circus he has met other circus teens from all over the country.
Consistent with the aims of the Government’s Shared Island initiative to deepen beneficial cooperation and connections across the island of Ireland, Cruinniú na nÓg 2023 will be programmed on an all-island basis with cross-community events connecting children and young people from both sides of the border, including via our partners in Circus Explored and Rhyme Island. This action is an integral part of the Shared Island dimension to the Creative Ireland Programme which focuses on harnessing the power of culture and creativity to inspire connections between people, communities and places.
RTÉ is supporting Cruinniú na nÓg with a nationwide campaign on television, radio, online and digital.
Application Deadline:Thursday 15 June 2023 at 5.30pm
Maximum Award: with €4,000
Applications are now open for the Creative Schools Initiative! All Department of Education-recognised primary and post-primary schools and Youthreach centres that have not already participated in a previous round of Creative Schools are eligible to apply.
Creative Schools supports primary and post-primary schools and Youthreach centres across Ireland to put arts and creativity at the heart of children’s and young people’s lives.
It supports schools/centres to provide opportunities for children and young people to build their artistic and creative skills, and to develop additional ways of working that reinforce the impact of creativity on their learning and wellbeing.
Schools and Youthreach centres that join the programme take part in a two-year guided journey to develop a Creative Schools Plan unique to their own school, and to put it into action. Children and young people’s involvement in planning, decision-making and reflection is central to the journey.
Participating schools/centres will be provided with a package of supports that includes working with a Creative Associate, training and networking to support them to create their Creative School Plan, as well as seed funding to begin to implement their Plan. Successful schools will receive €4,000 to implement their plans over the school years 2023–24 and 2024–25.
Application guidelines 2023
The application guidelines are available here. All applications to the Arts Council are made through the Arts Council’s online services system. To access the application form and make an application, please set up an organisation account for your school or Youthreach centre on the Arts Council’s online services system here.
Information clinics
Please join one of our online information clinics to find out more.
Monday 15 May 2023 at 16.00-17.00. Book tickets here.
Tuesday 16 May 2023 at 16.00-17.00. Book tickets here.
The Hunt Museum
Dates: Ongoing
Join The Hunt Museum for a range of options of tours and workshops in the museum, and online resources for learners of all ages including lesson plans, videos and activities.
Some highlights of the workshops include:
Primary:
Life in the Bronze Age
Duration: 60 minutes
This workshop encourages pupils to thematically explore the objects and practices of Ireland’s Bronze Age people. It enables them to investigate and use as evidence the Bronze Age collections on display in the Hunt Museum. The handling of replica prehistoric artefacts will provide additional opportunities for inquiry-led learning. Pupils also get to try out some simple prehistoric technologies. This workshop walks the students through the prehistoric timeline as they learn how technologies emerged and advanced from the Stone Age to the Bronze Age.
Animal Hunt Online Programme
Date: Watch video to your schedule
This 20 minute video workshop introduces Primary School students to animal based collections at the Hunt Museum. Students learn how artists throughout history have depicted animals in their art, and why certain animals are important to different cultures. Students will be introduced to the online research tools that will help them complete the Animal Hunt 3D online activity.
Post-Primary
800 Years of Fashion Workshop
Duration: 60mins
€3.50 euro per student. Teachers go free!
In this workshop, students will learn about clothing from eight different periods (between 1200 and 1920), and these societies. These resources, and objects in the permanent collection, will be used as historical evidence to better understand the evolution of fashion over time, and how these shifts in style relate to changes in society.
Creative Schools have invited every school in Ireland (primary, post-primary, special education schools and Youthreach centres) to celebrate the arts and creativity from 8 – 12 May, 2023. The theme this year “Creativity Lives Here” encourages school communities to pause and reflect on where creativity is evident in their lives, in every class, in every school and in the experience of every student. The week is a time to focus on celebrating this creativity, perhaps adding to the experiences of students in the form of events or workshops and providing a platform to show how creative each school can be.
If your school is already in the Creative Schools initiative, this week is a great time to celebrate your journey so far!
Previous years’ Celebrations included Online Celebrations highlighting work from a selection of Creative Schools and Creative Clusters initiatives since 2018, as well as workshops, interviews and features across a wide range of different artists and arts and cultural organisations. They invite you to watch these videos with your students to learn about school communities across the initiative as well as their creative approaches to learning and artistic responses to Covid 19. Schools highlighted are a representation of the over 460 schools who had participated in the Creative Schools initiative since 2018.
Creative Futures Academy at IADT invites you to join their upcoming webinar on creative uses for immersive technology.
Are you looking to explore how immersive technologies can be used to enhance learning and creativity? Join their upcoming webinar, Immersive Technologies Use Cases for Learning and Creativity.
Learn about the potential of these technologies and how they can be applied in education and creative activities. Their panel of experts will be showcasing their work in utilising immersive technologies. Don’t miss out on this unique opportunity to gain insight into the latest trends and innovations in immersive tech! Register now for their webinar.
The Online eTwinning Schools Conference will take place from 24 to 26 May 2023. The first day of the conference (Wednesday 24 May) will be live streamed and open for anyone to join and engage with. No registration is needed.
The overall goal of the conference is to identify, highlight, share, promote, disseminate and further establish the practices of eTwinning Schools that focus on creativity and well-being.
During that first day, Arianna Sala of the Joint Research Centre (JRC) will present the keynote presentation “LifeComp: A European competence framework for better lives in our uncertain world”. LifeComp is the European framework for the personal, social and learning to learn key competence.
Days 2 and 3 will be closed only to eTwinning registered participants.
Arts in Junior Cycle are hosting a creative writing workshop for Teachers. Knights of the Borrowed Dark: Approaches to Story writing with award-winning author Dave Rudden.
Using his novel Knights of the Borrowed Dark – an indicative text for 1st year junior cycle English – Dave will share how he turns inspiration into a fully developed narrative. You will see the writing process from the inside and learn creative writing techniques you may wish to use in the classroom.
During this workshop participants will:
use the Knights of the Borrowed Dark as a starting point, learn how to, craft ideas into stories and develop sustainable writing practices
explore how to create and describe the characters and structure of a story
develop a plan to write a ‘draft zero’ of your own novel or short story
collaborate, share ideas, and reflect in a safe, supportive workshop space
experience practical and creative methodologies that can be used / put to use in professional classroom practice.
The National Gallery of Ireland have released their spring programme for schools. Some highlights include:
ONSITE:
School Tour: Collection highlights (free)
Term Time. Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays at 10am, 11am, 12pm and 1pm
Explore treasures of the national collection through engaging discussions with National Gallery expert guides on this free school tour. Focusing on dialogue, questioning, and creativity, this free tour will embolden students to look, respond, and form opinions. The tour will be tailored to the age and level of your group and is available in Irish, English or ISL.
The school tours are free but booking is essential. Book your tour here
Sketching Tour (€35)
Term Time. Thursdays at 12.30pm
Take a deeper look at the national collection on this sketching tour with an artist from the NGI’s guide panel. Use sketching to observe and respond to details and techniques. Your guide will select some key artworks to look at in depth on this tour. The tour will be tailored to the age and level of your group and is available in English.
Explore treasures of the national collection through engaging online discussions with one of their expert guides. Focusing on dialogue, questioning and creativity, the session will embolden students to look, respond and form opinions. The online session will be tailored to the age and level of your group and is available in Irish or English. You can choose from the following themes: Collection Highlights; Portraits; Irish Art; European Art.
Poetry Ireland is celebrating poetry in schools by offering this online collection of inspiring activities and ideas for teachers and children. Packed with poems and fun activities, this vibrant online resource encourages teachers, children and families nationwide to read, write, listen to, illustrate, perform, share – and above all enjoy
poetry.
The programme of events is now live on their website. This all-island celebration of poetry takes place on Thursday 27 April and the theme is ‘Message in a Bottle’.
They have more than 70 exciting events included in the programme encompassing Bangor, Belfast, Cork, Donegal, Drogheda, Dublin, Galway, Kerry, Kilkenny, Limerick, Mayo, New York, Tipperary, Waterford and Wexford, so far!
Department of Education: BLAST and Creative Clusters
Deadlines:
BLAST: 19th May 2023
Creative Clusters: 12th May 2023
The Minister for Education Norma Foley TD has invited primary and post-primary schools to apply for the arts in education initiative, Bringing Live Arts to Students and Teachers (BLAST) 2023 and Creative Clusters.
BLAST – Bringing Live Arts to Students and Teaches
BLAST will be running in 2023 for the third time. The 2023 programme will enable 425 new arts in education residencies in schools over the course of the year.
The aim of BLAST is to provide pupils in schools all over the country, time and the space to work with a professional artist on creative, imaginative and fun projects.
Each Creative Cluster will receive grant funding of €3,000 per school over a two-year period to implement their project in the 2023–2025 school years (e.g. a cluster of 3 schools would receive €9,000 over two years while a cluster of 5 schools would receive €15,000 over two years). Clusters will receive 50% of the total grant funding in Year 1, with the second 50% being provided in Year 2. In addition, but separate to the grant funding, all successful clusters are further supported with: A fully paid Creative Cluster Facilitator; paid Teacher Substitution to attend training and meetings; room hire, travel & subsistence.
A new Creative Youth Plan for the period 2023-2027 was approved and launched by Government on Tuesday 28th March to further embed creativity into the centre of the lives of Ireland’s young people.
Building on the success of the first Creative Youth Plan 2017-2022, this new plan aims to provide everyone from birth to 24 years with more opportunities for creative engagement in every aspect of their lives. Across seven strategic objectives, the Creative Youth Plan will ensure children and young people retain a key voice in decision-making on its implementation and will prioritise those that are seldom heard and most at risk of disadvantage. Parents and caregivers, educators, artists, and creative practitioners will be supported to recognise the centrality and value of creativity to their lives.
The Creative Youth Plan 2023-2027 aims to enable the creative potential of children and young people, from birth to 24 years, prioritising those seldom heard and at risk of disadvantage
Under the new Creative Youth Plan, opportunities for creative engagement will reach tens of thousands of children and young people.
Children and young people to retain a key voice in decision-making on its implementation.
Impactful programmes such as the Local Creative Youth Partnerships, Cruinniú na nÓg, Creative Schools, Creative Clusters and BLAST to continue.
New €500,000 Creative Youth Nurture Fund to support pilot youth-led projects that prioritise seldom heard children and young people.
The launch was supported by a panel discussion between the Ministers and four young creatives with a music performance from Music Generation and a spoken word performance organised through Creative Schools.
Read more about the upcoming 5 years of Creative Youth here: https://artsineducation.ie/en/resource/creative-youth-plan-2023-2027/
Creative Ireland
Creative Ireland have released their 2022 progress report A Creative Future, highlighting their initiatives throughout the year, including progress made under the Creative Youth Plan. Published in December 2017, the aims of the Creative Youth Plan are to give every child practical access to tuition, experience and participation in art, music, drama and coding by 2022.
Catherine Martin TD, Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media, was delighted to announce the project will be extended until 2027.
Under the project 185 new schools and Youthreach facilities joined the Creative Schools programme. This includes the addition of four schools in alternative settings which will receive enhanced supports: Oberstown Children Detention Campus School; Ballydowd High Support Special School; Crannog Nua Special School, Portrane; and St Canice’s Special School, Limerick.
Other highlights include :
153 new schools joined 42 Creative Clusters around the country.
629 new school artist residencies were awarded under BLAST (Bringing Live Arts to Students and Teachers) for the 2022/2023 school year
Creative Schools is delighted to announce an exciting opportunity for artists, creative practitioners and individuals working in organisations in the arts and cultural sector.
The Arts Council wish to engage between 100 and 120 Creative Associates to work in up to 400 schools across the Republic of Ireland. Creative Associates are artists or creative practitioners with a deep understanding of creativity and its potential to transform the lives of children and young people. They are key to the success of the Creative Schools initiative. Individuals or organisations that wish to nominate an individual may apply for this opportunity.
Applications must be completed and submitted by 12 mid-day on Tuesday 18 April 2023.
Department of Education
The Minister for Education Norma Foley recently launched the new Primary Curriculum Framework for all primary and special schools.
The Primary Curriculum Framework will shape the work of all primary and special schools for the coming years. This is the first curriculum framework for primary education in Ireland. Under the framework, schools will have a dedicated structure underpinning learning, teaching and assessment.
The Primary Curriculum Framework is designed to cater for all primary and special schools and sets out the vision and principles for a redeveloped, modern curriculum.
The framework also introduces key competencies for children’s learning, setting out the main features and components for the full redevelopment of the primary school curriculum, detailing curriculum areas and subjects; and suggested time allocations. It introduces and expands aspects of learning including STEM Education, Modern Foreign Languages and a broader Arts education.
The Primary Curriculum Framework was developed by the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment (NCCA) over a six-year period and draws on an extensive body of national and international research, working with a network of 60 primary schools, post-primary schools and preschools nationally, engaging closely with education partners and wider stakeholders, and conducting extensive consultation, including with primary school-aged children.
The Primary Curriculum Framework emphasises the importance of curriculum integration, inclusive practice, inquiry-based learning and playful pedagogy. The framework will guide the development of the specifications for each of the curriculum areas that will be introduced in the coming years.
The Safer Internet Day Awards are back and this year a special new category has been added for budding creatives.
NEW: Art Competition with special guest judge; Irish artist – Maser. Be in with a chance to have your work exhibited in a gallery! Simply design a poster under the Safer Internet Day theme Respect and Empathy Online.
Entries will be judged by International Irish Artist Maser.
Open to Primary and Post-Primary Schools.
Closing date March 31st.
Categories for Primary:
1st and 2nd Class | 3rd and 4th Class | 5th and 6th Class
Categories for Post-Primary:
1st and 2nd Year | Transition Year | 5th and 6th Year
How to submit your entry:
Post your entry to: Webwise / PDST Technology in Education, Innovation House DCU Alpha, Old Finglas Rd, Dublin 11, D11 KXN4
Include the following information: Name, school, teacher’s contact details, category you are entering, and a brief description of the poster.
Cappawhite National School in Tipperary have been crowned winners of ‘FÍS Film of the Year’ at the FÍS Film Awards 2023, which have taken place at The Helix, DCU, Dublin.
The movie, entitled ‘The Christmas Truce of 1914’ recounts the fabled ceasefire between British and German soldiers on the Western Front during World War I. It also scooped the Outstanding Cinematography prize. The FÍS Film Awards 2023 recognises the creative talents of primary school children across Ireland.
The Awards, hosted by RTE’s Sinead Kennedy, is a collaboration between the Institute of Art, Design and Technologyand the Professional Development Service for Teachers It was devised as a grassroots initiative to nurture Ireland’s future moviemaking talent by encouraging them to devise, develop, produce, and submit their short films for consideration in a range of categories. The event was co-produced by students of IADT’s National Film School and streamed live on the official FÍS website.
Some other 2023 winners include :
Lackamore NS, Tipperary – Outstanding Achievement in Filmmaking – Adaptation – Na Trí Mhuc
Carrig N.S, Offaly – Award for Best Comedy – The Villains
Strawberry Hill NS, Cork – Outstanding Achievement in Filmmaking – Production Design – The Normans
Gaelscoil Riabhach, Galway – An Scannán Is Fearr as Gaeilge – Fáilte go dtí An Córas Díleá
Commenting on this year’s awards, FÍS Manager from The Institute of Art, Design & Technology, Bernadette Meagher said: “The judges had a tough task at this year’s event, the standard and ambition of the entries was so high, not to mention the creativity. We congratulate every one of the children involved, along with their teachers, on their well-deserved awards……”
National Council for Curriculum and Assessment (NCCA)
Deadline: 31st March, 5pm
NCCA is seeking the views of a range of parties, including education stakeholders, practising teachers and students who are interested in contributing to this Early Insights Review. There are several ways to participate in the consultation:
Via an Online Survey
Make a written submission, using our template, Visual Art Written Submission” in the subject line.
Register to attend a regional focus group:
Dublin: Ashling Hotel – 21st March Limerick: Strand Hotel – 14th March Galway city: Harbour Hotel – 28th March
These focus groups will take place during the day from 10:30am – 1:00pm. Places are limited and registration remains open until one week in advance of each focus group.
This review process will close on Friday, 31st March at 5pm.
The Writers in Schools Scheme part-funds visits by writers and storytellers to primary and post-primary schools throughout the island of Ireland. This scheme is co-funded by the Arts Council in the Republic of Ireland and administered by Poetry Ireland.
Applications are open on an ongoing basis from poets, novelists, storytellers, teen fiction writers, children’s writers, playwrights and screenwriters to join the Writers in Schools directory.
Over the past 22 years, the scheme has given more than 500,000 children the chance to work closely with writers in the classroom. A comprehensive professional development and support programme for successful applicants is delivered by Poetry Ireland before they are enlisted to the directory of writers.
Prospective applicants can find out more information on the scheme, including eligibility criteria and the online application form from the following link:
Branar are inviting applications for the Digital Arts Flag programme for schools. This is a whole school initiative to promote and reward arts engagement in schools. Schools are chosen each year to engage in the initiative through a series of workshops presented online.
Open to schools across Ireland, 10 bespoke workshops across 5 different artforms have been created by Branar Artists for junior and senior classes to do in the comfort of their classrooms.
Each class will receive:
A link to the video workshops (5 for junior classes, 5 for senior classes)
An Educational Resource Pack to accompany each workshop
This consultation invites artists, early years educators and all early learning and care stakeholders to use and explore these draft principles and test their validity in practice.
While the draft principles were conceived from an early learning and care perspective the Department also wish to explore their relevance and the ways in which they may be adapted to better support engagement with the arts in school-age childcare. All school age childcare stakeholders are invited also to use and test these draft principles.
Findings from this consultation will inform the finalised publication of the principles, the development of practice resource materials and accompanying CPD training.
Read the discussion paper ‘ Facilitating the Arts in Early Learning and Care: Towards Best Practice Principles’ and share your comments and suggestions here.
Arts Council of Ireland
Creative Schools Week 2023
The Creative Schools Team at The Arts Council is delighted to invite your school to join Creative Schools Week 2023 which will run from the 8 – 12 May. Creative Schools Week is a celebration of creativity in schools within curricular subjects or in separate projects and activities.
The theme for Creative Schools Week 2023 is ‘Creativity Lives Here! / Tá Beocht na Cruthaitheachta Anseo!’. The theme encourages school communities to pause and reflect on where creativity is evident in our lives, in every class, in every school and in the experience of every student.
There will be a Teacher Drop-In informational session on 8 March 4:30pm-5:30pm via Zoom. If you are a teacher interested in participating in Creative Schools Week 2023, please join us by registering for the session here: https://buytickets.at/creativeschools/858237.
Creative Schools 2023 online information clinics
The Creative Schools team is running a series of online information clinics in March for teachers and Principals in schools and Youthreach centres who are curious about joining the Creative Schools programme in autumn 2023. The team will explain the programme and how to apply, and there will be plenty of time for questions.
Clinics take place online on 20, 21 and 22 March at 16.00-17.00.Further information and the link to book your place is available here.
This article was updated March 2nd 2023 to add details of the Teacher Drop-in session for Creative Schools Week.
FÍS Film Project
The FÍS Film Project Teacher Resources support teachers to introduce live-action and stop motion animation filmmaking into the Primary Classroom with interactive lessons, teacher perspectives and technical guides.
The online FÍS Teacher Resources are well designed individual lesson plans which can be used in isolation or as a complete course. The course outlines all the skills and activities involved in making a film with the emphasis being on the children being the creators/doers, and the teacher as the facilitator of the learning.
FÍS helps develop active learning, creative thinking, language, imagination, collaborative learning and problem-solving skills, as well as giving children hands-on experience of using technology as part of the filmmaking process. For children this project provides them with an outlet to express themselves and showcase their talents in an educational but non-academic way which can do wonders for children’s confidence and attitude towards learning.
The FÍS Film Project is an initiative of the Department of Education in a collaborative partnership between the Institute of Art, Design & Technology’s FÍS Office and the Professional Development Service for Teachers (Technology in Education Dept.) The project started during the 1999/2000 school year. The FÍS methodology supports teachers to introduce film making in a cross-curricular way into their primary school classroom. After a successful 3-year pilot, the project was mainstreamed and the annual national FÍS Film Awards Competition was also launched and remains a highly successful outcome of the FÍS Film Project to this day.
To access the FÍS Teacher Resources, please visit https://fisfilmproject.ie/teacher-resources/
You will also details about the annual FÍS Film Awards Competition and videos of the shortlisted national finalists.
A selection of some national and local funding opportunities for professional artists working in arts and creativity in education with open deadlines in February and March 2023.
Arts Council of Ireland
Applications are currently open for funding from the Arts Council of Ireland, including Agility Awards and Bursary Awards in a number of art forms.
The Young People, Children and Education Bursary Award supports the professional development of artists by enabling them to spend time developing their practice. The award is specifically focussed on helping artists to improve their capacity to develop or present high-quality arts experiences with or for children and young people. It is open to individual artists and practitioners working in a creative capacity in any artform, including arts facilitators, curators or programmers. Deadline: 5:30pm, 9 February 2023 More info:https://www.artscouncil.ie/Funds/Young-People,-Children,-and-Education-Bursary-Award/
The Agility Award aims to support individual professional freelance artists and arts workers at any stage in their careers to develop their practice, their work, or their skills. Deadline: 5.30pm, 9th February 2023 More info:https://www.artscouncil.ie/Funds/Agility-Award-2023/
Fingal County Council
Fingal County Council is delighted to announce the 2023 Artists’ Support Scheme. This strand of funding allows professional artists to avail of up to €5,000 of an award towards travel and professional development opportunities, a residency, or towards the development of work. Deadline: 4pm, February 24, 2023 More info:http://fingalarts.ie/news/fingal-artists-support-scheme-2023
Galway Arts Office
Galway County Arts Office invites applications from individual artists to develop their arts practice and artistic career under their Artist Support Scheme. The scheme is open to professional artists residing in County Galway at all stages of their career, working in any artform and context. Deadline: 4pm, February 13, 2023 More info: https://www.galway.ie/en/services/arts/funding/bursary/
Laoise Arts Office
Laois County Council has announced details of grants and opportunities to support the development and presentation of creative and artistic projects in the county in 2023. Through the Artists in Schools Scheme 2023, grants are available for artists’ residencies in schools, to include all art forms. This scheme gives primary and post primary schools the opportunity to select and work with professional artists and explore new arts media. Deadline: 5pm, 17th February 2023 More info: https://laois.ie/departments/arts/grants-schemes/artists-in-schools-scheme/
Limerick City and County Council
Limerick City and County Council offers grant funding to amateur, community or voluntary groups, or organisations, and individual arts practitioners, which in the opinion of the authority, will stimulate public interest in the arts, promote the knowledge, appreciation and practice of the arts or assist in improving the standards of the arts. Deadline: 4pm, 22 February 2023 More info: https://www.limerick.ie/council/services/community-and-leisure/culture-and-arts/funding-schemes-and-bursaries/limerick-0
Mayo Arts Office
The Mayo Artist Bursary Award is now open for applications. The Artist Bursary Award aims to support the work of professional artists, working in any artform, at all stages of their career, currently resident in Mayo. Deadline: 5pm, March 16th, 2023 More info: https://www.mayo.ie/arts/funding/mayoartistbursary
Wicklow Arts Office
This year Wicklow County Council Arts Office are currently accepting applications under their Artist Award Scheme 2023. The scheme assists professional artists in the development of artistic practice by enabling them to explore meaningful ways to make work, test out innovative thinking and grow new ideas. The award supports professional practising artists to develop or realise a particular body of work or to undertake professional development. Deadline: 4pm, February 27, 2023 More info: https://www.wicklow.ie/Living/Services/Arts-Heritage-Archives/Arts/Funding-Support-Opportunities/Arts-Act-Funding
All information is correct at the time of publishing.
Children’s Books Ireland
Tuesday 24th January, 10am.
Children’s Books Ireland will host their first virtual artists’ coffee morning of 2023 on Tuesday, 24th January. This is part of a recurring series of informal yet informative gatherings on Zoom where artists creating work for children and young adults can hang out, learn from experts about something pertinent to their work and meet others in their creative area.
At this free coffee morning, hear from Executive Librarian with Kildare Library & Arts Service Amye Quigley. In what promises to be a practical and informative session, Amye will give an overview of programming strands within Kildare Library & Arts Services, detail what she looks for in a facilitator or artist and outline their funding, invoicing and accounts procedure.
If you would like to attend please email aoife@childrensbooksireland.ie by 5pm on Monday 23rd January.
The Minister for Education Norma Foley recently announced the awarding of BLAST residencies to 629 schools in 2022-2023, the second year of the BLAST (Bringing Live Arts to Students and Teachers) programme. Minister Foley also welcomed the creation of an additional 21 Creative Clusters for 2022-2024, comprising a further 77 primary and post-primary schools. This doubles the number of participating schools and clusters this year, up from 21 clusters announced already in September 2022, in response to the demand from schools.
The BLAST programme has seen a significant increase in residencies from the 489 primary and post-primary schools that took part in the programme in its first year and demonstrates the strong interest and engagement from schools in working with creative professionals through this programme.
Minister Foley said:
“Creative thinking and creative expression benefit our students both by providing opportunities for learning and through enhancing wellbeing. Engaging in creative projects enables children and young people to express themselves, provides them with opportunities for connection and collaboration, and gives them the space to explore new ideas and learn new skills.”
School Clusters in this year include, for example, one cluster of schools that cater for students with autism, which aims to create tactile and interactive outdoor play areas, and another cluster of primary schools working together to create a shared interest and knowledge of coding. Such varied themes reflect the local experience and unique perspectives of each cluster, and demonstrate how students can benefit from creative engagement in multiple ways.
The Minister has also welcomed the publication of the research and evaluation report, Creative Clusters: A Collaborative Approach to Cultivating Creativity in Schools. This report, commissioned by the department, provides a valuable assessment of the strengths of the programme and contains recommendations to further strengthen the design, delivery and reach of Creative Clusters.
To read the full statement from the Department of Education, visit: https://www.gov.ie/en/press-release/8a543-minister-foley-welcomes-hundreds-of-additional-schools-to-creative-clusters-and-blast-arts-programme/
Irish Film Institute School Programme 2022/23
The Irish Film Institute is delighted to offer a brand new programme of films selected for students across primary and post-primary levels, available in-cinema at IFI Dublin or regional venue and online through IFI@Schools. This year includes exciting collaborations with the Irish National Opera, IMMA, the Broadcasting Authority of Ireland/BAI and An Chomhairle um Oideachas Gaeltachta & Gaelscolaíochta/COGG.
IFI@Schools supplements the in-cinema programme, offering further ways of incorporating film into your teaching, including rewatching key scenes or choosing from a wider range of content for other subjects such as history, geography, music, art, Gaeilge, English and more.
Screenings for the French language selection include Mes Fréres et moi (My Brothers and I) and King in partnership with the Ambassade De France en Irelande. Screenings for the German language selection includes Der Pfad (The Path) and Klammer in partnership with GEOTHE Institut.
The Arts in Education Portal editorial team are pleased to invite applications for a documentation award. Through the award, successful applicants will receive services to the value of €5,000 that will support them in the documentation of a current or upcoming project and a €500 stipend.
The purpose of the award is to support the development of documented outcomes from Arts in Education initiatives in Ireland, which can be shared with the arts in the education community and give insights into different processes of engagement. This is part of the Arts in Education Portal Editorial Committee’s commitment to supporting and recognising the value of documentation and reflection as key components within arts in education initiatives.
Two awards will be offered through this opportunity.
Outcomes of the documentation process will include: a project video, a project feature to be showcased on the Portal’s Projects/Partnerships, and the option of a critical essay, with a view to also presenting the work as part of the Arts in Education Portal National Day in 2023.
The process will involve meetings with the Portal Team and a schedule of up to 2 visits over the course of the project to capture video and photographic documentation and support reflective processes among participants. These visits and meetings can be conducted virtually if required. The portal team will work closely with the recipients to ensure all restrictions and protocols in terms of COVID-19 are adhered to during the process to ensure safety for all involved.
The portal team will edit and produce a project video and will liaise closely with the project partners to develop the content for the project feature. The critical essay would be cited in the Portal’s Reading Room and is optional. The author and focus of the essay can be decided by the project organisers in collaboration with the Portal Team.
Criteria
To be considered for this opportunity, projects must:
Have started in Autumn 2022 and continue into 2023, or take place in 2023. Please note if selected, filming of engagement sessions will take place after 20th March 2023.
Have a minimum duration of 8 weeks.
Involve a professional artist working collaboratively within an educational setting (early years, primary or post-primary).
Be underpinned by a strong ethos of collaboration and a commitment to excellence. Focus on the creative process, with children having an active and collaborative role
Additional criteria
Successful applicants will be asked to ensure that relevant permissions/consent have been sought for the documentation of participants.
Please ensure your application has been approved by all project partners prior to submission.
Deadline for submission is 5pm, Friday 24 February 2023.
The Big Idea
The multi-award winning free creative programme The Big Idea has been designed to empower students with the 21st century skills they need. Developed by educational and industry experts, students will have the opportunity to gain transferable skills to support them in tackling the problems they might face.
The Big Idea consists of a full 12-week creative programme of learning resources for Transition Year students, LCA students or Youthreach students. Joining The Big Idea programme provides teachers with a teaching pack to support in-class activities regardless of their school context.
As the facilitators of the programme, teachers are supported every step of the way. All resources are digitally formatted with two lessons per week. The adaptable format can be used for either a 40-minute class or a 1-hour class with teacher prompts and lesson plans included. With built-in assessment structures and additional class materials.
A nationwide network of professional experts share knowledge directly with your students, supporting them in their project development. The team at The Big Idea match student teams with their industry Mentors giving them the opportunity to gain advice on next steps, ask questions to get students thinking, ask them things to consider or offer resources to explore.
For participating students, they are provided with the materials needed to engage in the programme from – a LEGO pack for systems thinking exercises, a sketch book to capture brainstorming and reflection, all the stationary needed to engage in lessons and activities, and some other surprises.
The programme is open to teachers from all subject areas and runs between January to May.
Registration is now open for new schools to join the programme, for further information on the initiative and apply, please visit: https://thebigidea.ie/teachers/
Arts Council announces 186 new schools will join its Creative Schools initiative
The Arts Council recently announced that offers have been made to 186 schools and centres across Ireland who applied to be part of the Creative Schools initiative. The very high level of applications to be part of this 2-year process reflects the importance that schools and Youthreach centres put on creativity and their ambition to celebrate and put creative thinking at the very heart of what they do.
Speaking at the announcement Director of the Arts Council Maureen Kennelly said: “We warmly welcome our new cohort of 186 schools to Creative Schools. We are delighted that demand for the programme is so strong across the country and we are thrilled to say that by this stage of the programme, 20% of schools in Ireland have connected with us. Working with our partners in the Department of Education, the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media and Creative Ireland, we are looking forward to another school year full of creativity, consultation and exploration”.
Minister for Education Norma Foley TD said “I am delighted to welcome the 186 schools that are coming together to join the Creative Schools initiative 2022. I would like to welcome these new schools into this exciting initiative, and I look forward to seeing how these creative, colourful and captivating projects develop over the coming two years. Through Creative Schools the Department of Education supports critical thinking, cognitive and emotional wellbeing, encouraging a creative environment, without boundaries within the educational space.”
Also speaking, Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media Catherine Martin TD said “I would like to congratulate the 186 schools and Youthreach centres that have successfully applied to become a Creative School and now have the opportunity to embark on a two-year journey to place creativity at the heart of their school communities. With the addition of this new cohort, 1 in 5 schools in Ireland will have experienced Creative Schools since the programme commenced in 2018 and this year sees an increase in the diversity of settings in receipt of support. This is a testament to its impact and the strength of the partnership between the Art Council, the Department of Education and the all-of-government Creative Ireland Programme.”
The Creative Schools Initiative is designed to provide opportunities for children and young people to build their artistic and creative skills, each school taking part receives a grant and works with a professional Creative Associate who supports them to develop and implement their own bespoke Creative School Plan. Participation empowers children and young people to develop, implement and evaluate arts and creative activity throughout their schools/centres and stimulate additional ways of working which reinforce the impact of creativity on children and young people’s learning, development and well-being.
Creative Schools received applications from counties throughout the country to be part of the initiative and they were assessed on how Creative Schools would benefit learning and development in the school and how children and young people would play a central role in leading the process.
The programme was established in 2018 and more than 650 schools have been invited to participate to date. With this latest round of offers it means that 1 in 5 schools in Ireland will have / will be taking part in the Creative Schools initiative. Recipients range from large schools in major cities to smaller schools on islands including Inisboffin, Achill, Inis Oírr and Inis Meain. Creativity truly lives everywhere.
This year 131 more primary schools, 35 more post primary schools, 11 Special Schools and 5 Youthreach centres have been sent offers to join. Also joining the programme this year are four schools in Alternative Settings who cater for young people with severe emotional and behavioral challenges. Oberstown Children Detention Campus School, Co. Dublin, Ballydowd High Support Special School, Dublin 20, Crannóg Nua Special School, Portrane, Co. Dublin and St Canice’s Special School, Limerick will join the programme and receive enhanced supports.
Schools who have been taking part to date have explored creativity in all its forms and embraced how it can be celebrated in so many ways. From baking to creating and designing gardens, from photography to performance, from working with other community groups to transforming areas of their own schools, the impact of Creative Schools can be seen around the country.
Unveiling the 2022 National Arts in Education Portal Day Programme.
For this year’s programme we are delighted to be joined by colleagues from the I-TAP-PD project for two multiplier sessions who will explore and share emerging learning within the Erasmus+ KA2 Initiative 2020-2023. The Programme will also see the launch of the Arts in Education Portal Strategic Plan: 2023 – 2027 along with the usual mix of presentations, smaller discussion-led sessions and creative workshops each addressing the theme of ‘Seldom Heard Voices’.
As previously announced The Portal Team are excited to welcome guest speaker Dame Evelyn Glennie, solo percussionist and composer who will join the conference for a special in conversation with Mark O’Brien, Executive Director of the Abbey Theatre.
Tickets for the 2022 National Arts in Education Portal Day are free but pre booking is essential as capacity is limited. Booking this year is slightly different with a two step process.
Step 1: Book your ticket for the day – Open Now here
Step 2: Ticket holders will then be invited to pre-select parallel sessions for the day – via email invitation on Wednesday, 19 October. Please note some sessions have limited capacity in particular creative workshops. Please note some sessions have limited capacity in particular creative workshops.
For those who can’t join us in person on the day we will have a selection of the main talks and presentations available to watch back online following the conference. Registration for viewing is available through the link here.
The 2022 National Arts in Education Portal Day will take place on Saturday, 5 November at East Quad, TU Dublin, in partnership with TU Dublin School of Art and Design and the Conservatoire of Music and Drama, and the Erasmus+ International Teacher-Artist Partnership (I-TAP-PD) PD Project.
The full line-up of this year’s programme will be announced at 12 noon,Wednesday, 5 October when ticket booking will open online. Before that we wanted to give you a sneak peek of what you can expect at this year’s in-person conference. The day will have a special focus on ‘Seldom Heard Voices’, with the programme profiling projects that represent children from diverse communities and children who are seldom heard.
First Look at the 2022 National Arts in Education Portal Day Programme
Discussion-led Presentation: Cuinne an Ghiorria / The Hare’s Nook
Join artist Zoë Uí Fhaoláin Green, writer Emer Fallon and educator Darach Ó Murchú with artist Manuela Dei Grandi as they discuss learnings from ‘Cúinne an Ghiorria (The Hare’s Nook)’, a bilingual primary school programme designed to nurture a sense of stewardship and joyful connection between pupils and their environment.
Creative Workshop: Exploring Creative Solutions to Climate Change through the Arts Using a STEAM Approach
In this experiential workshop, Environmental Artist and Educator Evelyn Sorohan will invite participants to investigate how the arts can be harnessed to explore environmental issues such as Climate Change. Participants will be inspired to collaboratively problem solve, create and invent in response to three climate themes leaving with skills and ideas that they can use in their practice.
Online Viewing: For those who can’t join us in person on the day we will have a selection of the main talks and presentations available to watch back online following the conference. Registration for viewing will be required.
Ticket bookings open at 12 noon, Wednesday 5 October 2022. Tickets are free but pre booking is essential as capacity is limited. Once ticket booking is confirmed attendees will be asked to preselect their parallel sessions choices for the day.
The Minister for Education Norma Foley today announced the creation of 21 new 2022 Creative Clusters comprising 78 schools. Creative Clusters is an initiative taking place as part of Creative Ireland and under the Schools Excellence Fund. The Department of Education’s budget for Creative Clusters in 2022 is €595,000.
Under this scheme to support schools to build capacity in creativity, schools in each cluster will enjoy access to a specialist facilitator, artist or creative expertise in whatever their chosen area of interest or theme might be. These resources will help the schools to build a project of learning and activities tailor-made for their students. As part of this funding allocation, a cluster may receive up to €15,000 funding to help bring their plans and ideas to fruition in 2022-2024.
Minister Foley said:
“Creative Clusters is an excellent initiative that supports students to develop their creativity, learn to adapt and collaborate and provides them with real opportunities to express themselves in a variety of exciting new ways.
“Today I am delighted to announce the 78 schools that are coming together to form 21 new Creative Clusters. I would like to welcome these new schools into this Schools Excellence Fund initiative, and I look forward to seeing how these exciting projects develop over the coming two years. This is a wonderful opportunity for schools to work together on a project of their choice. Schools are given complete freedom to design and develop their own project, with support from a local facilitator and their local education centre.
“This year has once again seen a very significant level of interest from schools applying to participate in the 2022 Creative Clusters initiative across the country. In the five rounds from 2018 to 2022, a total number of 1,276 schools have applied to participate in Creative Clusters, with 375 schools shortlisted and invited to participate. I hope that this exciting initiative will help schools to further enhance creativity in their classrooms.
Arts in Junior Cycle provide teachers at second-level with the opportunity to engage in elective learner-centred teacher professional learning (TPL) experiences. The vision of Arts in Junior Cycle is for all Junior Cycle teachers to value, enjoy and be enriched by the arts and to see the arts as integral to learning. The Arts in Junior Cycle team co-design and develop learner-centred TPLs in collaboration with a range of artists, creative practitioners and arts organisations.
This month we are delighted to offer the following:
Style and Purpose in partnership with Poetry Ireland
Writing our Place in partnership with Fighting Words and Graffiti Theatre Company, Cork
In the News in partnership with Newsbrands Ireland
Introduction to Screenprinting with Elena Santos ‘Just Art It’, Galway
A call out for expressions of interest for an Artistic Performance community of practice
A call out for expressions of interest for aDesignCIRCLE community of practice
These TPLs aim to inspire, support and empower teachers and to embody the principles and key skills which underpin the Framework for Junior Cycle 2015. All TPLs are open to teachers from all subject disciplines.
For more information and to register for upcoming workshops and communities of practice, visit www.artsinjuniorcycle.ie. New workshops are added weekly!
Kids’ Own Publishing Partnership are delighted to announce the publication of ‘A-Z: Alphabet of Actions’ which outlines the findings from a pilot project that explored literacy with young children. This project investigated how children of different ages and stages of literacy interacted with the materials.
This project was developed as a pilot early-years intervention, putting arts and creativity at the centre of early childhood learning and development. Funded by ESB Energy for Generations, the project evolved in response to the Covid-19 pandemic. In 2020 and 2021, the early stages of the project took place during strict lockdowns and were designed to facilitate parent-child interactions. The project modelled a way of working that supported young children to manipulate and play openly with materials and connected them with their parents and other children through verbal and non-verbal communication.
Artist, Naomi Draper, designed a material environment that allowed for different ‘layers’ of entry to accommodate children at a very early stage of literacy, as well as those in primary education with more developed literacy. This project investigated how children of different ages and stages of literacy interacted with the materials.
The Sligo Country Childcare Committee and Children & Young People’s Service Committee (CYPSC) were delighted to be involved with the A-Z programme. The results highlighted by the parent and child’s voices have demonstrated the importance of that parent/carer interaction.
If you would like to receive a copy of “A-Z Alphabet of Actions: Findings from a pilot early years initiative”, please send your name and address to info@kidsown.ie
The Portal Team are delighted to welcome guest speakers, solo percussionist and composer Dame Evelyn Glennie for a special in conversation talk with Mark O’Brien, Executive Director of The Abbey Theatre.
Dame Evelyn Glennie
Dame Evelyn Glennie is the first person in history to create and sustain a full-time career as a solo percussionist, performing worldwide with the greatest orchestras and artists. Evelyn has commissioned over 200 new works for solo percussion and has recorded over 40 CDs. She regularly provides masterclasses and consultations to inspire the next generation of musicians.
Evelyn was awarded an OBE in 1993 and has over 100 international awards to date, including 2 GRAMMY’s, the Polar Music Prize and the Companion of Honour. She was appointed as the first female President of Help Musicians, and since 2021 she has been Chancellor of Robert Gordon University in Aberdeen, Scotland.
Evelyn is the curator for The Evelyn Glennie Collection which includes in excess of 3,500 percussion instruments. The film ‘Touch the Sound’, TED Talk and her book ‘Listen World!’are key testimonies to her unique and innovative approach to sound-creation. Through her mission to Teach the World to Listen she aims to improve communication and social cohesion by encouraging everyone to discover new ways of listening in order to inspire, to create, to engage and to empower.
Watch Dame Evelyn Glennie’s TED Talk, How to truly listen, below
Mark O’Brien
Mark O’Brien, Executive Director of The Abbey Theatre has had over 25 years’ experience in the theatre and wider culture sectors, as a leader, facilitator, actor, sound designer, administrator, and theatre director. He has also led, directed, and developed work in the youth theatre sector, and with Team Educational Theatre Company.
Mark was previously Director of axis arts centre Ballymun. Over ten years, he developed axis into an organisation and space of local, national and international renown, that created, facilitated and produced new and significant work, across theatre, arts development and engagement contexts. Under his leadership, axis became an artistic and cultural hub for both artists and the public. His driving force was to achieve a shared vision of excellence through inclusion.
The full line-up of the national day will be announced on Wednesday 5th October when ticket booking will open online. This year’s event will have a special focus on ‘Seldom Heard Voices’ and will see a return to the usual mix of presentations, smaller discussion-led presentations and creative workshops addressing this theme.
These events bring together members of the arts in education community from all across Ireland, to share, learn, talk, network, get inspired, and continue interrogating best practice in the field.
Language Explorers facilitator training and work opportunity.
Do you have experience developing/delivering creative experiences to children? Or are you an artist? Are you fluent in another language other than English? Are you passionate about making a difference?
Mother Tongues‘ is currently training individuals to enter a paid panel of facilitators to draw from when delivering workshops across the country as part of their flagship programme ‘Language Explorers’.
Mother Tongues’ envision a society that embraces different cultures and languages. Their mission is to curate multilingual creative experiences where artists and communities connect across languages and cultures. Language Explorers is Mother Tongues’ flagship programme for children aged 3 to 6. Language Explorers provides a child-centred, interactive and engaging experience for all children – monolingual, bilingual and plurilingual.
Who should register?
Developed to be equal parts practical and inspirational, this new training is designed for artists or creative people with a passion for working with children and who have experience in developing and/or delivering creative experiences to children.
Training
This training combines online and in-person elements. It will run over 8 weeks with an estimated overall time commitment of 40 hours. Self-directed learning is an important element of this training.
Mother Tongues is an equal opportunity employer.
We encourage applications from individuals of a variety of backgrounds and levels of experience.
Music Generation & Arts Council of Ireland
Deadline: 5 August 2022
The Music Generation National Development Office invites quotations, from consultants, researchers or organisations, for the completion of an evaluation of the Music Generation – Arts Council partnership. It is anticipated that the evaluation will identify learnings from the partnership and will provide recommendations for the future. The evaluation will assist Music Generation in its planning and development for the future and will assist the Arts Council in planning future potential partnerships and investments in this sector.
Queries
All queries will be responded to by email only.
Please email all queries to: info@musicgeneration.ie where they will be forwarded to the relevant person for clarification.
The latest date for receipt of queries is Friday 29th July 2022.
Closing Date
The closing date for receipt of tender submissions is 17:00 (Dublin time) on Friday 5th August 2022.
Music Generation is Ireland’s National Music Education Programme that transforms the lives of children and young people through access to high-quality, subsidised performance music education. Initiated by Music Network, Music Generation is co-funded by U2, The Ireland Funds, the Department of Education, and Local Music Education Partnerships (LMEPs) and is supported by the Arts Council as a programme partner.
The Arts Council /An Chomhairle Ealaíon is the Irish government agency for developing the arts. The Arts Council works in partnership with artists, arts organisations, public policy makers and others to build a central place for the arts in Irish life. The Arts Council is guided by its Strategy “Making Great Art Work”.
For further information on the Arts Council, please visit www.artscouncil.ie
Arts in Education Portal Deadline: Friday 26 August 2022
Artists, teachers, academics and arts education professionals… Do you want to be part of the seventh annual National Arts in Education Portal Day?
The National Arts in Education Portal Day will take place at TU Dublin, School of Art and Design on Saturday, 5 November 2022 in partnership with the School of Art and Design (formerly the School of Creative Arts) and the Erasmus+ International Teacher-Artist Partnership (I-TAP-PD) PD Project. The event aims to bring together members of the arts in education and creative practise community from all across Ireland, to share, learn, talk, network, get inspired and continue interrogating best practice in the field.
The Arts in Education Portal Editorial Committee invites proposals from organisations or individuals who want to give dynamic and inspiring presentations or workshops that can offer sharing of skills, practical approaches, new insights and critical thinking across the field, from a range of perspectives.
This year, the Portal Day will have a special focus on ‘Seldom Heard Voices’. The Committee particularly want to profile projects this year that represent children from diverse communities and children who are seldom heard.
The Portal Editorial Committee are delighted to also partner this year with the Erasmus+ International Teacher-Artist Partnership (I-TAP-PD) PD Project, an exciting trans-European project which focuses on enabling teachers and artists to jointly develop their understanding, expertise and creativity in ‘arts in education’ work with children and young people in education, community and arts settings. The Erasmus+ I-TAP-PD multiplier event at the National Portal Day will share outcomes and learning from the programme to date.
Do you have a workshop or presentation that you would like to be included in the programme for this day? If so, please send us your proposal.
The deadline for submission of proposals has been extended to 5pm Friday 26 August 2022.
Kids’ Own Publishing Partnership Deadline 13 July 2022
Kids’ Own, the current Arts in Education Portal Mangers are delighted to invite applications for the role of Project Manager for the Arts in Education Portal (part-time).
Reporting to the Kids’ Own CEO, the Project Manager will work very closely with other members of the Kids’ Own team and the Arts in Education Portal Editorial Committee to manage the Arts In Education Portal. Kids’ Own are the current managers of the Arts in Education Portal on behalf of the Portal Editorial Committee.
This is a very exciting opportunity for a dynamic community-minded individual with excellent digital skills and event management skills combined to lead the management of the Arts in Education Portal as it enters into a new phase of strategic development.
The specifications of the role are set out below.
Key Responsibilities
The Project Manager for the Arts in Education Portal will be responsible for managing all aspects of the Arts in Education Portal, including but not limited to:
Ongoing management of all aspects of the Arts in Education Portal website including regular content updates of project features, guest blogs, critical essays, videos, and resources.
Liaise with, and report regularly to, the Portal Editorial Committee; and attend and lead quarterly meetings.
Liaison with the Portal web developers to ensure the site is fully maintained and up to date with the latest software.
Implementation of AiE Portal Digital Marketing Strategy, including web, SEO/SEM, email marketing, social media and digital advertising.
Manage content across all platforms including email and social media in collaboration with Kids’ Own’s Digital Marketing Officer.
Managing metrics such as Google Analytics and Webmaster Tools.
Leading on website and social media channel optimisation for SEO as well as usability.
Providing editorial, creative and technical support to team members and content contributors.
Measuring, reporting and recommending on the performance of all activities both online and off.
Creating and implementing editorial calendars in collaboration with content contributors.
Delivering effective, cohesive, and engaging brand messaging.
Development of and implantation of aspects of the annual Portal Commissioning Plan.
Coordination of all Portal events, particularly the annual National Arts in Education Portal Day and Spring Regional Day, including pre-event planning, audience engagement, organising guest speakers and management of all event logistics.
Collaborating with the broader Kids’ Own team to ensure that the AiE Portal activities and content aligns with the ethos and remit of the Portal.
Briefing and managing third-party suppliers, freelancers, videographers and designers to ensure on-time delivery of assets.
Manage project budgets, in collaboration with the Creative Director and Finance Officer.
The successful applicant will have:
A third level qualification in the field of journalism, communications, marketing or equivalent experience.
A minimum of 4 years’ experience in a digital marketing with a portfolio of visual and written content.\
An excellent understanding of the Arts in Education sector and collaborative arts practice.
High-level, versatile writing abilities with strong attention to detail and editorial experience.
Proficiency in designing, managing and delivering broad, multi-angle projects.
Proven track record in creating and publishing online and offline content.
Proficiency with popular content management systems.
Adept at SEO best practices.
In-depth knowledge of various social media platforms, best practices, and website analytics.
Experience in event management ideally both online and offline.
Desirable:
Experience in working with non-profit or charitable organisations.
Excellent interpersonal and communication skills.
Excellent organisational and time-management skills.
The ability to work well as part of a small team.
Highly creative with excellent analytical abilities.
Ability to travel when required for meetings, events etc. Full drivers licence preferable.
Terms of contract:
This is a part-time post (3 days p/week). An initial contract of 9 months will be offered, subject to extension. There will be a probationary period of 6 weeks.
The Arts Council are delighted to announce that applications have opened for schools to apply for the Creative Schools 2022/ 2023 programme.
Creative Schools 2022 welcomes applications from schools and Youthreach centres across the country who would like to join the programme. The deadline has been extended to 17.30, 16 June 2022.
The purpose of Scoileanna Ildánacha/Creative Schools is to support schools and Youthreach centres to put the arts and creativity at the heart of children’s and young people’s lives. Participating schools/centres will take part in a guided journey over two years to develop a Creative Schools Plan unique to each school, and begin to implement it. Key supports offered by this award include up to nine days per year of expert support and advice from a Creative Associate assigned to each school/centre, and a €4,000 grant towards activities and projects arising.
All applications to the Arts Council are made through the Arts Council’s online services system. Schools and Youthreach centres interested in applying to Scoileanna Ildánacha/Creative Schools 2022 can register an account on the Arts Council’s online services system here.
All Department of Education-recognised primary and post-primary schools and Youthreach centres that have not already participated in a previous round of Creative Schools are invited to apply.
Online information clinics for schools and Youthreach centres about how to apply for Creative Schools 2022
The Arts Council will be holding online information clinics in May about the Creative Schools programme and how to apply for 2022. The clinics are for representatives of Primary and Post Primary Schools, Special Schools and Youthreach Centres who are interested in participating in Scoileanna Ildánacha/Creative Schools for the academic years 2022/2023 and 2023/2024.
The online information clinics will take place as follows:
Wednesday 18 May 2022 at 16.00-17.00 – English language – Book a ticket here
Thursday 19 May 2022 at 16.00-17.00 – Irish language – Book a ticket here
The application deadline for Creative Schools has been extended to 17.30 on 16 June 2022. The reason for the new deadline is to facilitate schools at this busy time to complete their applications successfully.
BLAST Arts-in-Education Residencies Deadline: 30 September 2022
Minister for Education Norma Foley invites primary and post-primary schools to apply for the arts-in-education initiative, BLAST 2022.
Minister Foley is delighted to confirm that BLAST – Bringing Live Arts to Students and Teachers – will be running in 2022 for the second time. The 2022 programme will enable over 400 new arts-in-education residencies in schools over the course of the year.
The aim of BLAST is to provide pupils in schools all over the country with the time and the space to work with a professional artist on creative, imaginative and fun projects.
These innovative classes are designed and developed between the artist, teacher and the school under the coordination of the Education Support Centres in Ireland (ESCI) network of 21 full-time education support centres.
Minister Foley said:
“I am extremely proud to announce launch BLAST 2022, which builds on the great success of the BLAST 2021 Programme.
“When I launched BLAST last year, I had hoped that it would open up the minds and the hearts of our children by providing new and creative collaborative experiences and opportunities for our children and young people and for our schools. The evidence over the past year has shown that school communities have embraced BLAST beyond our expectations.
“In 2021, BLAST enabled over 480 new arts in education residencies in over 480 schools, ensuring over 12,000 students could benefit from this experience along with teachers and schools. Some of the trained artists available to schools covered topics such as multimedia, fine art, mosaics, stained glass sculpture/animation and performance art.
“BLAST has shown that school is a fantastic environment for children to have new and different experiences, to make new friends, to be creative and importantly to have fun while learning.
“I am delighted also to launch today the new BLAST logo, following a nationwide competition. The winning logo was chosen by a panel of judges including Louis Walsh, and Brenda Dermody of TU Dublin.
“The winning entry is both creative and practical, and does an incredible job of bringing different aspects of the alerts to life, in line with the spirit of BLAST. Well done to Lily Fleming from sixth class in Bunscoil Rinn An Chabhlaigh, Rushbrooke, Cobh, Co Cork.
“Lily will receive a go-pro camera, and their logo has now been adopted as the official logo for the BLAST programme. I hope they enjoy seeing it proudly adorn all BLAST activity in future!”
The winning entry was selected from over 1,411 entries from primary and post-primary schools all over Ireland. 5 runners-up were highly commended by the judges for their entries. All entrants will receive a BLAST certificate.
The runners-up were:
Tayla–Jae Morcombe, Mercy Mounthawk Secondary School, Mouthhawk, Tralee, Co Kerry
Louise Corry Galvin, St. Joseph’s secondary school, Spanish Point, Co Clare
Szymon Krzyzanowski, Wexford CBS, Thomas St, Co Wexford
Grace Hilliard, Coláiste Eoin, Hacketstown, Co Carlow
Julia Bartecka, Holy Family Secondary School, Newbridge Co Kildare
Applications will open on 25 May 2022. The closing date is 30 September 2022.
This initiative will be supported by the ESCI education centre network, Teacher Artist Partnership CPD programme, Arts in Junior Cycle, NAPD Creative Engagement Programme and the Arts in Education Portal.
Teacher-Artist Partnership (TAP) Dates: 4 July – 8 July 2022
Teacher-Artist Partnership (TAP) Programme invites teachers to register for their Face-to-Face CPD this summer. The Teacher Artist Partnership Residency programme 2022 – 2023 will be available to eight participating schools in all 21 full-time Education Support Centres. Only schools whose teachers participated in the summer course 2022 will be eligible for a residency.
The Teacher-Artist Partnership (TAP) CPD and Residency Programme is a unique Department of Education led initiative for supporting and enhancing arts and creativity in education in primary schools. It is funded and supported under the Creative Ireland Programme – Creative Youth. The initiative includes CPD Summer Courses and subsequent funded Artist in Residency opportunities in which TAP trained teachers and artists and the children work together in partnership during the following academic year. For more on TAP see: edcentretralee.ie/27-teacher-artist-partnership.html
Dates: 4 July – 8 July 2022
Register on your local full-time Education Support Centre’s website. Find your local Education Support Centre here: esci.ie/
Chamber Choir Ireland is delighted to resume their popular Composers in the Classroom programme this Autumn term. With coaching from one of Ireland’s leading composers in the creative process of composing for choir, visits from a Chamber Choir Ireland singer to give insights from the performers’ perspective, and support from their school music teacher, up to four nominated students from each participating school will compose their own piece of choral music, a selection of which will be performed and recorded by Chamber Choir Ireland at a gala concert at the National Concert Hall. Composer and singer visits will be arranged at mutually convenient times.
This video resource explores 4 different questions: Why is the Teacher-Artist relationship important, why is it important to document your projects, what is the value of the arts in the classroom and lastly, what does a child-led process look like? The four videos feature the Teacher – Artist pairs who participated in the TAP Special Initiative Project which took place over 2021.
These videos form part of a wider programme facilitated by Kids’ Own Publishing Partnership. Participants took part in a 5-session online documentation training programme. These in-depth workshops covered topics such as what is creative documentation, digital tools for creative collaboration and documentation, documenting as part of your process, presenting your creative self and work and lastly, editing and curating your work.
The Teacher-Artist pairs also took part in 6 mentoring sessions, choosing a mentor that best suited their project from a curated panel. During these mentoring sessions, the pairs got the chance to delve deep into their practice together, offering a space for reflection. The final element of the Special Initiative will consist of a digital publication sharing the learnings of this documentation training programme.
The Teacher-Artist Partnership (TAP) CPD and Residency Programme is a unique Department of Education led initiative for supporting and enhancing arts and creativity in education in primary schools. It is funded and supported under the Creative Ireland Programme – Creative Youth. The initiative includes CPD Summer Courses and subsequent funded Artist in Residency opportunities in which TAP trained teachers and artists and the children work together in partnership during the following academic year. For more on TAP see: edcentretralee.ie/27-teacher-artist-partnership.html
TAP Face-to-Face 2022 runs from Monday 4th July – Friday 8th July. The Teacher Artist Partnership Residency programme 2022 – 2023 will be available to eight participating schools in all 21 full-time Education Support Centres. Only schools whose teachers participated in the summer course 2022 will be eligible for a residency.
Register on your local full-time Education Support Centre’s website. See link to find your local Education Support Centre https://esci.ie/
Class Dance! Dates: 24 & 31 May, 7 & 14 June
Gain skills and confidence in putting dance ideas into practice with the children you work with. Join this new series of online workshops hosted by dance artist and teacher, Lisa Cliffe.
‘Class Dance’ is an online creative professional development programme for primary teachers and practitioners of all forms of dance working with children from ages 6 to 12. Together, participants will explore and share ways of engaging children creatively in dance. Perhaps you have an idea you would like to develop or you are looking for new inspiration? The four sessions are your opportunity to move, gain skills, celebrate creativity through dance and connect with your peers across the country. Working in small groups, participants will discover new approaches and build confidence in planning and delivering creative tasks and dance sessions.
The series is devised and facilitated by experienced dance artist and qualified primary school teacher Lisa Cliffe. Participants need to commit to all four online sessions, 7pm to 8:45pm on Tuesdays: 24th & 31st May, and 7th & 14th June. The closing date for registration of interest is May 19. Please note that places are limited. The research and development of this series of workshops has been funded through the Arts Council of Ireland.
Dept of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media Deadline: 12 May 2022
The Dept of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media has launched a new and pioneering pilot scheme to support artists and creative arts workers. The Basic Income for the Arts pilot scheme will examine, over a 3 year period, the impact of a basic income on artists and creative arts workers. Payments of €325 per week will be made to 2,000 eligible artists and creative arts workers who will be selected at random and invited to take part.
The overarching objective of the scheme is to address the earnings instability that can be associated with the intermittent, periodic, and often project-based nature of work in the arts. The scheme will research the impact on artists and creative arts workers creative practice of providing the security of a basic income, thereby reducing income precarity.
Its intention is to research the impact a basic income would have on artists and creatives work patterns by providing the opportunity to focus on their practice, and to minimise the loss of skills from the arts as a result of the pandemic and to contribute to the sectors gradual regrowth post pandemic.
The delivery of the pilot is a key priority for Minister Catherine Martin, Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media, to underpin the recovery in the arts and culture sector and provide much needed certainty to the artists and creatives who choose to avail of the pilot scheme.
The pilot scheme will be open to eligible artists and creative arts sector workers.
RTÉ and Creative Ireland Programme Deadline: 1 May 2022
Calling all artists of all abilities – This Is Art! Competition is back. RTÉ and Creative Ireland Programme are inviting artists aged 18 and under who live anywhere on the island of Ireland to create and submit an original piece of visual art with the theme ‘This Is Extraordinary’.
Snap or scan a digital version of the artwork and upload it, together with a brief artist statement, to an online art gallery where it will be shown for for generations to come.
There are five categories: Age 7 and under, age 8 – 11, age 12 – 15, age 16 – 18 and a group category. A prize fund of more than €10,000 will be awarded across the different categories for further education and art related vouchers. The competition aims to promote artistic practice among young people and encourage and support creativity, originality and self-expression. All visual art disciplines are welcomed.
National Gallery of Ireland Date: 4-5pm, 11 May 2022
National Gallery of Ireland invites teachers to an online CPD for Teachers: Mindfulness & Art. Join Maria Broderick, gallery tour guide and primary-school teacher, for a practical workshop that will equip you with tools and ideas for including mindfulness in the classroom.
The session will support teachers using the National Gallery of Ireland’s schools resource Art & Mindfulness, and will include peer learning via group work to enable you to develop cross-curricular creative strategies.
This is an online event via Zoom. A link will be sent via email to all ticketholders before the event. Booking closes an hour before the event is scheduled to begin.
The Minister for Education Norma Foley TD invites primary and post-primary schools across Ireland to apply for Creative Clusters, an initiative taking place as part of Creative Ireland and under the Schools Excellence Fund. The Department of Education’s budget for Creative Clusters in 2022 is €595,000.
Under this scheme to support schools to build capacity in creativity, schools in each cluster will enjoy access to a specialist facilitator, artist or creative expertise in whatever their chosen area of interest or theme might be. These resources will help the schools to build a project of learning and activities tailor-made for their students. As part of this funding allocation, a cluster may receive up to €15,000 funding to help bring their plans and ideas to fruition in 2022-2024.
Minister Foley said:
“This is a wonderful opportunity for schools to work together on a project of their choice. Schools are given complete freedom to design and develop their own project, with support from a local facilitator and their local education centre. I hope that this exciting initiative will help schools to further enhance creativity in their classrooms. It is important that our children are enabled to express themselves and learn to adapt and collaborate. ‘Creative Clusters’ gives students of all ages the opportunity to develop these essential skills, enjoy and explore artistic and creative expression.”
To date, the Creative Clusters initiative has seen schools around the country work together to develop creative projects and collaborate on new ideas based on their local experience and unique perspective. The Schools Excellence Fund of the Department of Education sets out to encourage and recognise excellence and innovation in our schools. This initiative will help deliver on the Creative Youth pillar of Creative Ireland, which sets out a commitment that every child in Ireland has practical access to tuition, experience and participation in music, drama, arts and coding.
Application Deadline: 13 May 2022
Each Creative Cluster will receive grant funding of €3,000 per school over a two-year period to implement their project in the 2022–2024 school years (e.g. a cluster of 3 schools would receive €9,000 over two years while a cluster of 5 schools would receive €15,000 over two years). Clusters will receive 50% of the total grant funding in Year 1, with the second 50% being provided in Year 2. In addition, but separate to the grant funding, all successful clusters are further supported with: A fully paid Creative Cluster Facilitator; paid Teacher Substitution to attend training and meetings; room hire, travel & subsistence.
Schools can apply as part of a cluster which may be an existing network of schools.
A school nearing the end of year 2 of an existing Creative Cluster can reapply to be in a new cluster where the other schools in the new cluster have not participated before.
Schools nearing the end of 2 years with Creative Schools are eligible to apply.
The local Teacher Education Support Centre will have a key role in identifying and supporting a Creative Cluster for their local area.
A total of 21 Creative Clusters will be selected nationally – One successful Creative Cluster per Education Support Centre.
Applications should be sent to the local full-time Teacher Education Support Centre (list at Appendix 1 of Guidelines document on DoE website) or use this link Appendix 1.
Creative Clusters is an initiative of the Department of Education, led by and in partnership with the 21 full-time Teacher Education Centres (Education Support Centres Ireland – ESCI) and funded through the Schools Excellence Fund.
RTÉ Dates: 5pm Thursdays & on RTÉ Player
RTÉ is launching an exciting new series for young artists and art lovers everywhere called This Is Art Club! Presented by Irish artists Holly Pereira, Shane Keeling and Ross Carvill, this eight-part series focuses on one special material each week, discovering where it comes from and why it makes such incredible art.
Each week, with the help of young Artist Apprentices, they will take a look at the coolest art from inspiring Irish artists, discover some exciting jobs in the art world, and see how you might turn your love of art into a career. From tech to teacups, makeup to metals, and digital dots to real paint pots, they cover all the materials and processes that make the world of art go round.
Dates: 5pm Thursdays & on RTÉ Player
You can watch this series of This is Art Club! every week on RTÉ2 and RTÉ Player at a time that suits you. Find out more here: www.rte.ie/thisisart/club
The Arts Council’s Creative Schools Initiative Date: 9 – 13 May, 2022
Where does wondering happen in schools? When do students explore ‘What if’ questions? How is inspiration and imagination expressed? Creativity is developing and flourishing in all school environments. The Arts Council of Ireland is delighted to announce Creative Schools Week. This week provides a space in the calendar to recognise schools as centres of creativity, highlight those areas where creativity is at work, and give students an opportunity to share their creative exploits.
‘Creativity Lives Here’ is the theme for this year’s celebration. It presents an opportunity for school communities to pause and reflect on where creativity is evident in every class, in every department and in the experience of every student. The week is a time to focus on celebrating this creativity, perhaps adding to the experiences of students in the form of events or workshops and providing a platform to show how creativity lives in each school.
The Creative Schools online programmes from the 2021 celebration provide a great snapshot of creative activities and events in a variety of school settings and age groups. These episodes are available to watch on www.artscouncil.ie/creative-schools/celebration-2021/
Date: 9 – 13 May, 2022
Creative Schools Week is open to every school. Schools will receive a brochure with lots of ideas and ways to become involved in the celebration. Creative Schools will send some updates in the weeks leading up to May 9th with further ideas for activities and information about how your schools can celebrate. To further information or to get involved, please contact creativeschools@artscouncil.ie
National Association for Principals & Deputy Principals Date: 9:30 – 17:00, 3 – 5 March, 2022
National Association for Principals & Deputy Principals (NAPD) invites you to the 9th Annual Creative Engagement Exhibition, held online from 9:30 – 17:00, 3 – 5 March, 2022. The Exhibition will officially be opened at 9.30am by NAPD Director Paul Crone.
Creative Engagement is the longest running arts in education programme in second level schools in Ireland. It is an initiative of the National Association of Principals and Deputy Principals. The programme is part of the Creative Youth initiative which is Pillar 1 of Creative Ireland. The aim of the Creative Engagement programme is to encourage students’ creativity, initiative and expression through arts in education projects. From its inception in 2005, the arts-in-education programme entailed an artist or artists coming into the school to work with the students.
The event represents an important landmark in the calendar for educationalists and artists in the education sector, where schools exhibit the wide range of arts in the programme and display best practice in arts provision for young people. Against a background of a pandemic and lockdowns the resilience of students, teachers and artists is manifest and celebrated in the exhibition.
This year NAPD Creative Engagement has moved online to ensure accessibly for all audience members as per government guidelines. The programme has been supported by grant funding from the Department of Education and the Department of Tourism Culture Arts Gaeltacht Media and their forerunners since 2005.
Graffiti Theatre Company are delighted to present The Voyage, a new interactive theatre workshop for Primary classes (8+) and their teachers. This participatory well-being workshop offers an opportunity to reflect on the year gone by, and equips students and teachers with skills they may need for future change and transition.
Designed and developed by Graffiti’s Creative Learning team in consultation with educational psychotherapist Marie Delaney, The Voyage offers:
A pre-workshop discussion with a Creative Learning Team Member
Resource activities in preparation for the workshop
An interactive workshop for the class group, delivered online by Graffiti Theatre Creative Learning facilitators
Follow up resources for additional teacher-lead workshops
This workshop has been designed during Covid restrictions to address some of the anxiety and well being issues faced by young people associated with the pandemic. This workshop has been designed to be delivered virtually, and will continue to be offered online when restrictions are lifted.
Minister Martin announces government decision to extend Creative Ireland, the culture and wellbeing programme that transforms people, places and communities through creativity. Committed to the vision that everyone should have the chance to realise their creative potential to the full, the innovative all-of-government culture and wellbeing programme will be extended, in principle, for five more years until 2027.
In 2017, Creative Ireland was launched as an all-of-government culture and wellbeing programme committed to the vision that every person should have the opportunity to realise their full creative potential. Established as a legacy initiative of the Ireland 2016 Centenary Programme, it is the only programme of its kind in the world.
The founding vision of the programme is that creativity must be at the heart of public policy and that participation in cultural and creative activity promotes the wellbeing of the individual, the community and the nation at large. Creative Ireland collaborates across government and with arts, community and voluntary organisations to deploy creativity as a strategy for wellbeing, social cohesion and economic success.
Alongside its very successful Creative Youth initiative, the programme’s Creative Communities partnership with the 31 local authorities, and their delivery of over 5,700 creative projects to date, has been key to enabling community-led nationwide engagement.
Minister Martin said:
“I warmly welcome the Government’s decision to implement the all-of-government Creative Ireland Programme for another five years, and to work with me in the coming months to develop its framework. This programme has been innovative and effective in delivering the opportunity for people to explore their creative potential. Key initiatives such as Cruinniú na nÓg and Creative Schools have become embedded in the country’s cultural infrastructure. New projects that respond to contemporary social issues such as climate action and loneliness have emerged. With the support of my Cabinet colleagues, I look forward to developing a Creative Ireland Programme that will continue to enhance people’s lives in the coming years.”
The Government’s decision in principle will be for the Creative Ireland Programme to continue for a further five years, encompassing the period 2023-2027, and to focus on the following areas:
I. Creative Youth;
II. Creative Communities;
III. Creative Industries;
IV. Creative Health and Wellbeing; and
V. Creative Climate Action and Sustainability.
It is anticipated that a final framework of Clár Éire Ildánach/Creative Ireland Programme 2023-2027 will be brought to Government for its final agreement in Autumn 2022 prior to its publication, launch and implementation on an all-of-government basis.
The Chester Beatty Learning and Education Department has collaborated with the Junior Cycle Religious Education Team and co-produced a number of learning resources for the RE curriculum, using artworks from their multi-faith collections as a starting point.
Teachers of the Junior Cycle RE curriculum attended an onsite CPD in March 2020 exploring how to work with the Chester Beatty multi-faith collections. Participants learned about key faiths with an object based handling session (OBL) looking at every day faith-based objects.
The Chester Beatty launched an updated website in December 2021. It features a new School’s page chesterbeatty.ie/learning/schools-page/ including a tailor-made section for the Junior Cycle Religious Education Curriculum. Teachers and students can learn about various aspects of the new curriculum through the incredible Islamic, East Asian and European collections with particular focus on key areas including developing knowledge, understanding, skills, attitudes and values to enable young people to come to an understanding of religion and its relevance to life, relationships, society and the wider world. The course is built around three interconnecting strands: Expressing Beliefs, Exploring Questions and Living our Values.
The National Gallery of Ireland Deadline: 18 February 2022
Following a successful programme in 2021, the National Gallery of Ireland is delighted to bring art to classrooms across the country again this year with Your Gallery at School, an innovative education initiative.
Your Gallery at Schoolaims to break down the barriers that prevent engagement with the arts through holistic programming that ensures children transition to adulthood equipped with the life-changing benefits of art. They also aim to build in students a sense of ownership of their National Gallery so they have a positive place to turn to in adulthood. Engagement occurs in three key strands: learning through and about art, wellbeing, and creative careers.
Over the course of 2022–23, they will work with schools who would not usually be able to visit the Gallery. Participating schools will be selected via an open application process.
Selected schools will not have visited the Gallery in the past three years and will be from one or more of three key groups:
DEIS schools to address socio-economic barriers to accessing culture.
Boys’ schools to address the gender barrier to accessing culture.
Schools geographically far away (over 2 hours away from Dublin) to address the geographic barrier to accessing culture.
There will be two windows of opportunity for primary and post-primary schools to apply, giving schools the option to choose what time of year suits them best to take part:
Round 1 applications accepted 24 January–18 February 2022 (workshops take place March–October 2022)
Round 2 applications accepted 29 August–15 September 2022 (workshops take place November 2022–June 2023)
The deadline to apply for Round 1 is 18 February 2022.
Or contact Catherine O’Donnell on 087 6436310 or codonnell@ngi.ie
Ireland’s National School Photography Awards Deadline: 12am, 9 May 2022
The INSPA’s are once again open to all Primary Schools in the Republic of Ireland. INSPA is a national children’s photography competition and Positive Primaries Programme which introduces Creative Well-being into the lives of primary schools by engaging with the magic and art of photography.
This year’s theme ‘Me, Myself, and I’ is looking for images that explore ‘Self-Portraits’ in new and imaginative ways. Therefore, INSPA reminds schools that a ‘Self-Portrait’ is not necessarily a ‘Selfie’ and can incorporate many different things such as, objects, activities, and environments.
To help you along the way, INSPA have developed a 5 step Positive Primaries Programme which includes a series of free Creative Wellbeing Activities, all designed by professional artists and qualified mental health first-aiders. These will help you integrate the camera into your school-day and allow the children to explore Creative Wellbeing in their own unique ways. Once you activate your school account, you will be able to upload your school activities, share ideas and engage with other Positive Primaries as they prepare to enter the awards.
The INSPA’s are having a massive impact in classrooms nationwide, helping to boost the well-being of students by simply integrating the camera into your school day. Participating in the awards helps your students increase their Confidence, Resilience, Connection, Kindness and Readiness. It also gives a platform for teachers to creatively explore their wider curriculum, allowing students from all backgrounds to actively engage with subjects in new and exciting ways.
This year, the awards are offering a range of fantastic prizes for the whole school community including; Weekend breaks away to the Amber Springs Resort Hotel, free Instax cameras and printers, Positive Portrait fundraising days, certificates and of course your schools Positive Primaries Flag. All entries will be judged by a national panel including Joe McKeown (INTO President), Enda Bowe (Photographer for Normal People and winner of the Zurich Portrait Prize), Brian O’Doherty (IPPN President), Fiona Foreman (Author and Teacher-Trainer), Majella McAllister (CEO The Museum of Childhood), and Richard Carr (Artist and Founder of INSPA).
Deadline: 12am, 9 May 2022
For more information and to register, see www.inspa.ie
Mother Tongues Date: 10-12:30, Friday 28 January 2022
Mother Tongues is offering an interactive online course ‘Bridging Language Barriers and Building Connection’. In this masterclass, participants will learn about linguistically and culturally responsive strategies that will help them to bridge language barriers and build connections in their work. During the session, participants will get to draft their own language strategy. This course is designed for individuals working in organisations that provide Artistic and Cultural experiences to the public.
Some of the topics covered will include:
– Understanding the types of language and communication barriers and challenges
– Identifying and addressing relevant language and communication barriers
– Building your own inclusive language and communication action plan
Date: 10-12:30, Friday 28 January 2022
About the training:
The course is delivered via Zoom. Participants will take part in group discussions and will be guided through the steps to build their inclusive language and communication plan. All participants receive a certificate of attendance. Cost: €150.
The Arts in Education Portal editorial team are pleased to invite applications for a documentation award. Through the award, successful applicants will receive services to the value of €5,000 that will support them in the documentation of a current or upcoming project and a €500 stipend.
The purpose of the award is to support the development of documented outcomes from Arts in Education initiatives in Ireland, which can be shared with the arts in education community and give insights into different processes of engagement. This is part of the Arts in Education Portal Editorial Committee’s commitment to supporting and recognising the value of documentation and reflection as a key component within arts in education initiatives.
Two awards will be offered through this opportunity.
Outcomes of the documentation process will include: a project video, a project feature to be showcased on the Portal’s Projects/Partnerships, and the option of a critical essay, with a view to also presenting the work as part of the Arts in Education Portal National Day in 2022.
The process will involve meetings with the Portal Team and a schedule of up to 3 visits over the course of the project to capture video and photographic documentation and support reflective processes among participants. These visits and meetings can be conducted virtually if required. The portal team will work closely with the recipients to ensure all restrictions and protocols in terms of COVID 19 are adhered to during the process to ensure safety for all involved.
The portal team will edit and produce a project video, and will liaise closely with the project partners to develop the content for the project feature. The critical essay would be sited in the Portal’s Reading Room, and is optional. The author and focus of the essay can be decided by the project organisers in collaboration with the Portal Team.
Criteria
To be considered for this opportunity, projects must:
Have started in autumn 2021 and continuing into 2022, or taking place in 2022. Please note if selected filming of engagement sessions will take place after 21st March 2022.
Have a minimum duration of 8 weeks.
Involve a professional artist working collaboratively within an educational setting (early years, primary or post-primary).
Be underpinned by a strong ethos of collaboration and a commitment to excellence. Focus on the creative process, with children having an active and collaborative role
Additional criteria
Successful applicants will be asked to ensure that relevant permissions/consent have been sought for documentation of participants.
Please ensure your application has been approved by all project partners prior to submission.
How to make a submission:
Background on who you are; your professional practice and your ethos or approach towards Arts in Education.
An overview of the project – who is involved, how did the collaboration come about, what processes or approaches will take place, what is the aim or focus of the process?
A statement of interest, explaining why documentation supports would be of value to this project.
Art Movements is a newly commissioned performance by Inma Pavon that will premiere as part of the First Fortnight Festival. The performance will invite an online audience to participate wherever they may be. If you are sitting in your office, at the kitchen table or in your bedroom, you too can join the artists and students from University College Cork in this unique event. A set of instructions, information on the project and further details on the event will be emailed to all participants.
In Autumn 2021, the Glucksman art museum in UCC invited university students to participate in a project that would result in the commissioning of a new artwork for the University Art Collection. The project saw students work with artist Inma Pavon over a series of workshops designed to explore mental health. Together they creatively examined aspects of wellbeing, recovery, awareness, and the challenges facing people today. The workshops included discussions, talks, field trips and practical movement and creative sessions enabling different conversations to emerge. These conversations and the content of the workshops have influenced the artist to create a performance titled Art Movements which will be premiered as part of the First Fortnight Festival in 2022.
The performance will be accompanied by the creation of a set of photographs and film documentation which will be accessioned into the university art collection before being disseminated widely to facilitate further discussions amongst the university community, and wider national and international audiences.
The Irish Film Institute launches its comprehensive 2021/2022 IFI Schools’ Programme. This year’s programme offers screenings in cinema and also online, on the platform IFI@Schools. Choose from brand new titles for Modern Foreign Languages, prescribed English titles, Irish films, and much more!
The ever-popular Modern Foreign Languages strand, encompassing French, German and Spanish are an invaluable way of promoting language and culture. Included in the 2021/2022 German selection is films Cleo, Zu weit Weg, Das freiwillige Jahr, and Nachtwald which are presented in partnership with the Goethe-Institut Irland. Screenings for the French language selection includes Petit Pays, Gagarine, Man Up!, and Fahim in partnership with the French Cultural Service.
If you can’t get to IFI or one of our partner venues, you can stream the majority of the films on the Schools’ Programme 2021-22 on IFI@Schools. For more information about the streaming platform go to ifi.ie/learn/ifischools-about.
Join The Ark’s Team for a special January virtual coffee morning focusing on artists’ wellbeing, in partnership with First Fortnight.
At this dark time of year, if you are an artist interested in working with children, grab yourself a soothing hot drink and pop into this relaxed online get-together for informal chats and an opportunity to meet other like-minded artists as well as some of The Ark and First Fortnight teams.
Though life is opening up and live arts are slowly returning, challenges undoubtedly remain. These online coffee mornings have proved supportive for many artists around the country to stay connected over the past while. So The Ark is staying online in order to continue to give artists a chance to connect and meet with others regardless of their location.
The team welcome all artists, whether you are new to work with children or just curious, as well as those of you with more experience working with this unique audience.
Selma Daniel is the guest speaker at this artist’s coffee morning. Selma is an Associate Dance Artist with Solstice Arts Centre and has over 20 years’ experience in dance performance, choreography and education.
This is a free event but advance registration is required.
Taking inspiration from The Ark’s Winter Light exhibition and music show Tracks in the Snow, children will celebrate the magic of winter light and the variety of elements that are part of the natural world during this season.
In wintertime, light takes on a different more intriguing dimension. With frost glittering on trees and gardens, with ice forming beautiful designs on water and the moon creating magical shadows on a white landscape our imagination soars and stories unfold. There is so much to look forward to!
This workshop for primary school 1st – 6th classes is based on a simple 3D activity aimed at creating a shadow scene using a selection of white paper. Children can work on an individual piece or in pairs.
Artist Jole Bortoli will introduce the workshop through the projection of a sample of images on the theme of winter art and narrative for the children to work from and create their own artwork.
Curricular Links
This workshop links with the construction strand and drawing strand of the curriculum, allowing children to create imaginative and complex 3D structures from paper. They will explore shape, tone, line and form as they use paper in different ways to manipulate light and shadow.
Best COVID Movie, most powerful Irish language production and more announced at 16th annual FÍS Film Awards.
IRELAND: Lockdown, Irish language movies, outstanding contributions and achievements in filmmaking have been recognised at this year’s FÍS Film Awards. The renowned event which celebrates the moviemaking abilities of primary school students took place virtually earlier this month (19th November). Pupils from across the country tuned in to the online ceremony which was hosted by RTE’s Sinead Kennedy.
Guest of Honour, Minister for Education, Norma Foley, TD spoke at the awards filmed at the Institute of Art, Design & Technology’s (IADT) National Film School, Dún Laoghaire. Hosted jointly by IADT’s FÍS Office in collaboration with the Professional Development Service for Teachers (PDST TiE). This year’s event was hosted virtually due to COVID, with the ceremony broadcast via www.fisfilmproject.ie. The Aileen MacKeogh Film of the Year Award 2021 went to film titled ‘Son of the Grabber’ made by pupils from St. Hugh’s National School. The County Leitrim 54 pupil, 3 teacher school also received the award for Best Direction for their Irish folklore film. A story, from their parish of Ballinaglera, is about a journey taken in the dead of night and the events surrounding it. It was a unanimous decision by the judging panel to award film of the year to Son of the Grabber.
Some other 2021 winners included:
Gardiner Street Primary School, Dublin – Outstanding Achievement in Filmmaking – Storytelling (Letters from Manresa)
St. Gerard’s Junior School, Co.Wicklow – Award for Best Junior Film (The Party Crasher)
Gaelscoil Shlí, Laois – An Scannán Is Fearr as (Simon & An Sneachta)
Scoil Padraig Naofa Cregmore National School, Co.Galway – Award for Best Covid-19 Film (Covid 19 – 2020 A year of change)
Scoil Riabhach – Award for Curriculum Relevant Films – Science (An Croí)
Shortlisted films throughout Ireland battled it out for the contest with the judging panel shortlisting just 18 films. Counties represented across the award-winning films include Limerick, Donegal, Dublin, Galway, Kerry, Laois, Leitrim, Waterford, Cork, Sligo, Wicklow, Kildare and Tipperary. This year saw a variety of awards up for grabs with accolades for Outstanding Achievement in Film Making for: Costume Design, Sound Track, Adaptation, Special Effects, Best Newcomer, Best Junior, as well as awards for curriculum relevant films that included subject areas such as History, Science and COVID-19. A unique montage of all the award-winning films can be viewed HERE. Each film can be viewed in full at the website fisfilmproject.ie.
The awards ceremony showcased the successes of the FÍS Film Awards project which exposed primary school students and teachers to all aspects of the film-making process. The concept behind FÍS is to help children not only develop essential communication and team working skills, but technological skills to assist them in a digitally driven world. It also aids teachers in developing children’s problem solving and investigative minds and is aligned with the Government’s digital strategy for schools.
This year marked 21 years since the inception of the highly successful FÍS project. To commemorate the occasion, the judging panel introduced a special merit award, to be presented to a school that demonstrated deep learning, imagination, creativity, tenacity and commitment in light of the challenges faced by all schools, pupils and teachers due to the pandemic. The FÍS Film Project 21st Anniversary Special Merit Award went to county Galway school, Scoil Eanna, Ballaun. The school also received the award for Outstanding Achievement in Filmmaking Award for Cinematography for their film ‘Hidden’.
National Gallery of Ireland Date: 4pm, 2 February 2022
National Gallery of Ireland are delighted to announced their new online CPD workshop for teachers. Join Jennie Taylor, curator of the Zurich Young Portrait Prize, and Catherine O’Donnell, Education Officer, for a practical workshop, equipping you with tools and ideas for including portraiture in the classroom. The session will support teachers using their schools resource What is a Portrait?, and will include peer learning via group work to enable you to develop cross-curricular creative strategies.
Please note that this is an online CPD workshop via Zoom.
Exploiting the creative potential of multilingualism
It is widely accepted that if you express yourself through art there is no “right way”, because art is about exploring all creative possibilities, and not necessarily by following a set path. When it comes to language, our unique and incredibly creative form of human expression, we are often brought to believe that the right way is the one that is “conventional” and that we can master this art only by following rules in a very strict way.
In this blog I would like to dispel the myth that in order to engage with languages we need to be experts, and share some reflections based on the ‘Language Explorers’ initiative.
Language is power
As Frantz Fanon stated in Black Skin, White Masks, “A man who has a language consequently possesses the world expressed and implied by that language. What we are getting at becomes plain: mastery of language affords remarkable power.”
Language has always been the repository of cultural traditions, behaviours and beliefs passed down from generation to generation. Most importantly, language has an influence on how we think, how we behave, socialise and reason. Language is power because when we feel that we are not understood, we feel powerless. When we see that our mother tongue is considered less valuable than other languages, we feel inferior.
Language is power because if you possess the linguistic skills of those who have power you are privileged, if you don’t you face discrimination. So how do we shift and revisit this power dynamic?
Who is the expert in the room?
I created ‘Language Explorers‘ to offer children a space to listen to each other’s language stories, to examine the neighbourhood they live in and get to know about languages, sounds and linguistic differences. If I am working with a new group of children, I can’t tell if someone is an Irish speaker and whether the same person can also speak Polish until we get to have that conversation. So, my first step is always based on an initial conversation open to everyone in the group. This often starts with me learning to say each name correctly, a small effort which has always paid off, both with children and parents. The workshops in class vary: we use interactive games, art-making, singing, storytelling, story writing, and more.
The biggest challenge in this work lies in accepting that I don’t know much about other languages, and I have no power to decide what is right or wrong. As described by Phil McCarthy and Annie Asgard in this video, for multilingualism to thrive we need to let children be the experts, and by led by them.
A resource I use is the Mother Tongues podcasts, which carry us straight into the world of multilingual families and offer many points of discussion and reflection. Being in English, they are accessible to all, but they also allow for a short immersion in another language and culture, and the scenarios described will be very familiar to many children. It is quite astonishing to see the reaction of the children when different languages are used or heard in the classroom, and I think this is summed up really clearly in Soraya Sobrevía’s article on her experience.
When talking to older children, I enjoy using George the Poet’s poem Mother Tongue because it goes straight to the heart of the challenge that many young people face. The children’s creative responses to this poem have led us to tears multiple times!
Most of our creative work can become multilingual if we allow languages to emerge from silence. There is no ideal lesson plan, because this is mainly a shift in approach. The task of the person facilitating this work is to accept to be in a state of “not knowing the right answer”, and to make a clear statement that welcomes all languages. It might seem obvious or redundant, but since children are normally not offered this opportunity and sometimes not allowed to use all of their language skills outside of their home, this needs to be a clear statement of intent.
You will need to say that your space welcomes all languages, and to show in your own personal way that you are keen to have multilingual poems and songs, that you would like a bilingual dialogue in your next play, that you will regularly offer a creative space where no language is excluded or marginalised, and where English is not your only priority.
Once you create a space for every language to be unleashed and used as a powerful creative tool, you will notice that children will do the rest, and the change you have brought about will be long lasting.
Fighting Words Deadline: 5pm, 22 December 2021
Fighting Words invite submissions from post-primary students for its annual Fighting Words supplement in The Irish Times. They are looking for short pieces of fiction on any theme – as Béarla agus as Gaeilge. Young people may submit one prose submission or two poems for consideration. The maximum word count is 1,500 words.
Fighting Words aim is to help children and young people, and adults who did not have this opportunity as children, to discover and harness the power of their own imaginations and creative writing skills. It is about using the creative practice of writing and storytelling to strengthen children and teenagers – from a wide range of backgrounds – to be resilient, creative and successful shapers of their own lives.
Every year, Fighting Words publishes a magazine of exciting new writing by young people from all over Ireland. While the magazine will be predominantly short fiction, if anyone is working on monologues, scripts, poems, comics etc. they are welcome to be submitted, as are extracts from longer pieces. All work submitted will be considered.
Solstice Arts Centre Dates: Various times and dates available
Solstice Arts Centre invites schools to explore 3 artworks in their Surveyor exhibition from the comfort of their own classroom. Their learning and engagement coordinator Deirdre Rogers, will use Visual Thinking Strategies (VTS) to expand students thoughts on ‘what’s going on in these artworks’. Encouraging peer to peer discussion, this is an opportunity for students to focus and reflect on multiple perspectives, enhancing engagement and enjoyment of learning through art. Students will learn about the artists who created the works explored in their VTS discussion, and may even be inspired to create artworks of their own!
These online school tours are free of charge. They are suitable for students from 2nd – 6th class and students of all ages at post-primary level. The tour and conversations can take place during an in-person visit to the gallery or over Zoom. Good classroom internet access is required if you prefer to attend through Zoom.
Dates: Various times and dates available, please enquire with you preferred date & time.
Poetry Ireland Deadline: 5:30pm Friday 31 December 2021
Poetry Ireland are inviting applications from primary and post-primary schools for their Writers in Schools scheme this Autumn 2021. The Writers in Schools scheme part-funds visits by writers and storytellers to primary and post-primary schools in the Republic of Ireland (funded by The Arts Council) and Northern Ireland (funded by Arts Council Northern Ireland).
Writers in Schools visits are available with a range of artists including poets, novelists, storytellers, teen fiction writers, children’s writers and screenwriters. In-person visits are consist of 2–2.5 hours with a selected writer, which can be divided into shorter sessions for different class group. For the duration of the Covid-19 restrictions, Writers in Schools will also be supporting virtual visits by writers. These virtual visits will be one hour in duration and can be split into a maximum of 2 sessions.
Poetry Ireland recommend that schools submit their application as early as possible, as they generally operate on a first-come-first-served basis and unfortunately cannot accommodate every request.
Using The Ark’s Winter Light exhibition as inspiration, artist Liselott Olofsson will lead the group on an exploration of the season of winter through the use of visual arts.
This hands-on workshop delivered live through Zoom will encourage teachers to use art as a tool with their class to investigate, learn and discover seasonal changes in nature during wintertime, giving them tools and techniques to recreate a lesson back in the classroom.
The workshop will focus on the drawing, colour and construction strand of the curriculum, creating a 3D wintry diorama scene that reflects the winter activity of woodland plants and animals.
This is an event aimed at primary school teachers or other educators at the primary level.
Music Generation Deadline: 12 noon, 8 November 2021
Kilkenny and Carlow Education and Training Board (KCETB) invite applications for the position of Music Generation Development Officer in Kilkenny. This post is a five year fixed term contract. As the lead partner for Kilkenny Local Music Education Partnership, KCETB seeks to employ a Music Generation Development Officer to implement its plans for the provision of performance music education for children and young people in Co. Kilkenny.
Branar Téatar do Pháistí Dates: 29 November – 10 December 2021
Branar, in association with Town Hall Theatre, are delighted to present a new film version of their acclaimed production of How to Catch a Star by Oliver Jeffers. Partnering with 24 venues across Ireland, all schools will have the opportunity to experience this unique and well-loved story.
Based on the beloved book, this film will be available to stream to classrooms throughout the country for a limited period. Schools can book to receive access to the filmed production for a full week and receive access to a dedicated online educational resource pack for pre- and post-engagement.
This adaptation combines an original score by Colm Mac Con Iomaire, puppetry by Grace Kiely and Neasa Ní Chuanaigh, directed by Marc Mac Lochlainn with design by Maeve Clancy. Branar’s signature storytelling creates a show which reminds us all to follow our dreams.
Are you an experienced art in education practitioner with good knowledge of the primary school curriculum and established skills and expertise in ceramics and clay? If yes, you really should check out this exciting opportunity.
The Three Muses Joint Education Programme, which comprises the Hunt Museum, Limerick Museum and Limerick City Gallery of Art, are looking for suitably qualified and experienced individuals or teams to design, trial and evaluate teaching resources for the Clay Through the Ages digital teachers pack which they will also deliver. Teaching resources include lesson plans on Clay Through the Ages objects/artworks and instructional videos which will assist teachers to plan and deliver clay based creative activities in the classroom inspired by Clay Through the Ages collections.
Clay Through the Ages is a new primary schools workshop programme currently being developed by The Three Muses. It will be offered to local schools next year. The digital teachers pack is an important component of this programme because it will be used by teachers to prepare their pupils for participation in the workshop but also to extend its learning potential. In addition, the digital teachers pack should also work as a standalone resource for teachers who are not able to bring their pupils to this workshop but want to deliver a scheme of learning on clay.
“I am delighted to welcome a further 188 schools as our latest Creative Schools – the largest intake of schools in a single year since the establishment of the programme in 2018. This increased intake of schools, in line with the commitment made in the Programme for Government to expand the initiative, will enable even greater numbers of our youngest citizens to discover and develop new skills and talents that enhance their development and growth, and add to the richness of their overall learning experience through increased engagement with cultural creativity.”
Announcing the creation of 21 new Creative Clusters, Minister Foley said:
“Now more than ever, it is important that our students are supported to develop their creativity and given flexibility to express themselves in a variety of exciting new ways. Today I am delighted to announce the 81 schools that are coming together to form 21 new Creative Clusters. I would like to welcome these new schools into this Schools Excellence Fund initiative, and I look forward to seeing how these exciting projects develop over the coming two years. This year has seen a very significant level of interest from schools applying to participate in the 2021 Creative Clusters initiative across the country. I am hoping to increase the number of Creative Clusters in the 2022 intake.
“In addition, the new BLAST initiative I announced earlier this year will also provide opportunities for schools to collaborate with established artists, supporting our children and young people to collaborate and engage in creative and critical thinking – all crucial skills for their futures. Applications for BLAST closed recently and I look forward to finalising the details of this exciting programme in the coming weeks.”
“The Arts Council is thrilled to welcome the wide range of schools and Youthreach centres across the country that are joining the Creative Schools programme for the period 2021-2023. These schools will participate in a guided journey to establish a Creative Schools Plan bespoke to each and every one of them. This creative and democratic process gives primacy to children and young people’s voices in creativity planning in their schools. It supports teachers in their work to embed creativity in the curriculum, and facilitates schools and centres to develop vibrant relationships with the arts and cultural sectors. This will help sustain artistic and creative practice for schools beyond their participation in the programme, and will help ensure that artistic expression is in abundance for years to come throughout the country.”
In addition to Creative Schools and Creative Clusters, the Creative Ireland Programme continues to support a wide range of both school- and community-based initiatives to enable greater participation by children and young people in all forms of creative activities.
Minister Martin added:
“Our ongoing commitment to Creative Schools and Creative Clusters has meant that in just three years almost 1,000 schools have been given the opportunity to engage with arts, culture and creativity in new ways, helping to enrich the learning experience of thousands of children and young people. Together with our continued investment in an array of community-based initiatives and projects, made possible by the Creative Ireland Programme, young people are being provided with evermore opportunities to engage in creative activities – not only as a support to their learning and development, but also for the sheer enjoyment and hopefully to develop a lifelong love of arts, culture and creativity.”
Irish Architecture Foundation Dates: 15 – 17 October 2021
Open House Dublin returns from 15-17 October with an exciting mix of over 100 FREE events happening across the city and online! This year the IAF are delighted to bring Open House back on-site, with limited building tours making a triumphant comeback! See the city from a new perspective with Open House outdoor tours by boat, bus or bike! The digital programme allows fans of Open House to bring their festival home, with films, virtual tours, live streamed events, the Open House Journal and Open House Junior events all available to enjoy from the comfort of home.
The Open House Junior programme includes workshops and activities both in person and online for junior enthusiasts. Highlights include:
Architrek: A colourful series of specially designed architecture activity sheets for families, full of observation games, sketching and quizzes that guide you along selected routes around Dublin and Dun Loaghaire.
Building Stories: A competition to build a 3D model of your favourite building! This is a nationwide competition designed for families with children aged 5-12. Entries accepted until 30th October.
Digital Design Challenge: Use your creativity and digital skills to design your very own ‘Social Space’. This is a nationwide design competition for children and young people aged 7-18. Entries accepted until 30th October.
Baboró International Arts Festival for Children Dates: 4 – 17 October 2021
Baboró International Arts Festival for Children are delighted to launch their Digital Delegate Pass. With a Digital Delegate Pass you will have access to a variety of talks and online work created by some of the finest makers of children’s art and theatre and a series of talks with artists, sector and academic leaders. For their 25th festival, Baboró will be celebrating the rights of the child with a strand of events and performances dedicated to giving children a platform for their voice to be heard, a space for expression and, of course, a festival experience to be enjoyed with family and friends.
For the duration of the festival, Digital Delegates will have access to:
Six Digital Talks
Exploring ‘Mapping’: a map on the aesthetics of performing arts for early years
Bringing the Rights of the Child into View
Reflecting on RISE and Looking Towards Galway 2020 Legacy
St. Mary’s Secondary School, Ballina, Co. Mayo Deadline: 19 November 2021
St. Mary’s Secondary School, Ballina, Co. Mayo, invites proposals for the commission of an Artwork / Artworks to be funded under the Per Cent for Art Scheme in connection with their new school building. Artists / Architects / Designers are invited to tender for the project in a two-stage process.
Proposals are welcome from both individuals and collectives, and from those working across a range of disciplines and a broad scope of creative approaches. The school are interested in physical artwork(s) that integrate into and enhance the public spaces of the school, within the building and / or on the extensive exterior grounds. They welcome proposals that have an interactive and / or engaging element and that are vibrant and innovative in design / approach. They envisage that within the budget, a public art project that results in one or multiple physical artworks may be commissioned by an individual or a collective.
Budget
The value of the commission is €43,500 including VAT and taxes.
Stage One Deadline
Friday November 19th 2021 at 12:00pm
Brief
This is a two-stage open competition. Proposals will be short-listed for development in Stage Two. A fee of €300 will be paid to short-listed artists for further development of their proposal. Please read the brief for further details about the commission, location and school community. The brief, site maps, and a virtual tour of the new building are available on the school website: stmarysballina.ie/Page/New-School-Development/372/Index.html
Site Visit
Wednesday October 13th 2021 at 2:30pm. Places will be limited. Please book your place by Friday October 8th at 12:00pm by contacting the Curator, Yvonne Cullivan, at percentforart@stmarysballina.ie
Deadline for Queries
Friday November 12th 2021 at 12:00pm. All queries should be directed to the Curator.
The National Gallery of Ireland Date: Wednesday 24 November 2021, 4 – 5.30pm
The National Gallery of Ireland is delighted to announce a Teachers’ CPD workshop in photography. Join photographer Brian Cregan and Education Officer Catherine O’Donnell for a practical workshop, equipping you with tools and ideas for photography in the classroom. The session will support teachers using their schools resource Medium, Materiality and Magic: Photography at the Gallery. It will also include peer learning via group work to enable you to develop cross-curricular creative strategies.
The National Gallery of Ireland’s Teachers’ CPD programme is designed to support teaching and learning through and about art, via collaborative networking.
The National Gallery of Ireland Deadline: 5pm, 17 Sept 2021
National Gallery of Ireland is thrilled to announce Your Gallery at School, along with the return of lots of new programmes, resources and opportunities, including the return of onsite school visits, digital sessions and teacher CPD. They are inviting post-primary schools to apply to participate in Your Gallery at School, a new holistic outreach programme that brings the Gallery directly to schools. This project builds on the success of the Gallery’s established schools programme and develops new content and partnerships outside of the Gallery walls.
Your Gallery at School aims to break down the barriers that prevent engagement with the arts through holistic programming that ensures children transition to adulthood equipped with the life-changing benefits of art. It also aims to build in students a sense of ownership of the Gallery, giving they a positive place to turn to in adulthood. Engagement occurs in three key strands: learning through and about art, wellbeing, and creative careers.
How to apply
Download and complete the short application form and email it to tours@ngi.ie. Please note that only schools who have not visited the National Gallery of Ireland in the past three years are eligible to apply. They will let you know if your application has been successful by Monday 4 October.
The sixteenth edition of Culture Night will take place on Friday 17 September 2021. Culture Night / Oíche Chultúir celebrates all that makes up the richness and diversity of culture in Ireland today, connecting people to cultural activities locally and nationally and aims to open up pathways to ongoing engagement. Doors are opened late and special and unique events are specifically programmed at participating locations. All activities are free of charge, thanks to the continued support of the Arts Council and Local Authorities across the island of Ireland.
Here are a selection of family friendly events taking place for Culture Night:
Cork: Pitch’d Circus and Street Arts Festival
Time: 6pm – 10pm
The event is a space for friends to catch up, stand awestruck at acrobats flipping and tumbling, or even a place to scratch your head at some silly walkabout characters. Features pop-up performances of Tumble Circus’ “Cycle Circus” and Tom Campbell’s “Rubbish Performance”.
Dublin Interactive Museum of Languages for Children
Time: 4pm – 8pm
Visit Mother Tongues’ touring Interactive Museum of Languages for Young Audiences in Rua Red. Since 2017, Mother Languages has promoted multilingualism in Ireland. Through artwork, sculptures, and spaces, the exhibit creatively encourages children to interact with different letters and alphabets across languages. This fun, immersive experience promotes both creativity and linguistic/cultural diversity.
Online Sundown Circus
Event Times: 7.30, 9.30, 10.30
Erebidae Circus preforms an intimate and enchanting circus show with Irish mythology, original music, fire dancing and aerial circus spectacle. They will have three special online performances about three ancient fires: The Fire of the Hearth, The Fire of the Forge, and The Fire of Inspiration.
Zoom Book Clinic with Children’s Books Ireland and Hodges Figgis
Time: 4pm – 6pm
Are you a young reader? Looking for a new series to delve into? Feeling uninspired by your bookshelves at home? Then pop into the virtual Children’s Books Ireland Book Clinic with Hodges Figgis! Chat to the Book Doctor, consult on your favourite reads and leave with a prescription for your next book, as well as a 10% off book voucher.
Live Online Workshop for Teens: Kabuki Actors
Time: 6pm – 7pm
Inspired by the Kabuki theatre, join the Chester Beatty Library and create your very own puppet dressed to dance and entertain. Bring your theatrical creature to life with glamorous costume and heavy make-up of the Kabuki world.
Date: Friday 17 September 2021
See culturenight.ie for more information on events and activities in your local area.
We are delighted to announce the dates of the sixth annual National Arts in Education Portal Day. This year, it will be moving online with a series of virtual events taking place over a week in November – Monday 15th to Sunday 21st.
The Portal Team are excited to welcome guest speaker Professor Adele Diamond, Canada Research Chair Professor of Developmental Cognitive Neuroscience at The University of British Columbia, Vancouver. Professor Adele Diamond will open the conference on Monday 15th November.
Adele Diamond is the Canada Research Chair Professor of Developmental Cognitive Neuroscience at UBC in Vancouver.
Professor Diamond’s specialty is executive functions (e.g., self-control, problem-solving, mentally playing with ideas, thinking outside the box). She offers a markedly different perspective from traditional medical practice in hypothesizing that treating physical health, without also addressing social and emotional health is less efficient or effective. Adele offers a markedly different perspective from mainstream education in hypothesizing that focusing exclusively on training cognitive skills is less efficient, and ultimately less successful, than also addressing emotional, social, spiritual, and physical needs. She has championed the roles of music, dance, storytelling, and play in improving executive functions and academic and mental health outcomes. When not working, Adele loves to be with her 4-year-old granddaughter and to hike, play tennis, and especially dance.
View Dr. Diamond’s TEDx talk on the power of Executive Function and its impact on learning below:
The full line-up of the conference will be announced shortly. It includes a series of ‘in-conversation’ sessions with artists, teachers and practitioners from across the sector, bringing discussion and critical thinking to a range of topics. It also features series of online processed based creative workshops and a closing event.
These events bring together members of the arts in education community from all across Ireland, to share, learn, talk, network, get inspired, and continue interrogating best practice in the field.
Full programme details for the day will be announced shortly. For enquiries please contact events@artsineducation.ie.
Kids’ Own Publishing Partnership Deadline: Friday 3 September, 2021
Kids’ Own is seeking an Education Advisor to develop and expand their links with teachers, schools, and academics in teaching and learning over a nine-month period from October 2021. The Education Advisor is a brand new fixed-term role that aims to support Kids’ Own by building new audiences through outreach to schools. The Advisor will also build on the increased interest of teachers, academics, and educational bodies in their work. They will develop new connections with all of the above to ensure Kids’ Own’s work remains linked with sectoral developments.
The Education Advisor will primarily:
1) build links between Kids’ Own and schools, teachers, and teacher training colleges
2) conduct focus groups to understand the links between our books and the current and incoming primary school curriculum
3) make connections with governmental educational bodies
4) advocate for the use of Kids’ Own books within the classroom to demonstrate the value of greater representation of children’s voices and lived experience within the curriculum and the books children encounter in school.
Qualifications and experience needed:
A strong interest in arts in education
A qualification in education or equivalent experience
Up-to-date knowledge of primary education in Ireland
Experience of working with schools, teachers, and primary school student groups
Experience with self-directed projects
Full, clean driving license and access to own transport
Interest in and strong commitment to advocating for children’s voices and rights. Previous experience in this area would be desirable.
Deadline: Friday 3rd September, 2021
To apply, please send a detailed cover letter expressing your interest and suitability for the role, along with a CV to staff@kidsown.ie. Please include a document that outlines ideas you have for how you may approach this role. This should include a breakdown of costings according to the fee that is being offered. There is a set fee of €10,000 offered for this role to take place between October 2021 and July 2022. This is primarily to cover the Education Advisor’s fee, but must also cover any other anticipated expenses, e.g. travel costs, materials etc.
The Dublin Fringe Festival takes place this September with live events in venues across Dublin and online nationwide. Their programme features an outdoor visual art in Dublin 8 and secret locations city-wide, as well as live open-air performances at Dublin Castle and Grand Canal Dock. They will be hosting music and comedy gigs back in beloved venues. Whilst bringing cutting edge interdisciplinary performances to stages in The Abbey Theatre, Project Arts Centre, Smock Alley, Chapel Royal and Draíocht Blanchardstown – as well as events online.
Some of the highlights for children and young people include:
Dublin 8, Yer Lookin’ Great 11-26 September Free
Emmalene Blake is an internationally recognised street artist based in Dublin. This September, she will create a new mural on Swift’s Alley, inspired by the ideas of children from that neighbourhood. Cities change and grow to suit the people who live in them. The artist asked children from local schools to tell her what makes Dublin 8 great. Children also shared the positive changes in the area that have made life better for them and their friends.
The Veiled Ones Dates: 7pm on 10, 11, 12 & 13 Sept; 4pm on 10 & 13 Sept; 12 noon on 11 & 12 Sept Tickets: €12/€8
Junk Ensemble present a dance theatre production for young audiences. This show explores witches, transformations and the powerful relationship between a grandparent and grandchild. The audience are invited on an intriguing journey through intricately designed rooms with a cast of internationally acclaimed dancers, young performers and live musicians.
Baboró International Arts Festival for Children October 4 — 17, 2021
For their 25th Arts Festival for Children, Baboró will be celebrating the rights of the child, inspired by the UN Convention on the Rights of The Child. The arts festival will have strands of events and performances dedicated to giving children a platform for their voice to be heard, a space for expression and, of course, a festival experience to be enjoyed with family and friends.
Two Baboró commissions, a co-commission and a touring exhibition, will be central to these celebrations and part of the festival programme in October. The full programme and box office will be announced at the end of August.
Artists, teachers, academics and arts education professionals… Do you want to be part of the sixth annual National Arts in Education Portal Day Conference?
The sixth National Arts in Education Portal Day will move online again this year with a series of virtual events taking place across a week in November. The conference aims to bring together members of the arts in education and creative practice community from all across Ireland, to share, learn, talk, network, get inspired and continue interrogating best practice in the field.
The Arts in Education Portal Editorial Committee invites proposals from organisations or individuals who want to share practical approaches, new skills, new insights, open conversation and offer critical thinking from across the field.
This year, the Portal Committee is looking for the following:
‘In Conversation’ Series
Submissions for ‘in conversation’ style online sessions. We invite proposals that seek to explore or interrogate particular aspects of arts-in-education practice and/or that unpick common terminologies through a practice-based lens:
i.e. What do we really mean when we talk about ‘collaboration’?
How do we measure or understand ‘high-quality’?
What does listening to, or giving a platform to, the child’s voice really mean?
What does a child-led process look like?
Where does arts-in-education practice fall short? Who is left behind?
Proposals should clearly demonstrate an innovative approach to online delivery, ideally with dynamic presentation methods which stimulate audience conversation. Please note the committee will be selecting two ‘in conversation’ sessions for the conference.
Creative Workshop Series
Submissions for the facilitation of two online creative workshops over two days (one per day). The workshops should be focused and process-based, aiming to support both artists and teachers to explore new ideas, approaches or techniques to support their own professional development through creative practice.
The workshops will take place over a weekend (Saturday & Sunday) with the delivery of two 90 minute sessions with the same group of participants.
Creative Workshop ‘Sensing to Action’ with artist Kate Wilson as part of the 2020 National Arts in Education Portal Day Virtual Conference
Would like to be included in the programme for this day? If so, please send us your proposal.
Please ensure your proposal includes the following:
Detailed background on presenters and professional experience in the sector;
Some visual examples of work (no more than 5) relevant to the proposal;
Outline of why you think this presentation/workshop is important to bring to the arts-in-education community.
Practical details of how the presentation/workshop will be delivered in the online context.
The Committee will prioritise submissions from people from diverse communities, including but not limited to people of colour, those from ethnic minority backgrounds, migrant communities and those with disabilities.
The deadline for submission of proposals is 5pm Friday 27th August 2021.
National Portal Day Virtual Conference Proposal Form 2021
The Glucksman Free online art toolkits
The Glucksman has released a series of online art toolkits suitable for primary and secondary students. Organised around key themes, their free art toolkits enable you to explore works in the UCC Art Collection. Whether you are an educator, activist, student or individual art lover, these online toolkits are full of ideas and information to support you and your community.
The toolkits focus on the work of Irish artists Fiona Kelly, Deirdre Breen and The Project Twins. Fiona Kelly’s work has a strong environmental interest and
focuses on ideas of urban sprawl and its impact on the Irish landscape and its traditions. Deirdre Breen is a printmaker and designer who makes screen
prints characterized by flat abstract motifs and geometric compositions. The Project Twins, a Cork based collaborative art duo, create bold and playful graphics which explore ideas of absurdity, identity and the mundane.
Based in Cork, The Glucksman is a leading museum nationally and internationally for creative learning and access to the visual arts. For more information about the toolkit, get email education@glucksman.org.
Ireland’s National School Photography Awards Finalist Mini Expo now online
Ireland’s National School Photography Awards (INSPA) are delighted to launch their Finalist Mini-Expo online. The theme for this year’s National School Photography Awards was Accessible Places | Safer Spaces. A national panel of judges have made the selections from a wide range of entries from primary schools around Ireland. The exhibition is open until October 2021 at INSPA’s online gallery.
The INSPA team would like to take this opportunity to congratulate every primary school who participated in the 2020/21 National School Photography Awards. Through photography, INSPA introduces creative wellbeing into the lives of primary schools, while building a future generation of people who are confident, resilient, connected, kind and ready. This programme provides an inclusive model for children of all backgrounds and abilities to get involved.
The awards are free and offer a range of fantastic prizes including experiences at the Amber Springs Hotel for principals, teachers, pupils and families, cameras for winners and schools, framed photographs, certificates, photo fundraising days and national recognition as a Positive Primary School. To date, INSPA has seen over 450 primary schools register and take their first step on their Positive Primaries Journey.
If your school would like to begin its own journey and participate in the 2021/22 awards, you can register your school at the INSPA website.
The Ark Dates: 5 Aug 2021, 14 Aug 2021 and more
The Ark, Dublin are hosting a series of art workshops for Early Years this summer.
Workshop 1: Box Baby
Thursday 5 August, 10.15am. €10/€8.50* per child.
In this early years workshop, little ones and their grown-ups can explore, make and play together using old cardboard boxes and packaging to create something new.
Workshop 2: Natural Creators of Magical Sounds
Saturday 14 August, 10.15am. €10/€8.50* per child.
This Early Years workshop will focus on ‘found sounds’ made from everyday stuff you can find around the house and outside in nature. The workshop invites little ones’ natural openness and curiosity through a series of delightful composing, improvising, listening and play activities.
Dates: 5 Aug 2021, 14 Aug 2021 and more
For more information or to book these Early Years art workshops, see ark.ie/events. For safety reasons, a parent or grown-up should be present in the room throughout the session, and if necessary be available to assist your child.
The Arts Council / An Chomhairle Ealaíon Deadline: 5:30pm, 19 August 2021
The Arts Council / An Chomhairle Ealaíon has opened applications for their Young People, Children and Education Project Award 2022 (YPCE). The purpose of the YPCE Project Award is to support artists to develop and deliver ambitious and original projects with and for children and young people. Projects may be interdisciplinary or focused on a specific artform. The maximum award is for €80,000.
This award has four strands. You should choose the strand that is most suitable for your project proposal. You may only apply to one strand:
Strand 1: Early Childhood Project Award – Ambitious and original projects that engage children aged 0–6 in the arts.
Strand 2: Childhood Project Award – Ambitious and original projects that engage children aged 7–12 in the arts.
Strand 3: Transitions Project Award – Ambitious and original projects that enable children and young people to engage in the arts. This may involve transitioning into or out of secondary education, between Junior and Senior Cycle (Transition Year), or into further education or the field of work.
Strand 4: Connections Project Award – Projects that connect young artists and recent graduates aged 18+ with established arts organisations and arts infrastructure in Ireland.
The Centre for Continuing Education in Art and Design at NCAD (CEAD)
The Centre for Continuing Education in Art and Design at NCAD provides opportunities for part time study leading to a qualification at University Certificate (NFQL7) and Higher Diploma (NFQL8). Each of the certificate programmes carries 30 ects. On completion students can progress to the two year part-time Higher Diploma in Art to achieve a further 90 ects and will be eligible to apply for Advanced Entry to up to the final year of the NCAD full-time undergraduate BA programme in Fine Art, Design or Visual Culture.
CEAD offers credit and non-credit options for adults who choose to study part-time. In an era of lifelong learning, CEAD aims to provide a diverse programme of courses, which offer flexible, quality learning opportunities, that enable access, and support progression and transfer for students who wish to further their visual arts education. Applicants to an accredited course must be 23 years or over.
You can choose from a range of part time evening University Certificate programmes:
VAP Certificate A/C modules
The University Certificate in Visual Arts Practice offers flexibility and variety and can be completed in 1 – 3 years. Alternatively individual modules may be taken in a non-credit (audit) capacity. Applications opening soon.
D+VI Certificate
The University Certificate in Drawing and Visual Investigation signals a departure in the provision of visual arts education and the role of CEAD in creating opportunities for lifelong learning. This one year programme is for mature students who are interested in participating in a challenging learning opportunity in visual arts education.
P+DI Certificate
The University Certificate in Photography and Digital Imaging is a one year part-time programme offering students an opportunity to extend their visual vocabulary and explore the creative possibilities of photography within contemporary visual art and design practice. Applications now open.
CEAD- Higher Diploma in Art
The two year part-time Higher Diploma in Art provides mature students interested in establishing a personal direction in their art practice an opportunity to attend a flexible programme leading, on completion, students will be eligible to apply for Advanced Entry to up to the final year of the NCAD full-time undergraduate BA programme in Fine Art, Design or Visual Culture.
Are you a creative young person who loves drama, music, dance or art? If you are going into 4th or 5th Class in September then this could be right up your street!
The Ark Children’s Council is a dynamic and enriching year long experience exploring active citizenship through engagement with the arts as well as amplifying the voice of the child within The Ark, making sure that your voices are included in The Ark’s decision making.
Applications are now open for children who would like to join The Children’s Council 2021/2022. This Council term will run from October 2021 until June 2022 with at least one key event per month where attendance will be required. Sessions will commence remotely via Zoom in October with in-person sessions at The Ark in Temple Bar from November 2022 onwards, subject to government guidelines.
Please note that The Ark Children’s Council is strictly for children who will be going into 4th or 5th class in September 2021.
Applications should be submitted by 5pm on Friday 6 August 2021.
Irish Architecture Foundation (IAF) Deadline: Friday, 6 August 2021
The Irish Architecture Foundation invites applications from architects and architectural graduates to participate in the 2021/22 Architects in Schools initiative. Starting in September 2021, it is a great opportunity to gain CPD points while sharing your knowledge of architecture with young people and teachers in a fun and engaging way.
You will work directly with students in their school, supporting them as they learn how to explore, research, design and communicate their ideas about architecture and the built environment. You will also collaborate with students and teachers to select work for the annual Architects in Schools exhibition in the Museum of Country Life, Mayo, in May 2022.
There are two programme options for schools. Architects can work across a combination of these options if working with a number of schools:
Programme A: (Full)
20 hours work in total (8 hours preparation, 12 hours delivery) for a fee of €1000 (incl. VAT), on a schedule agreed between you and your assigned school.
Programme B: (Introductory)
4 hours work in total (1 hour preparation, 3 hours delivery) for a fee of €200 (incl. VAT), on a schedule agreed between you and your assigned school.
If you have good communication skills and are looking for exciting ways to expand your practice, we would love to hear from you!
National Museum of Ireland Deadline: 30th July 2021
The Education Department of the National Museum of Ireland is looking for artists working in visual arts, design, drama, film, storytelling, architecture, craft and/or other arts disciplines with experience of designing and delivering workshops to meet the learning styles and needs of a range of audiences, including adults, schools and intergenerational groups such as families.
While currently prioritising online engagement programmes, the National Museum of Ireland are inviting facilitators who are interested in creating both online content and in facilitating onsite programmes. Those eligible will have experience in the delivery of digital-based content in a virtual capacity and should be comfortable operating digital based equipment and programmes.
Facilitators and artists who register their interest in working with the Museum may be invited to work with them, at one or more of its four sites, and/or to create one or more short videos or participate in the Museum’s public engagement programmes through live online or onsite workshops or talks.
Despite the fact that scientific developments permeate and enrich the lives of young people on a daily, or even hourly basis, studies across Europe are identifying pockets of this demographic that are struggling to relate to and engage with the science curriculum in the classroom. According to Science Foundation Ireland’s 2015 Science Barometer report, young women from less affluent backgrounds are less inclined to identify with science education at second level. This has a direct impact on the number of students from this demographic advancing to third level and ultimately working within the field.
Drilling down further into the statistics, researchers have found that young women from a cultural minority background or who identify as LGBTQIAP+ are even less likely to develop a positive scientific identity, meaning a far reduced number of people from these societal groups tend to aspire to careers in science.
With the aim to address these gaps in science engagement, The Gaiety School of Acting has teamed up with partners from Ireland, Finland, Poland and Holland to investigate ways in which performance, and specifically comedy improvisation, can be utilised by science educators to impact on their students in a new and dynamic way. The three year I-Stem project, supported by the Erasmus Plus fund, began on September 1st 2020.
In its first publication ‘Creative Methods in Science Teaching – Ways Forward!’ an e-book resource for teachers, STEM subjects are related to arts. Use of arts in education tell us something about society: our educational systems and its angles of entry are creating the scientists of tomorrow. The combination of arts and science gives us a better starting point to develop our full potential which is needed when creating something new.
This publication presents research and best practices of using arts as a means of improving pedagogy and classroom practice in STEM education. In these pages “STEAM” represents STEM plus the arts–humanities, language arts, dance, drama, music, visual arts, design and new media. It draws on theoretical understandings of arts in STEM disciplines to illustrate how researchers and practitioners are using creative initiatives to promote inclusive teaching approaches.
The e-book is aimed at post-primary school teachers who are currently using arts within their teaching practice or have an interest in doing so in the future. Examples of STEAM teaching in Poland, the Netherlands, Ireland and Finland are given. It is not intended to provide a fully comprehensive exploration of all aspects of arts in STEM disciplines. The I-Stem Project acknowledges the necessary limitations of this resource, but trusts that it will serve its purpose of guiding you through the main relevant concepts, and that it will give you insights and inspiration for your teaching.
This July, a group of aspiring composers age 15-18 will have the opportunity to work remotely with professional composers and singers to create their own Choral Postcards—short pieces of music written for four-part choir, in a joint project with Chamber Choir Ireland and the Contemporary Music Centre.
All sessions will be held via Zoom and it is free to participate.
To apply, please send the following to education@chamberchoirireland.com:
1. Any examples of music you’ve written, either for choir or any other instrument/combination of instruments
2. A note outlining your reasons for applying
3. A recommendation from your school music teacher, instrumental/vocal teacher, or choir conductor, outlining your capacity to be involved in a choral composition project with Chamber Choir Ireland
Applications now open for the September intake of Creativity & Change ’21/’22
Creativity & Change’s accredited, Special Purpose Award programme, targets educators, change-makers, activists, artists, youth and community workers, adult educators, volunteers and anyone who is interested in how creative engagement can nurture global citizenship and empathic action around local and global justice themes.
Based at Crawford College of Art & Design, Cork, Creativity & Change is about creativity and its power to ignite empathy, passion and learning about our interconnected and interdependent world. It is about imagining more humane, just and viable ways to live and to connect with how we think, live, and act in the world. This course explores how we can live as connected global citizens becoming part of the changes we want to see.
In 2020/21, Creativity & Change have developed a new pop-up mobile classroom initiative. They have a new cargo e-bike to carry materials and participants are asked to bring bicycles where possible and they travel together to different locations around Cork City and surrounds, applying learning and creatively responding to the outdoor environment. Allowances are made for participants with mobility difficulties.
The course fee is €680. This is a subsidised fee that is made possible by the support of a grant from Irish Aid’s Development Education unit. Places on this programme are offered to suitable applicants on a rolling basis and will close once they reach maximum participant number.
It is advised to apply for the programme as early as possible to avoid disappointment.
Amplifying Voices Scholarships: Creativity & Change are consistently seeking to improve the accessibility of our programme and would love to provide opportunities to those who may have previously experienced barriers to accessing post—graduate education, such as members of minority groups, those in the Direct Provision system, or Travellers. They are now offering a number of free places on the course to those who may not have otherwise been in a position to apply. To apply for a scholarship, see www.creativityandchange.ie/amplifying-voices-scholarships/
BLAST Arts-in-Education Residencies Deadline: 30 September 2021
Arts in Education Residency Initiative in Primary and Post-primary Schools
The Department of Education has developed a new innovative Arts-in-Education BLAST Residency Programme in 2021, which will enable up to 400 new Arts-in-Education Residencies in schools each year.
This initiative aims to support the integration of the principles and key skills outlined in the Arts in Education Charter and the Creative Ireland Programme (2017-2022), Pillar 1 Creative Youth.
The aim of this scheme is to give pupils in schools all over the country the opportunity to work with a professional artist on unique projects, to be originated and planned between the artist, the teacher and the school, under the coordination of the Education Support Centres Ireland ESCI’s network of 21 full-time education centres. This initiative supports children and young people for the future, where skills like the ability to connect and collaborate with others, engage in creative and critical thinking and practice inclusivity at every level, will be paramount to peace, stability, sustainable economic growth and equality.
What is proposed is a unique streamlined process whereby schools apply for an artist on the Online Register of Approved Artists, who are already trained for the new BLAST Arts-in-Education Residency Programme, managed by the local education centre. The education centre will also pay the artist which will further remove the administrative burden on teachers and schools.
How this BLAST Residency initiative will work
The Education Centre:
While the programme will be nationally coordinated by the Arts in Education administrative base located at the Education Centre Tralee, schools will apply for a BLAST Arts-in-Education Residency to the full-time education centre in their area, based on the Online Register of Approved Artists. The Register of Approved Artists in each education centre will be arranged by artist and discipline, include relevant required and approved training experience, examples of previous work and examples of relevant or related experience in an educational and community context.
In excess of 300 artists are currently trained and registered on the Online Register of Approved Artists, managed by the education centre network nationally. All artists will have submitted their Child Safeguarding Best Practice Policy (to include Child Safeguarding Statement) and their Certificate of completion of the Children First Training module to the education centre.
What is proposed is a unique streamlined process when schools apply for an artist under the new BLAST Arts-in-Education Residency Programme. The education centre will also arrange for payment of the artist, which will further remove the administrative burden on teachers and schools.
Garda vetting:
Garda vetting for artists for successful school applications will be organised with the individual artist by the education centre in collaboration with the school. Schools may separately (if they wish) request the artist to apply for Garda vetting specifically to work in their school.
The Artists:
Artists from any artistic discipline, who have been trained in partnership working with schools, will be registered with each of the 21 full-time ESCI centres. Artistic disciplines include visual arts, crafts, music, dance, drama, literature and film. Creative disciplines will be expanded as the residency programme develops over the next number of years.
The artists on the Register of Approved Artists will have been previously trained and have engaged in school residencies under the Teacher-Artist Partnership CPD and Residency initiative or the Arts in Junior Cycle Programme which are both approved and led by the Department of Education.
The School:
The schools must be in the catchment of the local full-time education centre. Schools may submit only one application. Schools should make their own selection of artists on the Approved Register, based on CVs/examples of recent work, training and recommendations. Inclusion of artists on the Approved Register is based on training in the education centre (TAP) in addition to suitability/artistic qualification and has taken place in advance to ensure the selected artist satisfies school policies in relation to engagement of external personnel.
Once a school is approved for the scheme, the school has a commitment to the artist, who will have earmarked that time for the project and could potentially turn down other work at the times scheduled to work with the school.
This initiative encourages:
schools, primary and post-primary, that have not recently had an opportunity to participate in such creative initiatives, to apply
schools supporting inclusion and enhanced arts-in-education engagement with students from disadvantaged backgrounds and students with special educational needs to apply
schools that have a track record in teacher-artist partnership working in the classroom and school to apply
a whole-school commitment to the project, but it is not a requirement that all classes work with the artist
projects should have regard to the relevant school curricula where appropriate and have a focus on process
BLAST Arts-in-Education Residency funding:
The artist’s fee is €1,000 per residency. This is funded by the Department of Education via each education centre. The education centre will pay the artist in accordance with agreed guidelines after the artist and teacher/school evaluations have been submitted and received. In certain instances, this may include the payment of two instalments of €500 with agreement.
The artist will be funded for 20 contact hours, including 6 hours planning/development/review time. Participating schools must pay for materials associated with the project and also for documentation of the project through photographs, for example, and any other costs involved including insurance costs. Funded residencies can be delivered throughout the academic year commencing in September in the year the residency was approved.
Schools must acknowledge the Department of Education and the local education centre in all publicity relating to the project.
Successful applications:
Successful schools will be required to sign a short contract with their local education centre accepting the terms of the BLAST Arts-in-Education Residency Programme prior to the commencement of the residency. Successful residencies should not be started until official written notification to proceed has been received from the education centre and once Garda vetting has been completed and this has been communicated to the school.
It is a specific condition of this residency programme that a teacher works closely and collaborates with the artist to plan the learning experience and is present at all times with the artist while working with students in the school and to enhance further teacher-artist partnership. Schools will be responsible for ensuring the residency complies with Public Health advice relevant at the time of the project.
Evaluation:
The education centre will put in place the necessary evaluation for Arts-in-Education Residencies. This will include a school visit, completion and return of the Teacher/School Feedback Form and the Artist Feedback Form. The second instalment of the artist fee will be paid following the submission of the final reports.
Any images submitted by the school either in reports or on completing the project may be used to promote the scheme through print and other media including social media. It is therefore important that the schools have permission for the use of such images, noting in the consent forms that they will be used for this purpose, and only send images to the education centre once parental consent has been obtained.
Guidelines for application
A note on COVID-19 related Public Health Guidance: Schools should base proposals on the best public health advice and guidance available at the time of application.
a written proposal for the project indicating the aims of the project, the theme, materials, processes, anticipated outcomes, deliverability, number of contact hours and number of classes and pupils that will participate in the project
Please also indicate the planned time-frame schedule and planned method of documentation for the project.
The proposal should demonstrate a whole school commitment to the project. (This does not mean that all children must participate in the project rather that the whole school should be supportive and flexible in facilitating the project).
Applications will open on 4 June 2021. The closing date is 30 September 2021.
This initiative will be supported by the ESCI education centre network, Teacher Artist Partnership CPD programme, Arts in Junior Cycle, NAPD Creative Engagement Programme and the Arts in Education Portal.
Irish Architecture Foundation Dates: 15 – 30 June 2021
Registration is open for IAF’s International Summer School, a series of live, virtual seminars and workshops exploring the relationship between architecture and media. The Summer School will explore how architecture as culture is mediated, communicated, disseminated, represented, experienced and consumed through the diverse media of filmmaking, podcasting and critical writing.
Events are suitable for post-primary school pupils.
Tuesday 22nd & Friday 25th June – Architecture and Podcasts
Monday 28th & Wednesday 30th June – Architecture and Writing
Attendees can look forward to an exciting lineup of speakers and workshop facilitators including:
Emmett Scanlon (IRL), Matthew Blunderfield (UK), Grace La (USA), Inga Saffron (USA), Mimi Zeiger (USA), Tom Ravenscroft (UK) & Shane O’Toole (IRL).
Kids’ Own Publishing Partnership
Deadline: 5pm, 21 June 2021
Kids’ Own Publishing Partnership are seeking 8 professional artists and writers (4 artists and 4 writers) to join their panel specifically for collaborative book-making and publishing projects with children and young people. Are you an artist or writer with a strong professional practice who is interested in exploring collaborative ways of working with children and young people? Would you like join a panel of experts who will lead on developing new publications for Kids’ Own with groups of children and young people?
Having developed an approach to collaborative publishing with children and young people over two decades, they are inviting applications from people who would like to participate in a 2-day funded training programme and subsequently be part of a panel, from which artist–teacher pairs will be selected to work on future projects.
Kids’ Own invite applications from all over the island of Ireland, and especially welcome applications from diverse communities that are reflective of the communities of children they work with, and of artistic and cultural life in Ireland.
Earlier this month (May) Catherine Martin TD, Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media, announced details of Cruinniú na nÓg 2021, a day of free creative activity for children and young people under the age of 18. Cruinniú na nÓg 2021 is a collaboration between the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media, the Creative Ireland Programme, local authorities and RTÉ and is the only event of its kind in the world.
Announcing Cruinniú na nÓg 2021, Minister Martin said:
“Over the past 3 years Cruinniú na nÓg has become a key date in Ireland’s cultural calendar. It provides opportunities for Ireland’s 1.2 million children and young people to be inquisitive, innovative and to fulfil an inner creative talent. The emphasis is always on participation and trying something new like knitting, drumming, stop-start animation, contemporary dance and so much more. All events are free and are accessible online.
This time last year we were forced to bring all our Cruinniú na nÓg events online, yet it proved to be our most successful Cruinniú to date with hundreds of thousands of young people from around the world joining us in our national day of youth creativity. This year we hope to replicate the same level of international excitement with new and exciting projects.”
Building on the success of 2020, hundreds of events have already been planned by Creative Ireland Culture and Creativity teams in local authorities around the country. These teams are key to the successful delivery of Cruinniú na nÓg as their events are planned to respond to the needs of local children and young people. This year we will see events such as Circus Factory in Carraigaline in Cork, a live interactive workshop on Upcycled Clothes in Louth and Dublin Zoo are inviting young people to explore the wonderful world of animals without backbones!
In light of the public health restrictions that are currently in force, the Creative Ireland Programme and its partners have developed a number of creative, cultural and engaging “calls to action” which children, young people and their families can create in their own homes and gardens on Saturday 12th June.
These include:
Knitting Across the Nation: Airfield Estate in Dundrum will send out 400 wool packs to young knitters around the country. These packs will contain wool from Airfield’s own flock of Jacob’s sheep are designed to foster a long term love of craft making, sustainability and creativity in young Irish people.
Nenagh Children’s Film Festival: Working with Cartoon Saloon’s Grainne Fordham, children and young people will learn new film making and the latest in stop-motion animation skills in a series of on-line workshops. Children and young people are also invited to this year’s festival for free which will feature the work of young Irish film makers.
Garageland is a music project that gives young Irish bands an opportunity to step out of their bedrooms and onto Garageland Youth TV, a dedicated online TV channel designed to give young musicians the same opportunities as their older peers. Garageland is proudly supported by RTÉ 2XM.
Let’s Dance is a Dance Ireland project which aims to support youth dance companies around the country, and connect with hard to reach groups who want to find out more about dance in Ireland. An experienced creative team, including a professional choreographer, a digital producer and a dedicated coordinator will be in place to provide a full suite of online resources all aimed at connecting more young people with dance.
Imagine-Orchestra is presented by the world-famous Royal Irish Academy of Music (RIAM) who want to create a world record for the biggest online youth orchestra. No formal musical instruments or training required! Imagine-Orchestra will also provide children with access to digital resources that explore the creation of music and sound, through instruments, the body, and items around the home.
Céilí in the Kitchen: A céilí in the kitchen can happen anywhere in the world and embrace all cultures and traditions. Following on from the success of last year’s céilí, Áirc Damhsa will deliver a series of Meitheal Workshops – connecting young people, youth groups and schools to take part in a set programme across the 4 weeks leading up to Cruinniú na nÓg.
Beat Your Drum: Working with drummer Brian Fleming, the Glór Arts Centre and the Creative Ireland Programme and the Department of Foreign Affairs will deliver an international drumming programme that will start in Ireland on the bodhrán and travel the globe utilising the indigenous drums of Africa, Asia, the Americas and Europe.
TG4, with support from the Gaeltacht division of the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media, will produce a unique series of Irish language projects including small tailor made features about the Cruinniú na nÓg 2021 national projects, Cruthaím 33 will champion the talents of 33 children and young people from every county in the country as well as a representative of our young diaspora and the day itself will be marked by a TikTok Debs fairy tale from the award winning writer Philip Doherty.
Online supports and resources are provided by the Creative Ireland Programme in partnership with the Airfield Trust, Nenagh Children’s Film Festival, Garageland, Dance Ireland, Royal Irish Academy of Music, Áirc Damhsa, Glór and RTÉ to enable children and young people to unleash their creativity.
Further details and resources are now available from the Creative Ireland website and RTÉ platforms see www.creativeireland.gov.ie and www.rte.ie.
In addition, local authorities will also be hosting a range of cultural and creative activities and online events for Cruinniú na nÓg – full details will also be available at www.cruinniu.creativeireland.gov.ie.
The Ark Booking closes 1st July 2021
The Ark, Dublin are delighted to present a number of creative courses for teachers this summer:
The Magic of Everyday Materials in the Early Years Classroom Date: 5–9 July 2021
The Ark and Dublin West Education Centre are delighted to present an innovative new week-long online course for teachers working with children in the Early Years.
This hands-on, creative course focuses on a visual arts approach to working with very young children, supporting participants to develop and enhance their confidence and skills to deliver process and play-based art experiences. This year, due to ongoing public health restrictions, this face-to-face course will take place live online using Zoom video conferencing.
This is a five day Department of Education EPV-approved summer course for teachers.
Creative Music & Drama in the Classroom Dates: 5 – 9 Jul 2021
We are excited to present this established and popular engaging arts summer course focusing on the two curriculum areas of Drama and Music. This year, due to ongoing public health restrictions, this face-to-face course will take place live online using Zoom video conferencing.
This is a five day Department of Education EPV-approved summer course for teachers.
Bringing Science Alive in the Classroom through Drama Dates: 12–16 Jul 2021
Now in its third year, we are excited to present a five-day arts-science summer course led by scientist and theatre-maker Dr. Niamh Shaw. This year, due to ongoing public health restrictions, this face-to-face course will take place live online using Zoom video conferencing.
This is a five day Department of Education EPV-approved summer course for teachers.
A Visual Arts Approach in the Classroom Dates: 12 – 16 Jul 2021
Always hugely popular with teachers, we are delighted to be presenting this course once more. This hands-on, creative course focuses on a visual arts approach to exploring narrative, literacy & other subjects. This year, due to ongoing public health restrictions, this face-to-face course will take place live online using Zoom video conferencing.
This is a five-day Department of Education EPV-approved summer course for teachers.
The unforeseen adventures that were created by being forced to re-invent, re-imagine, to find ways to re-connect with our audiences at this time of distance and disconnection had a profound impact on me.
It became clear that, for some of our audience, taking shows directly to where they are, taking the flexibility of the shows to a whole new level was what really worked for them.
So this year, inspired by that adventure and that discovery, I’m making a new show called SWEET DREAMS ARE MADE OF THIS that can play anywhere. A garden, around a hospital bed, outside a school, in a hospice – wherever makes most sense of our audience. It’ll be a tiny intimate show with just two performers, a gentle magical soundtrack and two gorgeous costumes created by leading Irish fashion designer, Rebecca Marsden who works with responsive wearable tech fashion – costumes that light up with the connection we make with our audience, costumes that transform an ordinary space into an extraordinary moment. The development is funded by Wicklow Arts Office and will happen this July and September in creative consultation with St Catherine’s School, County Wicklow families and with St Catherine’s Hospice, hopefully leading to a longer tour next year to my national Network For Extraordinary Audiences.
And right now, we’re on week 3 of an 8 week tour of GROOVE – a chilled out 70’s inspired happening for children and young people with complex needs, full of immersive video and live harmony singing. In masks of course.
It’s a wonderful co-incidence that for GROOVE (conceived in 2019 so well pre-pandemic) that there’s such an overwhelming visual element – even with one side of the tent missing in order to allow sufficient ventilation – the combination of the immersive video art and the live singing to a hypnotic soundtrack is so rich and all around that it has an energy and a presence that, whilst not replacing the usual tactile offers that we might make, has a welcome viscerality.
I’ve been describing GROOVE as a happening – I remember reading the definition of a 60’s/70’s happening – in broad terms it’s about an environment being created and then what happens is totally dependent on who comes and what they bring. That’s the space and the adventure that I wanted to create with my audience for GROOVE.
I hardly dare hope that we’ll make it through all of the 8 weeks all over the country. I’m grateful for each day and for the incredible welcome that the schools have given and are continuing to give us in what must be the hardest year they’ve ever had. They truly are extraordinary audiences.
Throughout these last 18 months, the power of human connection has continued to be my lodestar and it, and my audiences, keeps me putting one foot in front of the other as we move forward as best we can.
Museum of Literature Ireland
New online visual arts education resource for primary school students.
The Museum of Literature Ireland are launching MoLI in the Classroom: a free, interactive, virtual, 40-50 minute workshop for 3rd to 6th class primary school students from across Ireland. It takes place over Zoom and is delivered directly into classrooms around Ireland. Teachers can book online with their live calendar. Their aim is to make the workshops fun and stimulating for all children, whatever their abilities.
All students need to participate is paper, pen/pencil and some colouring pencils, crayons or markers. Students can write, draw or doodle their responses according to their learning style. Students will see and hear all about the museum and will get to watch a special behind-the-scenes TikTok video. They will be encouraged to explore their own creativity through a range of individual and group work, fun word and drama games and creative writing exercises.
Teachers will not need to cover any topics in advance. After the online workshop, teachers can continue to encourage creativity in the classroom with their engaging follow-on activities, which include an opportunity to win a writer visit to a school and an iPad.
Irish Architecture Foundation Deadline: 6pm, June 4 2021
The IAF are delighted to announce that applications are now open for schools to take part in the 2021/22 cycle of Architects in Schools programme. The programme is entering into its 9th cycle, and the IAF will be collaborating with the National Museum of Ireland (Museum of Country Life, Mayo) for the annual exhibition of student work in May 2022.
An architect will facilitate hands-on design workshops in your school. Dates, times and workshop duration will be arranged between the designated teacher / TY coordinator and the assigned architect. Workshops must take place between 1 September 2021 and 4 March 2022. All architects will be fully Garda Vetted and will sign our Child Protection Policy. There is no cost for schools to participate (apart from providing some art materials).
There are two options for participation: Option A: Full Programme
30 schools can participate in the full programme
20 hours with an architect / architectural graduate, consisting of 12 hours of workshops & 8 hours of preparation time for the architect Option B: Introductory Programme
A new strand introduced in 2020/21, up to 40 schools can avail of introductory workshops
1 x 3 hour workshop per school, with an architect / architectural graduate
St. Paul’s N.S. Dooradoyle, Limerick Deadline: 12pm, 25 June 2021
St. Paul’s N.S. Dooradoyle, Limerick invites submissions from artists for its Per Cent for Art commission of €35,000. This commission is open to all visual artists working in all art forms including but not limited to painting, print, sculpture, digital and new media art, sound art, street art, socially engaged and participatory art.
It is hoped that the selected commission will emphasise and prioritise the current pupils and create a meaningful experience for them. This may be achieved by involving the pupils in a participatory project or in the making of an artwork, or by creating an interactive artwork or area for pupils to engage with. In addition to any participatory elements, the commissioners would like a tangible and enduring element from which future generations of pupils will also benefit. They are open to the form this may take, it could be a physical artwork, a film, involve digital technology, a book, activity area or a workshop plan.
Kildare County Council Arts Service and St. Mary’s Boys’ National School Deadline: 12pm, 11 June 2021
Kildare County Council Arts Service and St. Mary’s Boys’ National School, Maynooth invites submissions for their Per Cent For Art commission of €49,000. The commission may include Artists in Residence programmes, commissioning of artwork (temporary and permanent) across all art forms including digital media, and may include collaborative work practice. Applications that consider the physical school environment (the buildings and grounds, indoor and outdoor) as well as applications that directly engage the school community are welcome.
Artists should submit their CV, expression of interest and samples of work to percentforart@maynoothbns.ie. All queries relating to the Per Cent for Art commission should be directed to Lucina Russell, Arts Officer, Tel: 045-448328; Mob: 0872399212; Email lrussell@kildarecoco.ie.
The Spirit of Eileen Gray lives on at Brownswood House Date: May 19 2021
The birthplace of Wexford born Eileen Gray, the pioneering modern architect, designer and artist, continues to be witness to the effects of her creative force.
This webinar, coming live from Gray’s place of birth in Brownswood House, Enniscorthy – now home to Meánscoil Gharman- marks the completion of an ambitious Creative Ireland and Creative Schools programme, in which transition year students worked with architect Ben Mullen on a project exploring the work and legacy of Eileen Gray. Over the school year the students studied this pioneering designer’s work, then designed, and created by hand, outdoor furniture for the grounds of their school campus.
The webinar will be free and open to the public, it will be hosted by art historian Karla Sánchez and will feature prominent guests Dr. Jennifer Goff, curator of the Eileen Gray collection of the National Museum of Ireland, and Eilis O’Connell, internationally renowned Irish sculptor, whom along with a selected group of students, will uncover some of the many design processes Eileen Gray followed and those which she has inspired in others.
This programme, funded by Wexford County Council’s Creative Ireland Programme and supported through Creative Schools and Creative Associate Laura Ni Fhlaibhín, sees the collaboration between the Irish Architecture Foundation, the Art Department of Wexford County Council and Meánscoil Gharman. It arose out of a shared interest in developing the legacy of Eileen Gray in County Wexford.
Architect Benjamin Mullen, of the Irish Architecture Foundation, who led the workshops with the students, commented:
“…the project set out to see past the formidable legacy of Eileen Gray and attempt to interpret her engagement with design itself as an activity in its own accord, and as a form of agency in the world. (…) Design is a type of behaviour and an instrument for imagining a future that does not yet exist. One of the project’s key aims was to provide this autonomy for the students to make what they imagined would represent their own experience of our world.”
This project would not have been possible without the vision of Laura Ní Fhlaibhín, the Creative Associate responsible for reuniting all the bodies involved:
“The Legacy of Eileen Gray is advanced through this project, bringing her ground-breaking approach and innovation to its ethos and overall aims. It has been so exciting and rewarding to develop this, from initial meetings and brainstorming in the Meánscoil Gharman art room, to a fully realised project that activates both the creative impulses of Eileen Gray and the ethos of the Creative Schools programme.”
The documentary “I do shuí le Eileen Gray – Sitting with Eileen Gray”, produced by Terence White, chronicles the process that the students went through to carry out their concept. Such documentary will also be shown during the Seminar.
Commenting on the programme, Wexford Creative Ireland Co-Ordinator Eileen Morrissey stated,
“The Creative Ireland programme aims to bring creativity and culture to the heart of the community in County Wexford. Through this seminar, we hope to shine a light on the world-renowned Wexford born architect Eileen Gray. We also hope to showcase too the results of an excellent creative project with the students of Meánscoil Garman. I would encourage members of the public to join the online seminar to delve into the fascinating world of the pioneering architect and designer who was born in Co Wexford.”
Event Details:
Date: Wednesday, 19 May 2021 Time: 11.00am – 13.00 pm
Members of the public interested in joining the webinar will be able to register here:
For further information about the seminar please contact Karla Sánchez (087 7842503, karlasanchez@yahoo.com)
Offaly County Council Arts Office Deadline: 4pm, 2 June, 2021
Offaly County Council Arts Office invites professional artists, individual or collaboratively, to submit proposals for the delivery of a new Youth Arts Project for the cohort of 13 to 25 year olds within Offaly. The commission is open to submissions from all art disciplines including visual arts, film, animation, digital arts, performing arts, literature or sound art. The commission can concentrate on one art form or a range of art forms but must demonstrate a youth led ethos. It is vital that consideration is given to the times we are in and how engagement with young people can take place within a socially distanced world.
A fully inclusive fee of €15,000.00 to include all travel, materials, VAT will be made payable in three instalments:
1. €5000.00 on signing of contract with agreement on a submitted project outlining clear timelines, delivery and process.
2. €5000.00 mid way into the project
3. €5000.00 on completion of the project
There need not be a specific outcome, (i.e. piece of art, performance), rather the process and engagement with the Young People in Offaly should be central to the project and be inspired by their wants and needs. If there is an outcome, consideration should be given on how same could be showcased.
We would envisage the project as being easily accessible, have a wide reach and attract young people that are not necessarily involved in Arts.
The programme includes a specialist week-long online training on 1st – 7th July 2021 with a training allowance of €150 per day over the initial 5-day training week (€750 in total); and a guarantee of a paid, in-school-residency with a local primary school (Fee €900, plus €100 travel) to carry out a 20-hour project (14 contact hours plus 6 preparation hours) in partnership with your teacher partner throughout the 2021/2022 academic year.
Artists can apply to be part of the scheme via expressions of interest to Thérése Gamble, Director, Drumcondra Education Centre at director@ecdrumcondra.ie. Expressions of interest should be in the form of a letter of max 600 words, accompanied by a CV or short bio with links to images or samples of relevant work.
Deadline: 5pm 21st May 2021
For more information view the poster below
Callout for Artists: Teacher-Artist Partnership (TAP) CPD 2021
Creative Clusters Deadline: 14 May 2021
The Department of Education are pleased to announce the opening of a new round of Creative Clusters. The deadline for receipt of applications is Friday 14th May 2021.
Each Creative Cluster will receive grant funding of €3,000 per school over a two-year period to implement their project in the 2021–2023 school years (e.g. a cluster of 3 schools would receive €9,000 over two years while a cluster of 5 schools would receive €15,000 over two years). Clusters will receive 50% of the total grant funding in Year 1, with the second 50% being provided in Year 2. In addition, but separate to the grant funding, all successful clusters are further supported with: A fully paid Creative Cluster Facilitator; paid Teacher Substitution to attend training and meetings; room hire, travel & subsistence.
– Schools can apply as part of a cluster which may be an existing network of schools.
– A school nearing the end of year 2 of an existing Creative Cluster can reapply to be in a new cluster where the other schools in the new cluster have not participated before.
– Schools nearing the end of 2 years with Creative Schools are eligible to apply.
– The local Teacher Education Support Centre will have a key role in identifying and supporting a Creative Cluster for their local area.
– A total of 21 Creative Clusters will be selected nationally – One successful Creative Cluster per Education Centre.
Any queries, please contact your local Education Centre or email Arts in Education Administration mairevieux@edcentretralee.ie.
Creative Clusters is an initiative of the Department of Education, led by and in partnership with the 21 full-time Teacher Education Centres (Education Support Centres Ireland – ESCI) and funded through the Schools Excellence Fund.
The Arts Council’s Creative Schools Initiative Deadline: 12 noon, 19 May 2021
The Arts Council of Ireland is seeking to engage the services of a suitably qualified Programme Director for the Creative Schools Initiative.
Scoileanna Ildánacha/Creative Schools is a flagship initiative of the Creative Ireland Programme to enable the creative potential of every child. Creative Schools is led by the Arts Council in partnership with the Department of Education and the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media.
The initiative is also informed by the Arts Council’s ten-year strategy (2016–25) Making Great Art Work: Leading the Development of the Arts in Ireland.
This initiative provides opportunities for children and young people to build their artistic and creative skills; to communicate, collaborate, stimulate their imaginations, be inventive, and to harness their curiosity.
The Arts Council of Ireland currently has an exciting opportunity at Assistant Principal grade for a Programme Director – Creative Schools.
The Programme Director will be engaged on a full-time basis for a 3 year FTC to lead and manage the Creative Schools programme and team. They will be responsible for strategy, policy, project planning and delivery, human resources and contract management, to ensure the effective delivery of the programme.
The closing date for receipt of applications is 12.00 noon, Wednesday 19 May, 2021.
First Cut! Youth Film Festival Dates: 17 April – 9 May 2021
First Cut! Youth Film Festival returns for its 12th year showcasing new films by young filmmakers. Running from 17 April – 9 May 2021, offers an imaginative, thought-provoking and entertaining programme for young people aged 12-24yrs. Audiences from all over Ireland, and from abroad, are invited to join them virtually for a completely free programme of events including: Open call short film and feature film screenings, workshops, panel discussions with some of the leading filmmakers in Ireland, a host of special guest appearances and more.
Workshops include: Puppetry for Film and Television Workshop, Stormtroopers SFX Workshop and more.
The Glucksman Date: Saturday May 22nd, 10:30-11:30am or 12-1pm
The Glucksman presents Natural Creators: Exploring and Creating Soundscapes with composer Karen Power. These free, interactive workshops focus on early years listening, composing and improvising sound. Using found sounds from our natural and constructed environment, these workshops encourage children’s natural openness and curiosity through a series of guided composing, improving, listening and play activities.
Natural Creators workshops are built on slowly integrating sound into children’s everyday lives. This program is designed in an open and improvised manner facilitating every child to engage in the process with their own unique approach to creating sound.
Creative Schools Deadline: 17:30, Thursday 10 June 2021
Scoileanna Ildánacha/Creative Schools are delighted to announce an exciting opportunity for schools/centres to apply to participate in the initiative. Schools/centres may apply from 6 April and the deadline is 17:30, Thursday 10 June 2021.
The Creative Schools initiative supports schools/centres to put the arts and creativity at the heart of children’s and young people’s lives. This initiative provides opportunities for children and young people to build their artistic and creative skills; to communicate, collaborate, stimulate their imaginations, be inventive, and to harness their curiosity. It will empower children and young people to develop, implement and evaluate arts and creative activity throughout their schools/centres and stimulate additional ways of working that reinforce the impact of creativity on children and young people’s learning, development and well-being.
Participating schools/centres will be provided with a package of supports that includes working with a Creative Associate, training and networking to support them to create their Creative School Plan, as well as seed funding to begin to implement their Plan.
Creative Associates will respond to each school/centre’s development priorities and needs in order to support them to deepen the arts and creative opportunities for children and young people. They will use their practical experience, to develop partnerships and mechanisms that enable sustained relationships between schools/centres and the arts and cultural sectors.
All Department of Education and Skills-recognised primary and post-primary schools and Youthreach centres who have not already participated in a previous round of Creative Schools are eligible to apply.
Deadline: 17:30, Thursday 10 June 2021
Further information on the Creative Schools application process will be available online shortly. Applications must be submitted online and schools are encouraged to register well in advance of the deadline: https://onlineservices.artscouncil.ie/Register.aspx
The Ark
Deadline: 5pm May 4th, 2021
The Ark is now seeking expressions of interest in the provision of Creative Hub project coordination services on a freelance contract basis to coordinate the delivery of their new strand of programming as part of the DCC Children’s Art in Libraries Creative Hubs. This is an exciting opportunity for someone who demonstrates an affinity for the values of The Ark, a talent for delivering multi-disciplinary arts programmes for children, and an ability to connect and collaborate with multiple partners to deliver both artistic and locally relevant aims.
This opportunity provides the right individual the chance to work with The Ark to deliver an exciting new programme for children in a community context working with key partners within the cultural sector for children in Dublin.
New online visual arts education resource for primary and secondary school students.
TULCA is a festival celebrating contemporary visual art, that takes place annually in November across Galway City and County with a programme of multi-venue exhibitions and events. TULCA Education Programme is a unique programme that focuses on looking at and responding to visual art. It is about reaching out and engaging with schools and the wider community to create an increased awareness and a shared understanding of the Visual Arts. The programme engages a process of slow looking, reflection and response.
TULCA’s Education Programme is designed to continue this process of critical thinking by creating a space for dialogue and learning exchange. It draws on individual personal experience and acknowledges that we all have our own set of visual codes, value systems, likes and dislikes.
The online arts education resource caters for primary and secondary school students and uses a mixture of creative activities and videos to explore contemporary visual art.
Pallas Projects have produced an online resource ‘Art @ Home’ for teachers and primary school students.
This year to coincide with Pallas Projects Online Periodical Review X Exhibition, they have teamed up with artist and education curator Liliane Puthod to create an activity pack for students to do at home or in school. Each of the four activities are relevant to all ages, and relate to a work in their online exhibition.
Pallas Projects/Studios is a not-for-profit artist-run organisation dedicated to the facilitation of artistic production and discourse, via the provision of affordable artists studios in Dublin’s city centre, and curated exhibitions. Pallas Projects is dedicated to the making and showing of visual art to our peers as well as a wide and diverse audience: via exhibitions, talks and tours.
On demand audio stream theatre for young audiences 8+ for families or schools.
This Girl Laughs, This Girl Cries, This Girl Does Nothing by Finegan Kruckemeyer, is presented by The Everyman and Graffiti Theatre Company as part of Play It by Ear, a programme of shows performed on The Everyman stage, and available as an audio stream.
Triplet sisters are left in the forest by their woodcutter father. From this fairytale beginning, three resolutions are made – one sister will walk one way, one the other, and the third will stay right where she is. Twenty years later, having circumnavigated the globe, and fought Vikings, and crossed oceans, and tamed wilds, and achieved greatness, the three meet again, as women.
Fun and accessible resources will be available on Graffiti’s website for teachers and parents to support children’s enjoyment of the episodes. These resources – which will be available for the audio stream live date – will include creative prompts and activities to give children a deeper engagement with the piece.
Price: On Demand Audio Stream Family €12 | Schools €65
Age recommendation: 8+, recommended for young audiences and their families
The Source Arts Centre is hosting a series of online workshops until June as part of their ‘Y’ Arts Programme. The ‘Y’ Arts Programme encourages young people aged between 13 and 18 to create new works of art using a task and challenge based approach. The programme aims to encourage an understanding of contemporary art and avant-garde art.
Workshop : Dream Like Maya Deren 12pm-1pm, 24th April 2021
Maya Deren was a Ukrainian-born American experimental filmmaker in the 1940s and 1950s. In this workshop, participants will look at her most famous film ‘Meshes Of The Afternoon’ and examine how dream states or the subconscious are depicted in art.
Music Generation invites individual or groups of professional musicians to tender to lead and develop distinct Communities of Practice with musicians that deliver Music Generation programmes; and to lead, develop and create new work for children and young people with musicians involved in Music Generation Communities of Practice.
Music Generation is Ireland’s National Music Education Programme that gives children and young people access to high-quality, subsidised performance music education. Initiated by Music Network, Music Generation is co-funded by U2, The Ireland Funds, the Department of Education and Local Music Education Partnerships.
Creative Schools is forming a panel of Creative Associate Regional Coordinators across the country. It is envisaged that the Arts Council will engage the services of 8 Regional Coordinators. Both individuals and organisations (who nominate a particular representative) may apply to provide these services.
The main tasks of the Creative Associate regional coordinators are:
– Work closely with the Arts Council’s Creative Schools’ team to support and assist in coordinating the work of the Creative Associates at a regional level.
– Liaise with and support up to twenty Creative Associates and their assigned schools across each region.
– Be required to carry out services for around seventy days per annum, with a minimum of one day per week between the months of September to June.
Deadline for applications: Friday 2nd April, 2021
For more information, see www.etenders.gov.ie/ (select Arts Council in ‘authority’ field of an advanced search on etenders).
Creativity & Change Programme
Dates: April – May 2021
Short deep-dives into the methods and mindsets of the Creativity & Change programme.
Deep Dive Training (formally masterclasses): action-focused workshops to unleash your imagination and creativity. Leading to a collective day of creative hopeful action across the country at our Paste-Up Blitz.
This Spring-Summer training programme is centred around the idea of the “Awesome Solution”. This concept is based on research conducted at the COP21 conference about the impact of art on audience engagement and perceptions of the world’s big problems.
Researchers found that:
Artwork that presents an awesome solution to a problem was the most effective at engaging the audience and inspiring them to change their attitudes to take action on a local or global justice issue.
The workshop series offers a deep-dive into the idea of the awesome solution, exploring the concept across a range of disciplines, methodologies, and facilitators, bringing you through a variety of processes that can be adapted and integrated into your own work. Exploring development education topics and global and social justice means covering complex issues, discussing interconnected systemic BIG world problems, things that often feel outside of our control can be overwhelming.
How can we use the arts to inspire hope, to nurture that longing for the brighter future we all know is possible and engage our communities in action?
Are you an educator, youth worker, artist, activist, advocate looking for a new inspiration? Join us to:
Create meaningful spaces online to engage groups in awesome solution based projects that can go on to inspire others to take action for change
Work with the entire Creativity & Change team
Learn skills to tap into the creative potential of groups, be culturally engaging, and contribute to imagining a new and better future for humankind
The role of the artist is to make the revolution irresistible.
Where: Zoom and online
Who: These workshops are for anyone working in a non-formal learning context with others- youth workers, community workers, artists, activists, educators, dreamers, changemakers.
Commitment to all the workshops is essential
There are five different options for participants to join this workshop series. These five “streams” will run simultaneously from April 10th until May 22nd. All groups will be invited to take part in a national “paste-up” day to bring their ideas into public space. To view the five options and register go to www.creativityandchange.ie/non-accredited-training-previously-masterclasses/
Each group will experience the same workshop flow:
Please contact us if you are unwaged or have financial constraints or with any other questions at: claire.coughlan@cit.ie
The National Museum of Ireland (NMI)
The National Museum of Ireland (NMI) has launched its spring/summer 2021 programme of online workshops, activities and resources for schools.
The Museum is inviting schools all over Ireland to enjoy, engage and learn with culture in the classroom this spring and beyond.
From the Crazy Life of Crows to pop-up talks on the Easter Rising, the spring/summer programme explores a diverse range of topics and themes, all inspired by the National Collections across four Museum sites in Dublin and Mayo.
The NMI usually welcomes some 90,000 primary and post primary students on classroom visits each year. Due to COVID-19 public health advice, the Museum has now moved its schools programme online with imaginative workshops, virtual tours and classroom activities, delivering meaningful learning experiences for students.
Some highlights from the spring/summer programme include a family tree workshop with the NMI – Country Life; a virtual tour about the 1916 Rising from the NMI – Decorative Arts & History; an Ogham Code challenge from the NMI – Archaeology; and special virtual classroom sessions exploring extinction with the NMI – Natural History.
Children in Galway are dancing, leaping and learning with local and international artists this spring, thanks to the RISE programme from Baboró International Arts Festival for Children in partnership with Galway 2020 European Capital of Culture. This March children aged 8 to 13 years are taking on starring roles in two “RISE” projects, combining parkour, circus skills, performance art, sport and more. Making the most of digital opportunities to connect across the globe, the young people are participating at school and at home.
Projects include:
St. Pats Lockdown Olympics: A whacky series of four weekly videos, accompanied by props delivered to students’ homes, to guide them through the creation of their own spectacularly zany sports.
The Streets Are Ours: A collaborative project to create a promenade performance by Galway children combining parkour, contemporary dance and circus skills. The dance performance will be recorded in April and shared with the public as soon as safely possible.
The Veiled Ones: The final element of the RISE programme will be The Veiled Ones, a new dance theatre production highlighting the powerful relationship between grandparents and grandchildren, created by renowned Irish company Junk Ensemble.
This immersive work, currently in development.
In Conversation with Junk Ensemble & kabinet k
On April 23, Baboró will host the digital event, ‘In Conversation with Junk Ensemble & kabinet k’, exploring both companies’ development processes in making work with and for children, and the challenges to creating dance in a global pandemic.
The Creative Ireland Programme has announced details of the Creative Youth Conference 2021. The conference – Creativity: the connection to our future, now – will be hosted online and will comprise three separate events in April and May discussing questions surrounding provision of opportunities for creative engagement by young people both within the school and their community.
As part of a wider deliberation on the Creative Youth Plan – which was published in December 2017 – the Conference is an opportunity for stakeholders to reflect on progress to date and input their views concerning the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead.
The conference will commence with Creative Youth in the Education System, which will take place on Tuesday 13 April, from 12:30 to 2pm. This will be followed by on Thursday 15 April (also from 12:30 to 2pm) by Creative Youth in the Community.
These two events will feature contributions from a range of people involved in Creatives Youth initiatives – such as the Creative Schools programme and the Local Creative Youth Partnerships – and provide an insight into the roll-out of the Creative Youth Plan to date.
These events will also feed into a high-level conference to be held on Thursday 13 May from 12 noon to 2pm.
This event, which will be opened by the Taoiseach, and will also include contributions from the Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media, Catherine Martin, the Minister for Education, Norma Foley and the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth, Roderic O’ Gorman.
The main conference will also feature two panel discussions with contributions from a national and international guests including Andreas Schleicher (OECD), Michelle Cullen (Accenture), Arlene Forster (National Council for Curriculum and Assessment), Bo Stjerne Thomsen (The LEGO Foundation), author Roddy Doyle, Helene Hugel (Helium Arts) and Prof Linda Doyle (TCD).
The Portal Team are delighted to invite teachers, artists, arts managers and anyone with an interest in arts in education to connect with us online for the 2021 Portal Spring Regional Event Series from the 22nd to 28th March 2021.
The programme features a series of sessions sharing experience and best practise from the sector in the Mid-West. It includes a discussion on Monday, 22nd March with the 2020 Portal Documentation Award recipients teacher Jacintha Mullins and composer Fiona Linnane. Jacintha and Fiona will share insights from their experience on the project ‘The Lonely Traveller’, a collaboration with pupils at the Mid-West School for the Deaf, Limerick.
On Wednesday 24th we’re delighted to welcome The Hunt Museum’s Public Engagement Coordinator, Adam Stoneman and Education Officer, Hannah Bloom who will share their experience of how the museum engaged with schools using a virtual collaboration platform.
On Friday 26th and Saturday 27th, artist Éilís Murphy invites participants to two hands-on creative bookmaking sessions. Participants will be introduced to collage and bookmaking techniques, experimenting with various materials, textures and surfaces in this process-led workshop.
Monday 22nd March, 4pm —Discussion: ‘The Lonely Traveller’, a discussion and documentation launch event with teacher Jacintha Mullins and composer Fiona Linnane – Book Tickets here
Wednesday 24th March, 7pm —Presentation: ‘Virtual Workshops & Curation Using Mozilla Hubs’, with Public Engagement Coordinator, Adam Stoneman and Education Officer, Hannah Bloom of The Hunt Museum – Book Tickets here
Friday 26th, 7pm & Saturday 27th, 11am – A Hands-on Creative Workshop: ‘Stories Unfolding’ with bookmaker and artist, Éilís Murphy – Places for this session are now fully booked– Waiting List Registration
Saturday 27th, 11am – A Hands-on Creative Workshop: ‘Éisteacht/Listen’, with composer Fiona Linnane – Places for this session are fully now booked – Waiting List Registration
Please note:
The sessions on Monday and Wednesday will also be broadcast on Facebook Live, however to take part in the discussion on Zoom Live ticket booking is required.
The Creative Sessions on Friday and Saturday have limited capacity. Please note the ticket release date, we advise booking early to avoid disappointment. Materials for these sessions will be posted directly to participants, so home addresses will need to be shared with the portal editor and artist.
Architecture at the Edge a new outreach project in collaboration with Matt + Fiona is looking for creative and engaging architects, artists and designers to participate in Design Lab 2021 / a space for belonging.
Join this exciting initiative to empower the next generation to develop their ideas for the future of the local area.
Through Design Lab, you will enable them to develop ideas for a ‘Space for Belonging’ – with AATE and MATT+FIONA’s support. The initiative will involve training, facilitating creative workshops and joining an ambitious ‘Proto-Build’. Starting in April 2021 and culminating with the ‘Proto-Build’ in Autunm 2021, Design Lab is a great opportunity to share your knowledge and creativity with young people and teachers in a fun and engaging way.
If you have good communication skills and are looking for exciting ways to expand your practice, AATE would love to hear from you!
Deadline for applications is Monday 08 March at 12noon.
The LAB Gallery, Dublin City Arts Office Dates: Wednesdays 4-6pm, 3, 10, 24 March & 14, 21, 28 April
The Practice of Looking is a six-week, online course to learn about Visual Thinking Strategies and its use in Dublin, and to practice its facilitation. It was born out of the growing interest in the adoption of Visual Thinking Strategies at the LAB Gallery and in the partnerships and networks that have evolved around it. The LAB Gallery, Dublin City Arts Office, The National Council for Curriculum and Assessment (NCCA) and VTS Neighbourhood Schools are partnering to host an online course that offers the opportunity to learn from trained VTS coaches in the existing network. The course will have a strong focus on facilitation practice and reflection. You will receive a certificate of attendance after completion of the course.
Please note that to participate to the course, you need to:
Be available for all sessions.
Be a practicing teacher / educator / artist / museum guide.
The IAF have produced an online resource ‘DIYStudio’ for teachers and secondary school students.
DIYStudio introduces you to architecture and is perfect for secondary schools students who might be curious about the process of design. Follow the five stages – Explore, Research, Design, Present, Reflect to design your own architectural space, learning and experimenting along the way. All you need to get started is internet access, paper and a pencil.
Students can start and finish anytime, DIYStudio is an ongoing project.
The Ark invites you to ‘Creativity in the Online Classroom Made Easy’ CPD workshop for teachers, where you will learn a range of easy, accessible skills to help you bring creativity into your online teaching. Find out how easy it can be to breathe imagination into an online class, inspiring both your students and yourself. The ideas shared will be useful for both teaching online and when you are back in the classroom.
Perhaps you are overwhelmed with the technical aspects of moving your teaching online, or feeling frustrated with the limitations and struggling to make your online lessons creative and engaging. Or perhaps you are simply looking for some fresh inspiration for ideas that can work well in the online space. Join the Ark for this morning of inspiration and art-making to help you address these challenges, led by artist Duffy Mooney-Sheppard who has been leading online classes for children for the past year.
During this session you will gain valuable time to explore various tools available on Zoom to develop, hone and gain confidence in digital art lessons. Ideas shared will be adaptable and transferrable to other online platforms you may be using also. The possibilities in virtual learning spaces are wide and we are all learning! We will ask questions, share challenges, try things out and build our knowledge as a group.
Children’s Books Ireland and Poetry Ireland are working in partnership to host a series of capacity-building webinars for artists who are delivering online programmes to children and young people. The webinars are free to attend and places are limited. Children’s Books Ireland and Poetry Ireland are committed to supporting artists in the development of their practice and their working conditions.
23rd Feb: Child Protection and Safeguarding Webinar
24th Feb: Cybersafety when working with Children Webinar
Would you and your class like to participate in an online workshop with VISUAL Carlow’s Curator of Learning, Clare Breen?
Clare will bring your class on a virtual walk through this season’s exhibitions, broadcast live from inside their closed gallery. After the tour she will lead an art activity that can be completed with simple materials children can find at home or in school.
These workshops are suitable for primary school groups from 1st to 6th class. Book your place for an online workshop in February and March, workshops are free but places are limited!
A selection of some of the fantastic digital arts in education activities and programmes available for children and young people which support learning at home.
To support teachers delivering arts-based learning to children remotely while they are home due to the COVID-19 restrictions, The Ark have a variety of classroom and at-home activity packs relating to different areas of the curriculum, as well as a selection of recorded shows available to stream for your class privately.
Join The Glucksman online for on daily live art sessions and creative activities you can do at home. A team of facilitators delivers daily art classes and discover a range of art making skills and techniques. These free online sessions will keep children engaged as they learn about drawing, painting, constructing and printmaking using basic art and household materials.
With your family, you can explore specially selected artworks from the IMMA Collection online and their temporary Exhibition Programme, as well as suggested starting points for creative activities related to those artworks. These free online resources cover themes such as abstract painting, collage, land art and more.
Stay connected with the National Gallery of Ireland online, with lots of different ways to engage with their collection – virtual tours, videos, podcasts, downloadable resources, activities for children, online workshops, blogposts, and much more.
Eleven Irish artists reveal what inspires them and how they make their art in a free video series designed for use in the classroom.
The Dock Arts Centre in Carrick on Shannon and The Lab Gallery in Dublin have worked together to produce an online resource for teachers and arts educators. This resource is ideal for use in a classroom or online educational setting and features artists speaking directly about themselves and the art making process. View the online resource here: https://vimeo.com/showcase/8094850
As well as connecting young people with some of the rich ideas that inform our visual culture and offering them a unique insight into the arts practices, methods and motivations of practicing artists the series also affords the artists a unique opportunity to speak directly to and connect with young audiences.
In the interviews the artists reveal their reasons for making art, describe the methods they use to make their work but most importantly reveal what is means to them to be an artist and how they transform their desire to create and communicate into the work they produce. The diversity of their individual backgrounds and experiences is reflected in the work each artist makes. They draw inspiration from many sources; the books they read as children, the films they have watched, conversations they have had, the environments that they have lived in and places they have visited.
The artists are Sinéad Ní Mhaonaigh, Eve O’ Callaghan, Jamie Cross, Ellen Duffy, Kate Murphy, Atoosa Pour Hosseini, Gemma Browne, Anna Maria Healy, Austin Ivers, Louise Manifold and Jackie McKenna.
The video series is a starting point to mediate conversations with young people about their own creativity, ideas and inspirations, the videos may also be used as an inspiration for teachers and educators to devise workshop and other practical activities for their classes.
Chester Beatty launched an Intercultural museum programme for primary and post-primary schools offering students and their teachers the opportunity to explore world cultures in an Irish museum. Participants are encouraged to engage with Chester Beatty’s Islamic, East Asian and European collections through a variety of activities including guided tours, self-guided visits, online learning resources and access to the extensive image gallery.
Intercultural dialogue and learning plays a key role in the museum’s mission and fosters dialogue with the communities represented in Chester Beatty’s unique collections. These collections offer wonderful learning opportunities and support a number of key curricular areas from art history to world faiths. A range of free teaching resources are available to support self-guided visits and inspire activities back at school.
This report includes the background to the intercultural school’s project and includes definitions on intercultural dialogue and relevant policies, strategies and projects in both the formal education, arts and cultural sectors; the development of the intercultural school’s programme; analysis of current practices and methodologies; programme development including the training of volunteer guides, Continuous Professional Development of teachers; and pilot tours and evaluation.
Schools have full access to Chester Beatty’s remarkable treasures through the website www.chesterbeatty.ie thus allowing students and teachers to experience the Chester Beatty from the school desk or from home. In addition, the CB’s new Digital Museum Guide app offers audio tours in 13 languages, virtual 3D walkthroughs of the museum, online browsing of the Chester Beatty’s world-renowned treasures, and a news section to highlight our extensive programme of events and activities.
For more details about the Chester Beatty Learning and Education Department please contact educationservices@cbl.ie
Baboró International Arts Festival, Graffiti Theatre and TYA Ireland
Deadline: Monday 8 February 2021
Callout for a 6-month playwriting programme led by Finegan Kruckemeyer for established and emerging playwrights based in Ireland who are interested in writing for young audiences.
Baboró International Arts Festival for Children, Graffiti Theatre and TYA Ireland are excited to collaborate with International TYA Playwright Finegan Kruckemeyer to host a new playwriting programme for writers and theatre makers in Ireland who are interested in writing plays for young audiences.
At a time when the world and its distances are both larger and smaller than ever before, a collaboration will occur, spanning half a globe, and half a year, and driven by that most exciting of provocations – to forge something from nothing.
Beginning with a blank page, eight Irish authors will respond to writing aids and impositions both as they explore theatre for young audiences – what makes a TYA play, and what TYA play they wish to make.
But more important than the audience, shall be the idea. And in writing work solemn and silly, foreign and known, as vast as an ocean and as small as a boat which may rock upon it, eight individual voices shall be celebrated, and their plays play out to their ends.
Who is this for?
This opportunity is open to both established and emerging playwrights, residing in Ireland, interested in writing plays for young audiences. Applications are encouraged from artists with a disability, those from minority ethnic communities and those who feel their voices are not commonly represented. There are eight places available on the programme.
Irish language writers are welcome to participate in this project through the medium of Irish. Support and translation will be provided to facilitate a bilingual writing journey with Fin. Samples of writing in Irish can be included in the application.
Cuirimid fáilte roimh scríbhneoirí le Gaeilge páirt a ghlacadh sa togra seo as Gaeilge. Cuirfear tacaíocht agus aistriúcháin ar fáil chun an turas scríbhneoireachta dátheangach le Fin a éascú. Is féidir samplaí Gaeilge a bheith mar chuid den iarratas.
Deadline for Applications is Monday 8 February 2021
NYCI commissioned UCC to carry out an independent mapping of youth arts provision in youth work settings in Ireland. Join NYCI at the virtual launch of the research to find out:
What is the nature and scope of youth arts provision in youth work settings in Ireland
What challenges do youth workers, youth arts practitioners and youth organisations encounter in providing opportunities for young people to engage in youth arts
What are the key recommendations from the research
Why Attend?
Hear from a panel of expert speakers.
Learn more about the shift at policy level and significant financial investment needed in order to advance meaningful and sustainable youth arts provision in Ireland, and concrete recommendations to help achieve this.
Get your copy of the research report.
Who Should Attend
Youth work managers, youth workers, youth arts practitioners, ETB youth officers, arts officers and anyone working with young people, academics in the field of youth studies, youth work students, policy makers, stakeholders from relevant government departments.
Who You’ll Hear From Eileen Hogan, University College Cork
Eileen Hogan is a Lecturer in the School of Applied Social Studies, University College Cork. She is Course Director of the Masters in Youth Arts and Sports Education, which won the grad Ireland/HEA award for Best Postgraduate Course (Arts and Humanities) in 2017. Eileen is also Deputy Director of the Postgraduate Diploma in Youth Work.
Through these roles, she is involved in the professional development of youth workers and youth arts practitioners and has strong connections with youth work organisations. Eileen is also a member of the Board of Directors at Youth Work Ireland Cork. She is also Chairperson of the IndieCork Film and Music Festival, which is a volunteer-led organisation that supports youth arts as an element of its broader cultural programme.
NYCI have a an exciting panel lined up to join Dr Hogan in reacting to and dissecting the research and what it means for your work.
RTÉ and Creative Ireland Programme have come together in partnership to create This Is Art! – a celebration of visual art through the creation of an exciting new online art competition aimed at young people across the island of Ireland.
The competition aims to promote artistic practice among young people and encourage and support creativity, originality and self-expression. Applicants can enter individually or they can enter as part of a group and all visual art disciplines are welcomed. The competition is open for anyone 18yrs and under.
All of the artwork will be included in a digital gallery and considered for the This Is Art! 2021 Grand Prix Award.
The National Gallery of Ireland invites schools to apply to participate in Your Gallery at School, a new holistic outreach programme that brings the National Gallery of Ireland directly to schools.
Over the course of 2021, The National Gallery of Ireland will work with six primary schools that wouldn’t usually be able to visit the Gallery, to create a tailored programme of activities for their students.
Participating schools will be selected via an open application process. Selected schools will not have visited the Gallery in the past three years and will be from one or more of three key groups:
DEIS schools to address socio-economic barriers to accessing culture.
Boys’ schools to address the gender barrier to accessing culture.
Schools geographically far away (over 2 hours away from Dublin) to address the geographic barrier to accessing culture.
The closing date: Friday 5 February 2021
Your Gallery at School aims to break down the barriers that prevent engagement with the arts through holistic programming that ensures children transition to adulthood equipped with the life-changing benefits of art.
The Irish Film Institute today (1st December) launches its comprehensive 2020/2021 IFI Schools’ Programme. For the first time, the programme will be available to view nationwide online on the Institute’s brand-new IFI@Schools
platform at www.ifischools.ie. Films to feature as part of this year’s offering include Greta Gerwig’s Oscar-nominated Little Women, Bo Burnham’s Eighth Grade, Neasa Hardiman’s Sea Fever, and three films from Cartoon Saloon, Kilkenny’s beloved animation studio.
The entire programme is available to view for schools through an annual subscription for either the Primary or Post-Primary programmes. With the generous support of the Arts Council Capacity Building Grant, the IFI has been able to heavily subsidise costs so that an annual Primary subscription costs €100, and annual Post-Primary subscription costs €250.
Each subscription allows 10 teachers per school to watch 10 screenings each. Unlike booking student groups for
cinema screenings, the subscription allows the teacher a greater degree of flexibility as to when material is viewed in the classroom and will encourage increased media literacy across a wide range of ages.
The ever-popular Modern Foreign Languages strand, encompassing French, German and Spanish, presents five Irish premieres. Eagerly awaited by teachers and students alike, the films are an invaluable way of promoting language and culture. Included in the 2020/21 Spanish selection is Berlinale prize winner Wolves and classroom drama One For All. French students will enjoy teen comedy-drama Man Up! for Senior Cycle, while Junior Cycle drama Fahim, The Little Chess Prince rides on the coattails of The Queen’s Gambit, and focuses on a young Bangladeshi immigrant who discovers he has a gift for playing chess. The German choices this year are Ulrich Köhler and Henner Winckler’s A Voluntary Year (Das freiwillige Jahr) for Senior Cycle, and Sarah Winkenstette’s Too Far Away (Zu Weit Weg) for Junior Cycle.
Speaking about the launch of the platform, IFI Director Ross Keane said, ‘The advent of IFI@Schools is a truly transformational moment for IFI Education, bringing our hugely popular and successful schools programme directly into classrooms all around Ireland. While Covid-19 has presented huge challenges for arts organisations, it has also made us all examine what we do and how we can continue to engage with our audiences in new and innovative ways. We are therefore delighted to offer this exciting new online platform to schoolchildren nationwide, marking the beginning of a new era for IFI Education’.
Head of IFI Education Alicia McGivern commented, ‘While school trips to cinemas and arts venues may be on hold for the moment, the appetite for quality arts engagement remains undiminished. IFI@Schools offers teachers the opportunity to bring film content directly into the classroom in a smart, affordable and accessible way. We’re very excited to bring the magic of cinema into schools and to continue to foster a love of film in students during these unprecedented times.’
Arts Council Head of Film and Architecture Fionnuala Sweeney added, ‘The Arts Council is delighted to have funded the development of the IFI@schools platform. At a time when cinema doors are closed, this dedicated new platform will bring the world of film into classrooms all over Ireland so that children and young people can continue to collectively experience, explore and enjoy film.’
For English this year, Senior Cycle students can look forward to Oscar winner Jennifer Lawrence in Debra Granik’s Winter’s Bone, and Paddy Breathnach’s acclaimed drama Rosie, starring Sarah Greene and Moe Dunford. For Junior Cycle, there’s a hugely entertaining and thought-provoking slate of films including Taika Waititi’s Hunt for the Wilderpeople, The Peanut Butter Falcon starring Shia LaBoeuf, Ken Wardrop’s touching Irish documentary His & Hers, and Saudi Arabian comingof-age drama Wadjda.
IFI is delighted to present a particularly strong line-up of Irish films, and as part of our ongoing commitment to support Irish filmmakers, IFI has confirmed a number of special guests to speak as part of this year’s online programme, including Oscar-nominated animators Nora Twomey and Tomm Moore, documentarians Brendan J Byrne and Ross Whitaker, and Vivarium director Lorcan Finnegan.
Other films available for Senior Cycle include documentaries In the Name of Peace: John Hume in America, Bobby Sands: 66 Days, Iris, Risteard O’Domhnaill’s Atlantic and The Pipe, and drama Black ’47. Transition Year students will be treated to environmental and socio-political documentaries Now, Spaceship Earth, Gaza, Push and 3½ Minutes, Ten Bullets. Art and Geography students will delight in the anime film Weathering With You, while sporting documentaries Katie and Climbing Blind look at the physical and mental hurdles sportspeople overcome to achieve their goals. A special Inclusion and Diversity section for Transition Year Wellbeing/SPHE includes Sundance winner Clemency, powerful civil rights drama Selma, and the funny and tender LGBT+ drama Love, Simon.
This year’s Primary programme features a fantastic range of titles for younger pupils including the charming Little Women with Saoirse Ronan and Emma Watson, Irish drama A Shine of Rainbows, plus animations Minuscule, Dreambuilders, and the Cartoon Saloon trio of Song of the Sea, The Secret of Kells and The Breadwinner.
Finally, the IFI is delighted to announce the 2021 edition of its hugely successful Careers in Film Day events next March, in association with the Virgin Media Dublin International Film Festival. IFI will also run special events in association with Screen Skills Ireland, which will allow students to engage directly with filmmakers and their craft; these Q&A and ‘First Steps’ events will be held in January.
For more details and to download a full IFI Education 2020/2021 Programme, please visit www.ifi.ie/learn. For more information and booking, please contact Richard or Amy at schools@irishfilm.ie.
The Young People, Children, and Education Bursary Award supports individual professional artists working with, and producing work for, children and young people across a range of artforms. The purpose of the award is to support professional artists to develop their art practice.
A recording of a webinar session about the YPCE Bursary Award is available for all potential applicants at the link below.
The Arts Council encourages you to view the full 1.5 hour session or move to the time codes of particular interest. If you have questions that are not covered in the webinar session, please contact ypce@artscouncil.ie.
Please make sure to read the Guidelines in full.
Closing date: 17:30, Thursday 28 January 2021
Maximum awarded: €20,000
Apply from 15 December 2020
Due to popular demand the Portal Team is delighted to announce details of our Online Creative Workshops Winter Programme taking place this December. This series of hands-on creative sessions aims to support artists and teachers to explore new ideas, approaches and techniques to support their own professional development through creative practice.
We’re delighted to confirm that illustrator Wayne O’Connor and interdisciplinary artist Kate Wilson will be joining us again to facilitate another series of ‘A Dive into Digital Art’ and ‘Sensing into Action’. Digital Artist John D’Arcy will also be facilitating a new workshop entitled ‘You’re Muted’.
Each workshop involves two ninety minute closed zoom sessions taking place over two days. Booking a ticket for these workshops will automatically reserve your place at both creative sessions. Participants must attend both sessions. Ticket bookings will open at 12 noon Wednesday, 2nd December 2020. These workshops have limited capacity so make sure to book your place early!
Please note: Tickets for both ‘A Dive into Digital Art’ and ‘Sensing into Action’ will be offered to those on the waiting list from the November sessions first.
Sensing to Action
Dates: 7pm, Friday 11 & 11am, Saturday 12 December
Kate Wilson has a fine art degree from Slade School of Art and MA with Independent Dance; her practice is both interdisciplinary and collaborative. Sensing to Action offers practical and theoretical insight into creative movement and holistic approaches to dance and theatre practices in the classroom.
A Dive into Digital Art Dates: 11am, Saturday 12 & 12pm Sunday 13 December
Wayne O’Connor is an illustrator, storyteller, writer and arts educator. Using free digital drt software, participants will be introduced to the basics of using digital software to draw and paint. Participants will need to download the free Autodesk Sketchbook art software.
This session is now fully booked but please click through the link below to add your details to the waiting list.
You’re Muted Dates: 3pm, Saturday 12 & Sunday 13 December
Digital artist and researcher John D’Arcy invites participants to explore the problems and potentials of creative engagement online. This workshop contains a mixture of interactive activities that test the limits of online video conferencing, helping to reflect on the nature of online connectivity, communication and creativity.
Solstice Arts Centre are delighted to announce two new online resource packs for schools to accompany the exhibition ‘New Era – Exploring Climate Change’.
New Era is an exhibition featuring four Irish visual artists Rachel Doolin, Siobhán McDonald, Martina O’Brien and Méadhbh O’Connor whose work explores different aspects of climate change in the natural world. The exhibition includes new and recent art works by these artist/activists and advocates for both local and global climate change.
Resource Packs:
Look Draw Think Respond – Primary Schools
This fun learning resource, originally designed to be completed in the gallery is now accompanied by a virtual 360° tour of the exhibition New Era, with links and additional information on each of the four artists on our website at solsticeartscentre.ie/ event/new-era-exploring- climate-change.
This resource embraces many subjects across the curriculum including art, geography, SPSE, science and literacy and a personalised tour and virtual creative activities can be arranged for individual classrooms.
Solstice Secondary Resource New Era – Post-Primary Schools
This learning resource is designed to assist Leaving Certificate students and teachers interested in opting for the gallery question on the History & Appreciation of Art paper.
It can be used in conjunction with the virtual 360° tour of the exhibition New Era. with links and additional information on each of the four exhibiting artists on our website at https://solsticeartscentre.ie/ event/new-era-exploring- climate-change for a comprehensive response to this or similar exam question.
Solstice Arts Centre can also arrange a Zoom meeting with any class group to give them further insight into the show and information on the artists involved.
From hieroglyphics to harvest knots…the National Museum of Ireland launches a new programme of online events, activities and resources for teachers to bring the Museum to the classroom.
Each year, the NMI welcomes some 90,000 primary and post primary students to its four Museum sites in Dublin and Mayo, providing engaging, hands-on, curriculum linked and creative learning opportunities that underpin classroom teaching.
This year, due to COVID-19 guidelines, the NMI has had to rethink how schools, teachers and their students can engage and learn with the national collections and, in response, has developed a range of virtual programmes to be used in the classroom. The first strand of the new programme is available now including arts in education activities.
The new schools programme 2020/2021 blends live online sessions with Museum educators, and a range of pre-recorded video and printable resources available from the Museum’s website.
In place of Leaving Certificate Art History Tours, Museum educators have developed a presentation containing high-resolution images of the artefacts on display at the Museum that are linked to the Leaving Certificate Art History curriculum. The presentation can be used by teachers as an in-class resource and the notes pages can be used by students as a revision tool.
Explore a range of art and design activities suitable for primary students and art at post primary junior cycle, through short videos and downloadable activity sheets. Students can take a design challenge inspired by Eileen Gray, make their own musical instrument, design and build a Thaumatrope or build their own bird helmet inspired by a Samurai costume.
Join storyteller Fiona Dowling on the grounds of the NMI – Country Life at Turlough Park, Co. Mayo, to hear some nature based stories and some intriguing tales connected to our fairy trail ‘Of Fairies and Fairy Folk’.
The four Dublin Local Authorities (Fingal County Council, Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council, South Dublin County Council and Dublin City Council) are delighted to invite submissions for: Exploring & Thinking Bursary Award 2020.
The Bursary Award will support individual professional artists to develop their artistic practice working with and/or producing work for early childhood arts. It is open to individual professional artists who wish to develop their practice in early childhood arts, artists practicing in all artforms, artists resident in Ireland.
Bursary range: €500 – €5,000
The closing date: 5pm, 11th December 2020
Exploring and Thinking is a collaborative framework for early childhood arts in the Dublin region. It came about in 2016 when the four Dublin Local Authorities partnered for the first time to collectively consider early childhood arts provision in the Dublin region.
The 5th annual National Arts in Education Portal Day 2020 has adapted the annual event into a virtual conference over two weekends this November. The National Arts in Education Portal Virtual Conference will welcome hundreds of professionals from across the arts, education, arts in education and creative sector, who will attend various online events to share, learn, talk, network, get inspired and interrogate best practice in the field.
The event represents an important landmark in the calendar for educationalists and arts and creativity in education sector professionals with a shared interest in quality and access to best practice arts provision for children and young people. This year the National Arts in Education Portal Day has to move online as per government guidelines.
There will also be a broad range of Creative Sessions delivered by artists and creators, Joe Caslin, Wayne O’Connor, Melatu-Uche Okorie and Kate Wilson. These workshops aim to share practical skills and approaches. The virtual conference will culminate with a panel of professionals and practitioners from across the arts in education, education and creative sectors in conversation with Chair Professor Gary Granville, exploring the current landscape of arts in education in Ireland and beyond.
Thursday October 29th saw the launch of a new publication ‘Curriculum: Contemporary Art Goes to School’ edited by Dublin-based curator and writer Jennie Guy and published by Intellect Books.
Curriculum explores the intersection of contemporary artistic practice and school education in the 21st century.
At the heart of Curriculum is Art School, an independent curatorial framework founded by Jennie Guy in 2014. Operating throughout Ireland, Art School establishes interfaces between contemporary art and schools as sites of education, inviting students and artists to work collaboratively to question how the conventions of learning – as typically encountered in schools – might be extended or reimagined.
It takes place as a series of workshops, residencies, exhibitions and new writing that explore how contemporary artists can intervene within systems of education in order to inspire and expand might also help to fracture and revise.
Curriculum features contributions by: Clare Butcher, Gerard Byrne (Foreword), Juan Canela, Helen Carey, Daniela Cascella, Fiona Gannon, Jennie Guy, Andrew Hunt, Hannah Jickling & Helen Reed, Alissa Kleist, Rowan Lear, Peter Maybury, Annemarie Ní Churreáin, Nathan O’Donnell, Sofia Olascoaga & Priscila Fernandes, Matt Packer and Sjoerd Westbroek.
The book explores Art School projects by artists: Sven Anderson, John Beattie, Sarah Browne, Karl Burke, Rhona Byrne, Ella de Búrca, Vanessa Donoso Lopez, Priscila Fernandes, Hannah Fitz, Jane Fogarty, Kevin Gaffney, Adam Gibney, Fiona Hallinan, Elaine Leader, Maria McKinney, Mark O’Kelly, Sarah Pierce and Naomi Sex.
This publication was funded by the Arts Council of Ireland and the Arts Office of Wicklow County Council.
CURRICULUM: Contemporary Art Goes to School
Ireland’s National School Photography Awards
Deadline extended: 31 May 2021
INSPA 2020/21 sees the fourth open call for Ireland’s prestigious National School Photography Awards [INSPA]. INSPA is a national children’s photography competition and Positive Primaries Programme which introduces Creative Well-being into the lives of primary schools and their communities by engaging with the magic and art of photography.
This year’s theme ‘Accessible Places | Safer Spaces’ is run in association with the Children’s Rights Alliance and is looking for images that focus on giving a voice to children in their new and changing environments. Therefore, we are calling on students and teachers in primary level education, to once again, get creative and integrate the camera into their school day. To begin your Positive Primaries Journey and participate in the awards you must register your school at www.inspa.ie
The INSPA’s are having a massive impact in classrooms across Ireland, helping to boost the well-being of students by simply integrating the camera into your school day. Participating in the awards helps your students increase their Confidence, Resilience, Connection, Kindness and Readiness. It also gives a platform for teachers to creatively explore their wider curriculum, allowing students from all backgrounds to actively engage with subjects in new and exciting ways.
Once you activate your school account, you will be able to upload your school activities, share ideas and engage with other Positive Primaries as they prepare to enter the awards. You will also be able to access our free and easy-to-follow Creative Well-being Activities. These will help you integrate the camera into your school-day and allow the children to lead the way.
This year, the awards are offering a range of fantastic prizes for the whole school community including; Weekend breaks away to the Amber Springs Resort Hotel, free Instax cameras and printers, Positive Portrait fundraising days, certificates and of course your schools Positive Primaries Flag. All entries will be judged by a national panel including Mary Magner (INTO President), Colm O’Gorman (Director: Amnesty International Ireland), Damian White (IPPN President), Karla Sánchez (Curator, Art Historian & Educator), Áine Lynch (CEO of National Parents Council Primary), and Richard Carr (Artist & Partnerships Manager for INSPA).
In whatever way you choose to respond to this year’s theme, be creative, take lots of photos and most importantly have fun. We look forward to seeing all your schools’ entries and all those positive changes you are making in your school. If you think your school could become one of Ireland’s next Positive Primaries, register as soon as possible at; www.inspa.ie
For further information and to apply to go www.inspa.ie.
The Ark
Available until 31 December
Explore the importance of all creatures small and large in this video drama workshop from The Ark for ages 2-4 with their grown-ups led by Early Years Artist in Residency Joanna Parkes.
Mouse may be small and shy, but does that mean he can’t help the lion? Let’s see!
Using the Aesop’s Fable of The Mouse and The Lion as a starting point, pack your make-believe backpacks, set off to find the proud lion and see where your imaginations can take you.
If you like, you can bring a few things with you:
A cushion
A small bag or backpack
A soft toy (any favourite cuddly animal will do)
Wear an adventurer’s hat of any kind if you want!
Combining drama, story and play, this video workshop invites little ones and their grown-ups to enjoy imagining together. So if you’re a parent, grandparent, uncle, aunty, godparent or carer, join in with a 2 to 4 year old to discover, explore and create together in this delightful workshop adventure.
Recommended:
A clear floor area of about 4 paces square – free of movable furniture and any trip hazards.
Children and adults should wear comfortable clothes and shoes.
For ages 2-4 and their grown-ups
Video duration: Approx. 15 mins, plus pauses for you to pretend and play in your own time at home
The Ark
Date: 7 November Saturday
This half-day visual art CPD workshop for teachers with The Ark which will focus on skills, techniques and processes teachers can integrate into their lesson plans and easily adapt to all ages.
Every season has its own beauty and winter is certainly not lacking. It may not display the soft pastel tones of spring, the bright and bold splashes of summer or the fiery range of autumn’s colours, but the winter season has its own very individual palette.
Through the theme of winter, artist Jole Bortoli will lead the group on an exploration of the visual art curriculum through hands on activities which will be completed in real time via zoom. Together, the group will examine the many manifestations of winter in the diverse environments and habitats found in Ireland. Looking at how various visual artists have interpreted this theme, participants will create their very own artwork, giving them the tools to approach a winter-themed art workshop with children in the classroom.
Each participant will be asked to gather simple materials and tools that they should easily find around the house. They will also be sent a small art pack by post with any speciality materials that they will need during the workshop.
Date: 10.30am-12.30pm, 7 November Saturday
Tickets: €15 (€13.50 for ArkEd Members)
Booking closes at midnight on Thursday 29 October to allow adequate time for your art pack to be posted to you. Postage of the art pack is available within the Republic of Ireland only.
The Portal Team are delighted to announce the guest speakers for the fifth annual National Arts in Education Portal Conference which this year moves online with a series of virtual events taking place over two weekends in November – Friday 6th, Saturday 7th, Sunday 8th and Friday 13th, Saturday 14th and Sunday 15th.
This year the programme features a series of three keynote sessions, each exploring and interrogating specific areas of focus to open discussion on these important questions. We are delighted to welcome the following speakers:
Friday, 6th November – 7pm Writer Kit de Waal, visual artist Leanne McDonagh and lecturer Aoife Titley
Writer Kit de Waal and visual artist Leanne McDonagh in conversation with Aoife Titley, lecturer in Development and Intercultural Education (DICE) at the Froebel Department of Primary and Early Childhood Education, Maynooth University discussing cultural diversity in the arts.
Saturday, 7th November – 11am Maureen Kennelly, Arts Council Director
Maureen Kennelly, Director of the Arts Council of Ireland will be joined in conversation with a co-presenter (TBC) to explore the challenges of achieving reach and depth. Are they mutually exclusive? What are the hallmarks of quality and can they be attained in large scale programming.
Saturday, 14th November – 3pm Teacher Jennifer Buggie and digital artist John D’Arcy
Teacher and TAP lead facilitator Jennifer Buggie will be joined in conversation with digital artist and lecturer John D’Arcy to explore what role technology can play in supporting and enhancing creative practice.
The full line-up which will be announced in October includes a broad range of practical creative workshops and skills sharing as well roundtable discussion exploring the current landscape of arts in education.
We look forward to welcoming members of the arts in education community from all across Ireland and internationally, to share, learn, talk, get inspired, and continue interrogating best practice in the field.
Full programme details for the events will be announced shortly. For enquiries please contact events@artsineducation.ie
Irish Film Institute – IFI@Schools
Stream new films into your school with a brand new film platform from the IFI@Schools, launching in October.
With school trips on hold and very different learning situations arising in schools across the country, the Irish Film Institute (IFI) is launching an online streaming platform, offering films to support a whole range of subjects and interest areas.
In return for a one-off annual fee to cover film rights, your school can access the complete catalogue, using an easy, user-friendly teacher pass.
This years Open House Dublin from the Irish Architecture Foundation is set to take place on the weekend of 8 – 11 October. This year’s event will differ from previous years with a strong focus on online and digital events.
Open House Junior is a programme of workshops and activities for children and young people, with highlights including a Digital Design Challenge, and virtual workshops hosted by the Chester Beatty Library, Irish Museum of Modern Art, National Gallery of Ireland, Fighting Words and others.
With self-guided family ‘Architreks’ and ‘Make your own’ building templates from O’Mahony Pike Architects.
The Baboró team are delighted to announce their 2020 Delegate Programme which this year has moved online. They look forward to continuing to create opportunities to share insights and make new connections at home and abroad.
This year Baboró is a partner in ‘Talking TYA 2020’, a 3-day virtual conference that will bring artists and scholars from across Ireland and the world to discuss participation in theatre for young audiences. Baboró are also partnering with Culture Ireland, TYAI and NUI Galway.
Baboró’s online discussion series will give opportunities to meet some of the artists taking part in the festival. To register for delegate events listed below go to www.baboro.ie/festival/programme/event-type/foradults.
Baboró Insights
Wed 7 Oct at 13.00
Making regional connections: Pathways to production artists meet presenters (By Invitation)
Mon 12 oct | 12.00
Diversifying performance for young audiences
Wed 14 oct | 14.00
Talking TYA 2020
Thu 8 – Sat 10 Oct
The Irish Museums Association (IMA)
Deadline: midnight, 6 October 2020
The Irish Museums Association (IMA) invites teachers to assist them in supporting your work by completing a short survey and enter their raffle to win an Echo Dot (3rd Gen.) smart speaker with Alexa.
As we all adapt to new ways of working, learning and socialising, the museum sector across Ireland is increasing efforts to not only continue to support schools in the delivery of learning but also develop and pilot new resources and services.
Your participation in this survey is extremely important. It will inform and guide the association and its members, allowing them to deliver programmes that complement your work and are both educational and enjoyable.
From your responses, an anonymised report with recommendations will be produced and circulated to museums and stakeholders.
Youth Theatre Ireland is pleased to announce two grant schemes to offer assistance to Youth Theatres in these challenging times, with the generous support of the Creative Ireland Programme. The first, “Include YT – COVID Relief Inclusion Grant”, is available to affiliated theatres and the second “Join In – Youth Theatre Inclusion Grant” is available to developing Youth Theatres.
The Include YT grant will provide a maximum of €3,000 to help affiliated theatres to increase young people’s access to youth theatre and address exclusion on social or disability grounds. Emerging from Covid-19, youth theatres’ capacity to include new members may be severely challenged as they face additional costs and extended workshop programmes in order to comply with public health measures and social distancing guidelines. This grant is designed to help youth theatres keep social inclusion at the heart of their practice by resourcing approximately 6 youth theatres to engage with young people who have difficulty accessing youth theatre on social or disability grounds.
During these extraordinary times, this once-off grant is designed to support youth theatre inclusion initiatives in the Sept – Dec term 2020 and will assist with many measures including bursaries to cover membership fees for young people whose families are facing challenging circumstances, resources or additional staff to support the participation of members with disabilities or additional needs. The total fund available to youth theatres through this scheme is €18,000.
The “Join In – Youth Theatre Inclusion Grant” will provide a maximum of €3,000 to developing youth theatres operating in areas of social deprivation, to help increase young people’s access to youth theatre. During these extraordinary times, this once-off grant is designed to support the development of new youth theatres that are addressing social exclusion and that aim to affiliate in 2020. The total fund available to youth theatres through this scheme is €15,000.
Rhona Dunnett, Acting Director of Youth Theatre Ireland said, “Youth Theatre Ireland is delighted to be working with the Creative Ireland Programme to offer these once-off grants to youth theatres. Like many sectors, youth theatre is facing difficult financial circumstances in 2020 and these grants will support youth theatres to keep inclusion at the heart of their practice and increase young people’s access to youth theatre in socially disadvantaged areas. In these challenging times, young people need youth theatre more than ever to help them feel connected and give them a safe, creative space to express themselves and their ideas.”.
Deadline for applications is 5pm on Monday, September 14th 2020.
The Ark in collaboration with Dublin Fringe Festival
Dates: 5 – 20 September 2020
Take a rain walk accompanied by the voices of children from across Ireland and the UK in The Ark’s first ever collaboration with Dublin Fringe Festival.
With their guidance, the rainfall will become your own private theatre, a space in which to observe, imagine and play.
Because The Ark’s team are no better at predicting when it might rain than you are, everything you need to experience the show is contained within a little box that will be delivered to you when you purchase a ticket. Keep it safe until the weather turns.
Then, whether in a drizzle or a deluge, alone or with friends or family, the team invite you to step outside, feel the rain on your face, and think about your place in a world that is changing so swiftly around you.
As a leader in child participation practice, The Ark is excited to join forces with artists Andy Field and Beckie Darlington, whose imaginative performance projects are all about enabling children to interact with adults and voice their feelings about the world they live in and how they would like it to change for the better.
Now, with support from The Ark, Norfolk & Norwich Festival and The Place, London, Andy and Beckie will collaborate with children from across Ireland and the UK, setting challenges that involve thinking, imagining, writing and recording their voices. The results will be combined to create an audio track that will guide you on your interactive walk in the rain as part of Dublin Fringe Festival 2020: Pilot Light Edition.
Recommended for families with children aged 6+ and grown-ups of all ages
This summer, enjoy a range of delightful online events and experiences in visual art, drama and dance, inspired by creatures big and small, meek and mighty! Through new online workshops, video tutorials, at-home activities and inspiring experiences, children will be encouraged to look closely, listen, imagine and make!
A selection of events are listed below:
Flap, Glide and Soar like a Bird: Online Visual Art Workshop
Date: 17 July, 11am & 2pm
Ages 5 – 12
Under Water Moves: Online Early Years Dance Workshops
Date: 17 July, 10:15am & 11:45am
Ages 2 – 4
Animal Transformations: Online Visual Art Workshops
Dates: 31 July & 7 August, 11am & 2pm
Ages: 5 – 12
Forest of Fun: Online Early Years Dance Workshops
Date: 7 August, 10:15am & 11:45am
Ages 2 – 4
Beautiful Beasts: Early Years Visual Art Adventures
Date: Running until 12 August 2020
Ages: 2 – 4
This year the Arts in Education Portal celebrates its five year anniversary, as part of these celebrations the Portal Team have been undertaking an exercise to assess how well the Arts in Education Portal is working. Strategic Development Resources (SDR), an independent market research consultancy, has been commissioned to assist us with this work.
We would like to thank everyone who assisted us in the first step of this research by completing our audience survey and sharing your views on the Portal’s content and how it might be improved. View the summary report from this survey here – Arts in Education Survey Summary Report 2020
Following on from that survey, the Portal team is now seeking a small number of participants for additional qualitative work through the Portal Audience Forum. This work will comprise a questionnaire which will take 30-45 minutes of your time to complete (with written answers rather than multiple choice), followed by your attendance at a Zoom focus group which will last approximately 90 minutes.
As a token of our thanks for your help with this research, we are offering participants a fee of up to €100. If you’d like to be considered for this research, please click here and complete the registration questions.
The Creative Schools team has developed an online support for learners and their families during school closures – Creative Schools TV.
CSTV will bring the work of the Creative Associates right into homes while attendance at our schools is limited by the ongoing COVID-19 situation.
Creative Associates are artists, creative practitioners and educators with an understanding of the arts and creativity and its potential to transform the lives of children and young people.
Each week a different Creative Associate will introduce a new lesson on YouTube. Lessons will explore an area of creativity, from photography, to dance, to drama, to music – depending on the speciality of the Creative Associate.
And Creative Schools want children and young people to share their creativity with them and show them what they’ve learned from each lesson. They can share their creative work to the Creative Schools team using a CSTV Submission Form available at www.artscouncil.ie/CSTV/.
Each week show off all the creativity inspired by last week’s lesson! You can view all the episodes of CSTV on the Arts Council’s YouTube channel. Further supports will be developed in the coming weeks and shared on CSTV.
Teacher Artist Partnership (TAP) Online CPD Summer Course is an arts-in-education initiative where Artists and Teachers train to work in partnership. This programme can lead to opportunities for a TAP trained teacher to host a fully funded TAP artist residency in his or her school in coming academic year.
This Creative Youth, Department of Education and Skills led Primary initiative is a highly innovative, creative and participant-responsive programme that promotes professional learning towards partnership.
TAP Online maximises engagement through a broad range of on and offline activities. Learning activities include practical, multidisciplinary arts experiences through multimedia interactives, video instruction, collaborative posting boards and discussion forums and reflective practices. Tutors, teachers and artists provide responsive feedback and encourage collaborators to reflect on personal and professional development through the co-creation of learning. TAP’s core focus is the development of creative partnership between teachers and artists. Join us in learning together.
Course Dates:
6 -10 July 2020
Register to take part by 3pm, 3 July 2020
Please use the following links to access the TAP Online Summer Course:
Follow the Teacher Artist Partnership initiative on Twitter @TeacherArtistP1pm
“Curious Minds” is a series of booklets with lessons for primary school teachers created by professional Visual Artists.
This free digital resource offers more than 16 projects, with 43 lessons in total, divided into five books: one with the foundation; and four with projects for every season (most projects or lessons can be used any time of the year). It also includes various “warm-up” and awareness exercises (including “gymnastics for the brain”).
The content focuses on four main themes: belonging, identity, consumerism, and the environment. It is organised in such a way that allows for flexibility. Most lessons are suitable for a diverse range of ages, from 1st to 6th classes. There are projects of short, medium and long duration (from 1 to 8 lessons). The design of the books will allow anyone to print each project by lesson or in its entirety.
Karla and Els share an interest in multi-disciplinary and holistic education, and invited a group of creatives to collaborate in this endeavor: Clare Breen (who also did the illustrations), Laura Ní Fhlaibhín, Orla Bates, David Begley and Colm O’Neill (graphic designer).
The INSPA team would like to congratulate every school who participated in the 2019/20 National School Photography Awards. The national winner is Dominika Ilecko from Stepaside ETNS who submitted the photo entitled Two Chairs into the Senior Category of the awards. The winner of the Junior Category is Jack Kelly Sharkey from Courtnacuddy NS with his entry Old Phone Box Library.
Dominika Ilecko, Two Chairs, Stepaside ETNS, Senior Category
INSPA is the national children’s photography competition and online academy which is open to all primary schools in the Republic of Ireland. This year, young creatives from around the country were encouraged to engage with digital technologies and the creative process to explore the theme; Second Life.
The awards are having a massive impact in classrooms and homes across Ireland as they provide an inclusive model for children of all backgrounds and abilities to get involved. Through photography, INSPA introduces creative well-being into the lives of primary school students while building a future generation of people who are confident, resilient, connected, kind and ready.
The awards are free and offer a range of fantastic prizes including trips and stays at the Amber Springs Resort for principals, teachers, pupils and families, cameras for winners and schools, framed photographs, certificates and national recognition as a Positive Primary School. All entries are judged by a national panel of experts and over 300 primary schools have already registered their accounts.
We would like to take this opportunity, once again, to congratulate Dominika from Stepaside ETNS and Jack from Courtnacuddy NS on their recent successes and we look forward to working with all finalist schools when they re-open in September.
If your school would like to begin its Positive Primary Journey and participate in the 2020/21 awards, you can register your school at the INSPA website – www.inspa.ie
Arts in Education Portal
Over 130 artists, teachers and arts in education professionals joined us live across the week for the first virtual Portal Regional Series which showcased arts in education and creative practise in the South East.
Key themes that arose from the discussion were the importance of partnerships, relationships and adaptability; how these values have allowed the project to organically develop and strengthen over its thirteen years.
We were delighted to be joined in the discussion by Wexford Arts Office Liz Burns, Elizabeth Whyte Executive Director/CEO of Wexford Arts Centre and Visual Art Curator Catherine Bowe who spoke about the value of evaluation. How listening and building on the feedback from the children, artists and teachers involved has allowed the project to organically grow and adapt year on year.
Karla also introduced us to ‘Curious Minds’ a resource pack for teachers which was developed this year by Karla and artist Els Dietvorst with the aim of disseminating the learning from the project. Curious Minds will be launched as part of Cruinniú na nÓg in June with a local launch in September.
In Tuesdays session artist, educator and researcher Tunde Toth led us in a presentation exploring co-ownership and participation within a classroom setting, where we truly value children’s questions, responses and doubts.
Tunde introduced us to the idea of taking creative risks and the importance of creating a space where children can make decisions and voice their opinions.
IMMA invites children, young people and their families to join them every week on their social channels for #ExploreratHome.
While IMMA is closed the Explorer at Home art activities are available for children and adults to do and make at home. IMMA’s team share a new art activity every Wednesday afternoon on their social channels. You will find specially selected artworks, inspired by the IMMA Collection Online and IMMA’s temporary Exhibition Programme, as starting points for creative activities.
IMMA invites you to share your creations with them online by tagging IMMA and using the hashtag #ExploreratHome so you can see your work on IMMA’s website.
Recognising the struggle so many parents are currently facing as they broach the mountainous task of home schooling their children during the Coronavirus restrictions, the Gaiety School of Acting has released a series of comprehensive and fun lesson plans to inject a little creativity and some POSITIVE drama to your household.
With 34 years experience in drama training, the Gaiety School of Acting teaches over 2000 children across their Young Gaiety schools in Bray, Malahide and Temple Bar annually, in a range of classes from Parent and Toddler Drama to Musical Theatre Company, Acting for Camera to an eclectic offering of seasonal camps.
Our Home Drama Resources have been developed by the GSA’s education team, and in addition to creative drama, provide a selection of science, craft and film-making activities for you and your children to explore a variety of themes, have fun, and escape from reality!
Every Thursday a new resource is released with the following themes already available on the website: The Lion King, Harry Potter, Roald Dahl, Monsters from the Movies, We’re Going on a Bear Hunt.
Theatre Lovett are delighted to announce Teddy Talks; a series of clinics for theatre practitioners with a focus on Theatre for Young Audiences.
Led by Muireann Ahern, Joint Artistic Director of Theatre Lovett, along with invited guests, these sessions will cover:
Pitfalls and pratfalls: Lessons learned.
Who’s who? Cast, creatives and crew – now what to do!
Developing relationships with venues, festivals and programmers.
Touring and budgeting.
Children as performers.
Age pitch.
Taking responsibility for your team and your young audiences.
Child Protection Policy.
Theatre in the time of COVID – discussion
Discussion and feedback.
Any questions left unanswered – ask now!
To Apply: Please send your C.V. or biog with a note outlining why you are interested in registering for Teddy Talks to muireann@theatrelovett.com.
Next Course Dates:
Late June/July 2020 (exact dates and times TBC depending on slots available due to demand). These clinics will be conducted online due to COVID-19.
Cruinniú na nÓg 2020 is Ireland’s national day of free creative activities for children and young people under the age of 18. Over the past 2 years Cruinniú na nÓg has become a key point in the calendar for children and young people to try something creative, develop an appetite for discovery and acquire new skill, 2020 will be no different.
In light of ongoing public health restrictions the Creative Ireland Programme are inviting young people to celebrate our culture and creativity and to take part in a virtual Cruinniú on Saturday 13th June.
There is an amazing array of 300 + events that will be happening in the run up to and on the day itself, all of which can be accessed on cruinniu.creativeireland.gov.ie.
There are a number of creative “calls to action” which young people – indeed entire families – can create in their own homes and gardens.
Céilí in the Kitchen – A collective call to action for young people and their families to create a Céilí in their kitchen for Cruinniú, with Áirc Damhsa, who will guide us through the Irish tradition of these communal social events that take place in houses.
On the 13th of June you won’t have to leave the house to join a Céilí, you can have one right there in your own home. All you have to do is push back the kitchen table, put the chairs against the wall and you’re good to go. Creative Ireland with the help of choreographer Edwina Guckian, singer Cathy Jordan, musician Thomas Johnston and storyteller Mikel Murfi are putting together weekly video workshops from May 18th that will make sure you have all you need for a great night of traditional music, song, dance and storytelling.
Let’s Go Fly a Kite – A collective call to action for children, young people and their families to make and fly a kite for Cruinniú.
The Design and Crafts Council Ireland have joined forces with Creative Ireland to design a kite that anyone can make at home. All you need is some sticks, some newspaper, some string and a whole lot of imagination. Why not decorate in your county colours, or decorate it with pictures of your favourite pop star? From the 15th May, a series of webinars and videos will guide you and your family through fun ways to make a kite.
Create a Video Game App – If you could click your fingers and create a video game app, what would it be? A racing game or a coin collector? A target game or a platform? The choice is endless and it’s time for you to decide.
In addition, local authorities will also be hosting a range of cultural and creative activities and online events for Cruinniú na nÓg – full details of the 300+ events available on the special Cruinniú website cruinniu. creativeireland.gov.ie/events/
Trócaire & National Youth Council of Ireland
Closing Date: 30 June
During these extraordinary times as we all do our best to stay at home, Trócaire in partnership with the National Youth Council of Ireland, have created a new competition for young people called Trócaire Game Changers Home Challenge. This is a competition for young people who want to change the world and believe games are a way to do this. It is a fantastic opportunity for young people to engage with the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and have a lot of fun while they do it.
Young people could create their games by recycling materials such as cereal boxes, bottle caps etc. The competition is open to young people of all ages and prizes will be awarded to the best entries.
The closing date is 30th June and entries can be submitted by post or electronically.
The Irish Architecture Foundation are delighted to announce that applications are open for the 2020/21 Architects in Schools programme.
The Architects in Schools initiative for Transition Year students places architects and architectural graduates in schools across Ireland. Students learn how to research, design and communicate architectural ideas, always reimagining the spaces around them and sometimes even affecting change in their local built environment.
Check out Architect Frank Monahan’s guest blog series here on the Portal about his experience on the initiative.
The Creative Ireland Programme are delighted to announce that their documentary ‘Creative Kids’ which follows the journey of a number schools through the Creative Schools process airs this Sunday 3 May on RTÉ 1 at 6.30pm.
Creative Schools is a flagship initiative of the Government’s Creative Ireland Programme, puts the arts and creativity at the heart of children and young people’s lives. The initiative is led by the Arts Council in partnership with the Department of Education and Skills and the Department of Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht.
Creative Kids followed five schools over the course of the academic year as they implemented the Creative Schools project and encouraged their pupils to think about the Arts and creativity in a whole new way.
De La Salle Boys Primary School, Castlebar, Co. Mayo
Stepaside Educate Together Secondary School, Co. Dublin
Presentation Primary School Warrenmount, Blackpitts, Dublin 8
Scoil Athphoirt, Arranmore Island, Co. Donegal
Maureen Kennelly, Director of the Arts Council said: “As everyone will see from this wonderful documentary, the Creative Schools programme is already a great success, and has changed the lives of hundreds of young people from a broad range of schools across the whole country.
“The Arts Council is very proud to be delivering this programme, and I would strongly encourage principals and teachers to consider applying so that their schools can participate in Creative Schools. The closing date has been extended to June 25 2020.”
Join the conversation online using the hashtag #Creativekids.
All Department of Education and Skills primary and post-primary schools, special schools and Youthreach centres are eligible to apply. Deadline to Apply: 25 June 2020
Children’s Book Ireland in partnership with An Post invites you to join the #ImagineNation campaign which brings together leading Irish children’s authors and illustrators and YOU!
The #ImagineNation playbook is overflowing with activities for primary school children in drawing, writing and mindfulness exercises from leading creatives including Oliver Jeffers, Chris Haughton, Sarah Crossan, Don Conroy, Niall Breslin, Niamh Sharkey and many more, the book will be accessible to all children to download as well as being delivered free by An Post to thousands of houses around the country.
As part of the campaign, a live draw along Facebook event with Don Conroy will encourage children to get involved.
An Post and Children’s Books Ireland believe that everyone can be creative – no one more so than children – and that every child can be a reader.
Right now, so much is being asked of families who are staying home and staying safe.
The playbook has activities, puzzles, poems and short stories from some of Ireland’s best children’s writers and illustrators that they hope will delight, entertain and spark creativity. 90,000 copies of the playbook for 6 to 10-year-olds will be distributed to homes in the coming days and also to family hubs and centres of Direct Provision.
The Creative School Team is delighted to announce an opportunity for schools and Youthreach centres to be part of the next phase of Scoileanna Ildánacha / Creative Schools.
Creative Schools aims to put the arts and creativity at the heart of children’s and young people’s lives and this year 150 new schools/centres will join the programme. Participating schools will work alongside a Creative Associate who will help them to develop their own Creative Schools plan to understand, develop and celebrate the arts and creativity in their school. Schools will be awarded a once-off grant of €4,000 (in total) to implement their plans over the two school years 2020–21 and 2021–22.
The deadline for submitting applications is 25 June 2020. The window for submitting applications opens on 18 February.
During this time when we might find ourselves with more time, it’s time for more stories! Fighting Words is inviting children and young people to write and share their writing with us..
Primary School Age Writers (Age 6-12): The Fighting Words Story-Starter
Fighting Words have invented the Story-Starter, which they hope will spark your imagination and help you get started on a story. You can change anything you want in the story – you don’t have to include all the ideas generated in the Story-Starter.
How do I submit my writing?
After you have written your story, ask your parent/guardian to send it to info@fightingwords.ie. IMPORTANT: Please include the words Primary Story in the subject line.
Do you have an idea for a show for young audiences?
Would you like to explore that idea?
Do you want to work with new art forms?
Branar’s Tiny Shows/Seóanna Bídeach initiative offers artists & theatre makers time and space to explore & develop new skills, new roles and new work in a developmental context.
This weekend long residency will facilitate the early stage development of ideas for new shows for young audiences.
The residency provides artists with the opportunity to:
try out new and early stage seed ideas for young audiences
explore working in a collaborative environment with fellow practitioners
explore areas of practice, including live music, dance, puppetry, clown, mask, text and new media
experiment both with form and their own artistic practice in a supportive environment
Expected outcomes of this initiative include:
Exploring and gaining experience with new theatrical forms.
The development and creation of new work for young audiences.
Encouragement to the create of work for children.
Previous applicants are welcome to apply again, with the same or new idea.
The Ark are delighted to announce details of The Ark @ Home, a selection of at-home activities and experiences that provide opportunities for children aged 2-12 to discover and love the arts in their own homes.
Sadly, like so many other arts organisations, The Ark has been forced to close our doors and cancel a number of programmes due to take place over the coming month due to the current COVID-19 crisis. But while our building may remain shut for the time being, The Ark @ Home will offer children daily opportunities to explore and discover the arts in their own homes over the next few weeks.
Speaking about The Ark @ Home, The Ark’s Director Aideen Howard said, “At The Ark, we believe in every child’s right to art and culture. Generally, this means visits to our beautiful building in Temple Bar to see shows, exhibitions and concerts, or to take part in our hands-on workshops. Now though, while our audience of children, parents and teachers are all at home, we want to share the work of some of our brilliant Ark artists online. The Ark @ Home is a way for children who are home from school to connect with some of those performances and workshops. Check out ark.ie and The Ark Twitter, Facebook and Instagram pages for more information.”
Each day, different creative content and resources will be made available on ark.ie. Enjoy a taste of some of the programmes which have been cancelled including Fly Me To The Moon, BIG BANG Dublin! and more. You might like to kick back and watch a filmed performance of theatre for children, or get up and make some moves to an archived music performance. You might get creative with a hands-on worksheet or let your imagination soar as you dream up worlds far away. From activity sheets to streams of live performances, The Ark invites children right across the country to take part.
Each Thursday, a different videoed performance of a show commissioned and presented by The Ark will be available to stream online, including acclaimed theatre productions such as The Haircut! by Wayne Jordan & Tom Lane and Peat by Kate Heffernan, as well as wonderful musical experiences such as the magical Tracks in the Snow featuring The Henry Girls.
The Ark is delighted, in this way, to continue offering children exciting creative opportunities across the arts, and to celebrate the work of some of the amazing artists that we have worked with, commissioned and continue to support through these very challenging times.
CoisCéim is heading inside for the coming months and they’ve got some lively new moves to share with you. From performance and participation projects to curated online classes let’s dance to keep our spirits up, stay in shape and reflect on the positive change our strange new world may bring.
Highlights for children and young people include:
Sofa Cinema Series:
Kicking off next week (2 April) and featuring exclusive online private screenings from the CoisCéim archives starting with…
The Wolf and Peter | Live at the Sydney Opera House 2 April | 10am & 4pm
David Bolger’s award-winning work for children and their families was filmed in Sydney and streamed live to 21 schools in New South Wales in July 2017.
BROADREACH | CREATIVE STEPS 28 April – 02 May 4pm & 9pm
A selection of short films from the BROADREACH archive of Creative Steps Youth Dance Theatre and a preview of LANDSCAPE, the latest Creative Steps Project led by Laura Macken.
Online Workshops for Children aged 6 – 10:
CoisCéim are developing a short online series of interactive dance workshops for children aged 6-10 based on DANCE YOUR OWN DANCE that runs in parallel with David Bolger’s Francis Footwork – for more information please contact philippa@coisceim.com.
For further information and to view the full schedule of digital activities go to coisceim.com/digitaldances/
The Glucksman
Join The Glucksman online for creative activities you can do at home.
The Glucksman may be closed but the team will be online during gallery opening hours to help you to get creative at home.
Every day, they will share new art activities on their website, and facebook, instagram and twitter accounts. With video tutorials on their YouTube channel.
Share your images and they will post them to their online galleries.
If you’re looking for some creative ideas for educational activities (primary level) at home during the school closure then check out some of The Ark’s classroom activities & resource packs. These have been have created to accompany some of The Ark’s programmes, including their ‘Fly Me to the Moon’ season which has been curtailed due to the current closure.
Lots of them work even without having seen the show or exhibitions so do take a look – they are available to download for free and use at the link below:
The Arts Council will shortly begin the tender process for a panel of Creative Associates to support the delivery of the Creative Schools programme for the academic year 2020-21 onwards.
The Contract Notice, 2020 application forms and all relevant documents will be available to download from 13th February 2020 on www.etenders.gov.ie/
The Arts Council of Ireland will tender for a panel of Creative Associates to support the delivery of Creative Schools/ Scoileanna Ildánacha for the academic year 2020-21 onwards. The Arts council will publish relevant tender documents in February 2020.
This is an exciting opportunity for artists, creative practitioners and individuals working in organisations in the arts and cultural sector.
Creative Schools is a flagship initiative of the Creative Ireland Programme to enable the creative potential of every child. Creative Schools is led by the Arts Council in partnership with the Department of Education and Skills and the Department of Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht.
Further information about the programme and the work of Creative Associates can also be found here www.artscouncil.ie/ creative-schools/, including information Booklets and FAQs.
EVA International
EVA International is delighted to announce the release of free copies of Better Words, for primary school libraries nationwide. It is a new book that offers an introduction to contemporary art and culture through the eyes of 8 – 12 year olds.
It features new artistic terms, words and word-forms, that describe many aspects of contemporary art today, all of which were invented by children through a workshop process that took place across 5 schools in County Limerick, in Spring 2019.
Organised into thematic sections, Better Words offers an introduction to key themes in contemporary art practice today, while also reflecting the cultural curiosity, creative energy and humourous irreverence of the participating school children.
Published by EVA International the book features contributions by acclaimed author Kevin Barry and notes on the workshop process by curator Maeve Mulrennan.
Please contact Eimear Redmond (Better Words Programme Coordinator) at eimear@eva.ie, to redeem a free copy of Better Words for your school library.
Please note that a small nominal fee of €3 for post and package will apply, one copy per school while stocks last.
The Arts in Education Portal editorial team are pleased to invite applications for a documentation award. Through the award, successful applicants will receive services to the value of €5,000 that will support them in the documentation of a current or upcoming project and a €500 stipend.
The purpose of the award is to support the development of documented outcomes from Arts in Education initiatives in Ireland, which can be shared with the arts in education community and give insights into different processes of engagement. This is part of the Arts in Education Portal Editorial Committee’s commitment to supporting and recognising the value of documentation and reflection as a key component within arts in education initiatives.
Two awards will be offered through this opportunity.
Outcomes of the documentation process will include: a project video, a project feature to be showcased on the Portal’s Projects/Partnerships, and the option of a critical essay, with a view to also presenting the work as part of the Arts in Education Portal National Day in 2020.
The process will involve meetings with the Portal Team and a schedule of 3 site visits over the course of the project to capture video and photographic documentation and support reflective processes among participants. The portal team will edit and produce a project video, and will liaise closely with the project partners to develop the content for the project feature. The critical essay would be sited in the Portal’s Reading Room, and is optional. The author and focus of the essay can be decided by the project organisers in collaboration with the Portal Team.
Criteria
To be considered for this opportunity, projects must:
Have started in autumn 2019 and continuing into Spring 2020, or be due to start in Feb 2020.
Have a minimum duration of 8 weeks.
Involve a professional artist working collaboratively within an educational setting (early years, primary or post-primary).
Be underpinned by a strong ethos of collaboration and a commitment to excellence. Focus on the creative process, with children having an active and collaborative role
Additional criteria
Successful applicants will be asked to ensure that relevant permissions/consent have been sought for documentation of participants.
Please ensure your application has been approved by all project partners prior to submission.
How to make a submission:
Background on who you are; your professional practice and your ethos or approach towards Arts in Education.
An overview of the project – who is involved, how did the collaboration come about, what processes or approaches will take place, what is the aim or focus of the process?
A statement of interest, explaining why documentation supports would be of value to this project.
Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown (dlr) County Council invite applications for the position of: Music Generation Development Officer
A Music Generation Development Officer will be appointed by dlr County Council and will be responsible for managing an extensive performance music education programme on behalf of dlr Local Music Education Partnership.
Music Generation dlr is part of Music Generation – Ireland’s National Music Education Programme, which is co-funded by U2, The Ireland Funds, the Department of Education and Skills and Local Music Education Partnerships.
Temporary five year fixed term contract (Salary range: €47,588 – €58,157 per annum)
Application forms and full particulars are available online at – www.dlrcoco.ie
Based on the volume of applications received short-listing may apply. Short-listing will take place on the basis of the information provided in the application form. Depending on the qualifications and experience of applicants, short-listing thresholds may be significantly higher than the minimum standards set out.
dlr County Council is an equal opportunities employer.
Deadline: 4pm, Thursday 28 November 2019 (Late applications will not be accepted)
Job reference: 008488
The Four Dublin Local Authorities
Deadline: 5pm, 4 November 2019
The four Dublin Local Authorities invite submissions for: Exploring & Thinking Bursary Award 2019.
The Exploring & Thinking Bursary Award will support individual professional artists to develop their artistic practice working with and/or producing work for early childhood arts. This award is open to individual professional artists who wish to develop their practice in early childhood arts, artists practicing in all artforms, artists resident in Ireland.
Bursary range: €200 – €10,000
The closing date: 4th of November 2019
Exploring and Thinking is a collaborative framework for early childhood arts in the Dublin region. It came about in 2016 when the four Dublin Local Authorities – Fingal County Council, Dublin City Council, South Dublin County Council and Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council, partnered for the first time to collectively consider early childhood arts provision in the Dublin region.
Please find the Application Guidelines & Criteria in the attached document.
Download the Application Guidelines & Criteria here
For further information and queries contact Orla Scannell, Arts Officer, South Dublin County Council, E: oscannell@sdublincoco.ie
Waltons Music for Schools Competition
Entry Deadline: 24 January 2020
Founded in 2012, the Waltons Music for Schools Competition is a non-profit national event celebrating and supporting music in Irish schools. The Music for Schools Competition is produced by Waltons New School of Music and generously supported by RTÉ lyric fm. All primary and post-primary schools in the Republic of Ireland are eligible to enter the Competition, and schools from all 26 counties have participated.
Each year’s Competition culminates in a gala Finalists Concert, in which twelve Finalist school music groups (six primary and six post-primary) perform before their peers and two distinguished adjudicators. At the end of the Finalists Concert, the adjudicators announce six winning primary and post-primary schools, which receive awards totalling €7,000 worth of vouchers for musical instruments and equipment from Waltons Music Ireland, including two First Prizes of €2,000 vouchers.
The Process
Schools create an ensemble piece or song, based on the year’s Competition theme, and performed by an instrumental, vocal or mixed group from the school (maximum 40 performers). The piece or song can be performed by any combination of singers or instrumentalists you choose. This year’s theme comes from Hans Christian Andersen, ‘Where words fail, music speaks’.
Schools submit an online entry form and send a video of the group’s performance as well as a jpeg photograph of the group.
The initial entries are judged by a team of first-round adjudicators, and twelve Finalist groups (six primary and six post-primary) are selected.
The Finalists are announced by Liz Nolan on RTÉ lyric fm.
Groups not selected as Finalists but displaying real merit are designated as either Commended or Highly Commended, and certificates are produced for the schools and all student performers.
The twelve Finalist groups perform in a gala Finalists Concert at the National Concert Hall, at the end of which the six winning schools are announced.
Launch of archive to preserve Arts in Education content and showcase the work of creative organisations in Ireland
The Minister for Education and Skills Joe McHugh T.D. on Monday September 23rd announced the opening of a new free-to-access online archive to showcase creative activity of teachers, artists, researchers and others.
The Arts and Culture in Education Research Repository (ACERR) will be open to people working in education and the public, allowing them an insight into the inspirational ideas being developed for schools.
Some of the work available in the archive includes an essay from the UCC School of Digital Humanities on using Minecraft as a tool for creative engagement in the classroom and a project on using rap music as a creative method in research with children and young people.
The repository also details the experiences of Lisa Cahill, a dance artist in residence at Maynooth University in 2016. The repository has allowed for videos of Lisa’s work to be recorded and uploaded for the public to view.
It is hoped the archive will be expanded as teachers, schools, arts and cultural researchers, academics, colleges and universities and artists offer resources including video, music, dance, drama and art.
The repository will also help to overcome traditional barriers to publication for arts and creative practitioners.
Making the announcement, Minister McHugh said: “This Government is doing huge work to put creativity to the fore of a child’s education and development, not least with the 300 schools in the Creative Ireland programme or the growth of Music Generation.
“The new archive will grow over time and help to cement the great work already being done every day in our classrooms as well as giving researchers and parents and others an insight into how we can inspire the next generation.”
The ACERR has been developed as part of the Creative Ireland Programme and has been supported by the Dormant Accounts Funds.
INSPA 2019/20 sees the third open call for Ireland’s prestigious National School Photography Awards [INSPA]. INSPA is a national children’s photography competition which is open to all primary schools located in the Republic of Ireland. This year, the awards are brought to you by the INSPA team in partnership with ReCreate.ie, FujiFilm Instax Camera’s and the Amber Springs Resort Hotel.
The awards aim to encourage young creatives in primary level education to engage with both digital technology and the creative process to create striking visual images. They will inspire and ignite passion in students, increase engagement with digital arts within primary level education while at the same time educating students about the importance of the creative process.
The awards are offering a range of fantastic prizes for finalists, winners and their schools including; Free entry to the Amber Springs Easter Train Experience for the overall winner and their classmates, FujiFilm INSTAX cameras for winners and their schools, a year’s membership for the winning school to ReCreate’s ‘Warehouse of Wonders’, a two night stay in the Amber Springs for the Principal of the winning school, a one night stay in the Amber Springs for the teacher of the winning class, INSPA certificates, framed photographs and an #INSPAsmiles School Photography Fundraising Day in aid of the 2019/20 charity theme partner; ReCreate.ie
This year’s theme is titled ‘Second Life’ which asks both teachers and their students to integrate the camera into the school-day, allowing their students explore their classrooms, corridors and schoolyards. We are specifically looking for fun images that focus on the wonders of waste while utilising the creative techniques of photography to transform spaces/places or give a new lease of life to familiar objects/things.
All entries will be judged by a national panel including Cristín Leach (Art Critic: The Sunday Times Ireland), Feargal Brougham (INTO President), Cathy Baxter (Manager: Green Schools), Páiric Clerkin (CEO of IPPN), Anya von Gosseln (Curator & Co-Founder of Kamera8 Gallery), Ángel Luis González Fernández (CEO Photo Ireland Foundation), Mandy O’Neill (Visual Artist) and Richard Carr (Artist & Partnerships Manager for INSPA).
If you think your school has Ireland’s next top creative, all you have to do is register your school at the INSPA website – www.inspa.ie. The deadline for entries is midnight on Tuesday 21st January 2020. However, make sure you register your school asap to give yourself time to activate your school account and upload your students’ entries.
Music Generation is delighted to announce that Paula Phelan has been appointed as Head of Quality, Support and Development within the National Development Office. In this new senior role, Paula will drive the implementation of a new national Music Generation Quality Framework, support the planned growth of the national network of Local Music Education Partnerships (LMEPs), and lead on professional development and learning programmes and initiatives for Music Generation over the coming years.
Paula brings a breadth of experience to the role, spanning the worlds of arts and corporate management, music education leadership and practice. Most recently she held the position of LMEP Support Manager at the Music Generation National Development Office. From 2013-2018 she was Programme Director for Music Generation Carlow. In addition to her extensive work with Music Generation, she was previously General Manager of the Irish Baroque Orchestra, a Post-Primary Teacher, Freelance Musician Educator and General Manager of Belvedere Youth Service.
A native of Kildare, Paula completed her undergraduate BAmus degree in NUI Maynooth. She holds an MA Baroque Performance Practice from Queens University Belfast, an MA in Arts Administration and Cultural Policy from University College Dublin, a Postgraduate Diploma in Education from NUI Maynooth and a Postgraduate Diploma in Early Childhood Music from Birmingham City University.
Pathways to Production is an artist support programme led by Baboró, who has partnered with Druid, the Mick Lally Theatre, Branar Téatar do Phaistí, The Irish Theatre Institute (ITI) and Galway Theatre Festival, to support artists and young companies to develop their ideas with a view to presenting a full performance piece.
What GROW ‘Pathways to Production’ offers:
Space and time allowing artists to develop their ideas in a supportive environment.
Successful applicants will receive a bursary of €2,200 to further the development of their project.
Access to world-class work for children at Baboró International Arts Festival for Children, October 2019.
Opportunities to attend professional workshops and industry discussions at the Baboró Festival.
Access to venues, audiences, marketing and fundraising expertise.
Opportunities to share ideas and concepts in a safe, supportive environment.
Feedback via Liz Lerman’s Critical Response Process Method – a widely-recognised method that nurtures the development of artistic works-in-progress through a facilitated dialogue between artists, peers, and audiences.
Access to support with recording your work via photography and videography
The exciting scheme involves workshops, sharing of works-in-progress with peers, as well as support in developing funding strategies. Baboró, Druid and the Mick Lally Theatre, Branar Téatar de Phaistí, The Irish Theatre Institute and Galway Theatre Festival will make our collective organisational experience and resources available to participants.
The Pathways to Production programme runs from October 2019 to October 2020.
Who is it for?
Open to all artists at any stage of their career who wish to develop work for children and young people (0-18 yrs).
Artists/companies based on the island of Ireland.
A maximum of two artists/companies will be chosen for October 2019 – October 2020 period
Deadline for submissions is 4pm, Friday 12th July 2019.
The National Gallery of Ireland this year are developing new resources and outreach programming, taking the Gallery off-site to schools across the country that may find it difficult to travel to Dublin. To help shape this programme, the Gallery will be forming a national network of teachers who will guide their research, planning and evaluation.
The Gallery are looking for teachers from across the country to be part of this network. They want the network to be as inclusive as possible, with every county represented, and a good mix of rural and urban, and primary, post-primary and special schools.
The network will primarily exist online, but each year we will hold programme-development workshops at the Gallery, where participants will help co-produce new programming. The Gallery also hope that members will host local events, helping to share learning and resources with their peers.
Applications are now open for schools to participate in the Irish Architecture Foundation’s Architects in Schools 2019/20 initiative. An initiative aiming to encourage collaboration between architects and teachers, giving Transition Year students a hands-on design experience.
Now in its seventh year, Architects in Schools has been delivered in over 80 schools nationwide to date, with students exploring how design and architecture affect their school and local environment, learning a range of skills and gaining insight into a range of career options. The initiative begins with a skills sharing day for all participating teachers and architects in late September, projects/workshops are delivered in classrooms in terms 1 and/or 2 and the initiative culminates with a national exhibition in mid April.
Places on the initiative are limited to 30 schools per year, and the IAF selects schools through an application process, aiming for a broad geographic spread, a mix of school types and a balance between new and returning schools. To give your school the best chance of participating, apply online by Friday 31 May.
Established in 2010, Music Generation’s ambition is to transform the lives of children and young people through local access to high-quality, subsidised performance music education.
To enable Music Generation to reach its next stage of development, the National Development Office is now seeking to appoint a Head of Quality, Support and Development. This new senior role within the organisation will be key in the implementation of Music Generation’s Strategic Plan during a significant period of growth, planned from 2019 to 2022.
The successful candidate will be a skilled professional with a demonstrable track record of delivering results, high standards and achievement in music education development. The position requires someone with leadership and senior management experience that can support the planned growth of the national network of Local Music Education Partnerships, and enable the stated priorities for Quality in line with the organisation’s Strategic Plan.
The current strategy maps out an exciting period of growth and change for Music Generation and this role provides a rare opportunity for an experienced and dynamic music education development professional to contribute to and shape those ambitions.
For a job description and details of the application process, please contact John Deely at Pinpoint:
Email: Recruit@pinpoint.ie
Phone: +353 1 642 5721
Closing date for applications: 5pm Thursday May 9, 2019
Minister McHugh invites applications from schools for second year of Creative Clusters initiative as part of the Creative Ireland programme.
Participating schools will help students learn through a lens of creativity
The Minister for Education and Skills Joe McHugh T.D. this week invited applications for Creative Clusters, an initiative taking place as part of Creative Ireland and under the Schools Excellence Fund.
Each school will enjoy access to a specialist facilitator, artist or creative expertise in whatever their own chosen area of interest or theme might be. These resources will help the schools build a programme of learning and activities tailor-made for their students. In addition, clusters will receive up to €7,500 funding to help bring their plans and ideas to fruition.
Making the announcement, Minister McHugh said: “This is another fantastic opportunity for schools to work together on a project of their choice. Schools are given complete freedom to design and develop their own project, with support from a local facilitator and their local education centre.
“I hope that this initiative will help schools enhance creativity in their classrooms. It is important that our children are allowed to express themselves and learn to adapt and collaborate. Opportunities such as Creative Clusters are perfect to give students the opportunity to develop these skills.”
The first year of the Creative Clusters initiative has seen schools around the country work together to develop creative projects and collaborate on new ideas based on their local experience and unique perspective. In Kilkenny, St John’s Senior School, St John’s Junior School and Loreto Secondary School are working together using coding to develop innovative projects and support the transition from primary to post-primary school. This project involves students learning a variety of different coding methods and working on coding projects to develop their problem-solving and logical-thinking skills.
St Michael’s Post Primary and St Joseph’s Secondary School in North County Kerry are also collaborating on an interesting project exploring “the hidden history of North Kerry” using modern technology. This project tasks students with investigating and researching the main tourist sites of the North Kerry region. The students will use modern technology including drones to gather footage which will then be used in a documentary regarding the history of North Kerry. Students will be trained in the appropriate use of technology in the classroom and will also be able to learn valuable skills in the making of the documentary including directing, photography, narrating and producing.
The Schools Excellence Fund is an initiative in the Action Plan for Education. It sets out to encourage and recognize excellence and innovation in our schools. This initiative will help deliver on the Creative Youth pillar of Creative Ireland, which sets out a commitment that every child in Ireland has practical access to tuition, experience and participation in music, drama, arts and coding by 2022.
The closing date for applications is May 10th 2019.
Teacher-Artist Partnership (TAP)
Deadline dates vary per region – please contact Local Authority Arts Service
Announcing a wonderful opportunity for Artists to broaden their practice, receive training and project fees, develop creative partnerships with teachers, and transform the lives of children in every County in Ireland
Open to artists, working in any art form, who are committed to sharing their practice with children and teachers in a modern primary school environment
Specialist, week-long training (1st– 5th July 2019) to prepare the artist for the unique requirements of working harmoniously in partnership with a teacher within the modern Irish classroom
A training allowance of €150 per day over the initial 5-day training/induction week (€750 in total), plus travel with daily lunch provided.
Brokerage and development of partnerships with creative teachers, in schools committed to contemporary arts learning and practice and creativity
Guarantee of a paid, follow up in-school-residency within a local primary school (Fee €800, plus €100 travel plus €100 materials) to carry out a 20-hour project (14 contact hours plus 6 preparation hours) in partnership with your teacher partner throughout the 2019/2020 academic year
Information, learning and networking opportunities for further freelance work within the education system.
Artists must
have a track record of a minimum of three years professional practice in any art form
demonstrate an interest in / commitment to: the principles of Arts-in-Education and Creativity and to enhancing the lives of children through arts practice
be willing to learn about modern classroom culture and to work in equal partnership with teachers
Combine a sense of fun, joy and collaboration with professional dedication and high artistic vision
Be willing to undertake child protection training as part of the induction week, and undergo standard Garda vetting
before taking up project placements.
Artists can apply to be part of the programme in the first instance via the Arts Officer of the Local Authority in which the full-time Education Centre is located. Expressions of interest should then be sent to the relevant address of the Local Full-time Education Centre.
Expressions of interest should be in the form of a letter of max 600 words, accompanied by a CV or short Bio with links to images or samples of relevant work. The letter should set out:
Where you trained
A very brief description of your practice
Why you might wish to work in partnership with a teacher and with children in a school setting
What you think qualifies you to take up this opportunity.
Places on this national Creative Ireland CPD initiative, taking place in the local full-time Education Centre training programmes, are limited to four artists per year – 4 Artists per Summer Course. Final decision on offers of places will be taken by the Director of the local Education Centre in collaboration with the Local Authority Arts Office.
For further information including the relevant deadline date for applications contact your Local Authority Arts Service – a list and contact details are available on the Portal Directory here.
All completed Expressions of Interest/Applications must be returned to your Local Education Centre – Education Centre contact details can be found here.
Fidget Feet Aerial Dance Theatre
Nationwide tour begins March 30th
Fidget Feet Aerial Dance Theatre tour their new children’s show Hatch, focusing on the transformational cycles of life with a special educational resource and activity pack has been developed for the show linking to the curriculum and is available to primary schools.
Hatch tells the story of Bláithín, she loves caterpillars, moths and butterflies. She joins her Uncle Rusty on an adventure to find Pearl, the most extraordinary butterfly with the most exquisite colourful wings. Learn all about two little caterpillars and their journey to fly as moths and butterflies.
Hatch weaves Irish language, Irish dancing, music, comedy, theatre, contemporary dance and aerial dance into this wonderful story for 4 – 10 year olds.
The show tours nationwide from March 30th, tour dates and venues can be found at www.fidgetfeet.com/touring/
DRI are seeking applications for the role of Oral Historian, a 14-month fixed-term contract with the Digital Repository of Ireland’s Atlantic Philanthropies Archives project. This project is a partnership between The Digital Repository of Ireland, Atlantic Philanthropies, and Cornell University Library to explore the impact and legacy of time-limited grant making. It will be based in the Royal Irish Academy.
Closing date for applications is 12 noon on Tuesday 19th March 2019.
The project has two main aspects
to host a curated digital archive of select business records and ephemera related to Atlantic’s grant making in Ireland over the last 35 years,
to build digital exhibitions around these archives, through the collection and curation of new oral histories from individuals involved in social change activities funded by Atlantic. This is a creative and intellectually stimulating role that requires excellent research skills, people skills, and demonstrated competency in all aspects of oral history.
The Arts Council of Ireland is seeking to expand its panel of Creative Associates to support the delivery of the Scoileanna Ildánacha/Creative Schools initiative. Creative Associates are artists, creative practitioners and teachers with a deep understanding of creativity and its potential to transform the lives of children and young people. They come from a range of creative professions, such as artists, designers, teachers and craftspeople. Whether from the arts, culture, heritage, creative industries, education, science or other sectors, they challenge, support and sustain new practice in schools in the field of the arts, culture and creative learning.
Creative Associates will match the needs of schools to arts and creative opportunities in their locality. They will identify potential areas for improvement and will inspire, energise and drive schools forward in addressing these. Through this pioneering initiative Creative Associates will have the chance to shape the place of the arts and creativity in Irish schools.
Creative Associates can be:
Creative Associates – Individuals engaged by the Arts Council as individual artists or creative practitioners in the arts, culture, heritage, creative industries, science or other sectors.
Creative Associates – Organisations in the arts, culture, heritage, creative industries, science of other sectors. They are engaged by the Arts Council with named nominees, who have an arts or creative practice and are employ by the organisation.
or Teacher Creative Associates selected by the Arts Council to work on a part-time basis with Creative Schools. These applicants will be fully qualified and registered teachers who are working in a Department of Education and Skills recognised post.
Creative Associates work in partnership with participating schools/Youthreach centres to understand, develop and celebrate the arts and creativity in their schools, putting the arts and creativity at the heart of the lives of children and young people.
How to apply:
Step 1 – Visit our website and read their relevant Information Booklet today
Step 2 – Check if you are eligible as an individual artist, organisation nominee or teacher working in school
Step 3 – Complete and return the correct application form by 5pm on Monday April 1st 2019.
Creative Schools is a flagship initiative of the Creative Ireland Programme to enable the creative potential of every child. Creative Schools is led by the Arts Council in partnership with the Department of Education and Skills and the Department of Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht. Creative Schools, formerly Arts Rich Schools/Arís, draws on the commitments set out in the Arts in Education Charter.
Touring Nationwide
What is considered “typical” or “normal” behaviour for girls and for boys? Highly energetic, fun and whimsical,Princesses can be Pirates, playfully questions our gender preconceptions.
Two versatile performers join forces as they journey into unknown territory, where play is everything and everywhere. In a series of hilarious scrapes and lively escapades, they swap toys and activities in their quest to defy stereotypes and break the norm.
The world holds endless possibility for us to discover who we are and who we want to be, and this duet celebrates it all. A dynamic and humorous dance performance – created for children but inspiring for all. Talks and workshops will follow the performance to engage with children and teachers.
School Performances
25th March: Riverbank Arts Centre Kildare/ School Performances 10 am and 12 pm
28th March: The Source Arts Centre Thurles/ School Performance 11 am
2nd April: Firkin Crane Cork/ School Performance 11 am
4th April: West Cork Arts Centre Skibbereen/ School Performance 11 am
9th April: The Civic Theatre Tallaght/ School Performance 10:30 am
11th April: Dunamaise Arts Centre Portlaoise / School Performance 12 pm
Do you believe the arts help children and young people to thrive in school and in life?
Would you welcome support to develop innovative creative projects in your school?
If your answer is yes to any or all of these questions then read on…
Creative Schools aims to put the arts and creativity at the heart of children’s and young people’s lives.
Participating schools will understand, develop and celebrate their engagement with the arts, empowering them to bring about real change in the way they work. They will draw on the range of resources within their school and wider community, developing new ways of working that reinforce the impact of creativity on student learning, development and well-being.
Schools will be allocated a Creative Associate, who will support the school for a maximum of nine days over the 2019–20 school year. The Creative Associate will support the school to develop a Creative School Plan and will assist in creating or developing links between schools and with artists and arts and cultural organisations locally and/or nationally. In addition, schools can avail of a grant of €2,000 to implement their plans in 2019–20.
All Department of Education and Skills recognised primary and post-primary schools and Youthreach centres are eligible to apply. 150 new schools will be selected to participate in the initiative in the 2019–2020 school year.
Running since 2011, the Waltons Music for Schools Competition is a non-profit national event celebrating music in Irish schools run by Waltons New School of Music and generously supported by RTÉ lyric fm. All primary and post-primary schools in the Republic of Ireland are eligible to enter the Competition, and schools from all 26 counties have participated.
Each year’s Competition culminates in a gala Finalists Concert, in which twelve Finalist school groups (six primary and six post-primary) perform before their peers and two distinguished adjudicators. At the end of the Finalists Concert, the adjudicators announce six winning primary and post-primary schools, which receive awards totalling €7,000 worth of vouchers for musical instruments, accessories, books, music technology or PA equipment from Waltons Music, including two First Prizes of €2,000 vouchers.
The Process
School groups create an ensemble piece or song, based on the year’s Competition theme, and performed by an instrumental, vocal or mixed group from the school (maximum 40 performers). The piece or song can be performed by any combination of singers or instrumentalists you choose. This year’s theme is Music=. (What it equals is up to you!)
Schools submit an online entry form and send a video of the group’s performance and a jpeg photograph of the group.
The initial entries are judged by a team of first-round adjudicators, and twelve Finalists (six primary and six post-primary) are selected.
The Finalists are announced by Liz Nolan on RTÉ lyric fm.
The twelve school groups perform in the Finalists Concert at the National Concert Hall, and the six winning schools are announced at the end of the concert.
Friday, 22 March 2019, 5 pm • Entry Deadline Friday, 29 March • Announcement of Finalists Tuesday, 7 May • Finalists Concert, National Concert Hall
Autumn has been a busy time for Creative Schools with lots of focus on training and development. The team have been meeting with and training 47 Creative Associates and over 350 representatives from the 150 pilot schools. The commitment shown by schools in the training to putting the arts and creativity at the heart of school life was very obvious and they are excited about the possibilities that learning in and through the arts will bring to their respective school communities. A key aim of the initiative is to give children and young people a central role in the process, to support this Creative Associates were given a day of training from the amazing team at Hub na nÓg – Young Voices in Decision-making, Department of Children and Youth Affairs. Over the coming weeks Creative Associates will meet with their schools and begin the first stages of their work together.
To view the full list of the 150 schools selected to participate in the pilot phase of Creative Schools go to www.artscouncil.ie/pilotschoolslist
Deadline: Friday 7th December 2018
The Arts in Education Portal editorial team are pleased to invite applications for a documentation award. Through the award, successful applicants will receive services to the value of €5,000 that will support them in the documentation of a current or upcoming project and a €500 stipend.
The purpose of the award is to support the development of documented outcomes from Arts in Education initiatives in Ireland, which can be shared with the arts in education community and give insights into different processes of engagement. This is part of the Arts in Education Portal Editorial Committee’s commitment to supporting and recognising the value of documentation and reflection as a key component within arts in education initiatives.
Two awards will be offered through this opportunity.
Outcomes of the documentation process will include: a project video, a project feature to be showcased on the Portal’s Projects/Partnerships, and the option of a critical essay, with a view to also presenting the work as part of the Arts in Education Portal National Day in 2019.
The process will involve meetings with the Portal Team and a schedule of 3 site visits over the course of the project to capture video and photographic documentation and support reflective processes among participants. The portal team will edit and produce a project video, and will liaise closely with the project partners to develop the content for the project feature. The critical essay would be sited in the Portal’s Reading Room, and is optional. The author and focus of the essay can be decided by the project organisers in collaboration with the Portal Team.
Criteria
To be considered for this opportunity, projects must:
Have started in autumn 2018 or be due to start in Jan/Feb 2019.
Have a minimum duration of 8 weeks.
Involve a professional artist working collaboratively within an educational setting (early years, primary or post-primary).
Be underpinned by a strong ethos of collaboration and a commitment to excellence. Focus on the creative process, with children having an active and collaborative role
Additional criteria
Successful applicants will be asked to ensure that relevant permissions/consent have been sought for documentation of participants.
Please ensure your application has been approved by all project partners prior to submission.
How to make a submission:
Background on who you are; your professional practice and your ethos or approach towards Arts in Education.
An overview of the project – who is involved, how did the collaboration come about, what processes or approaches will take place, what is the aim or focus of the process?
A statement of interest, explaining why documentation supports would be of value to this project.
The Ark is delighted to invite professional artists from the fields of dance, theatre or music to apply for their second 12 month Early Years Artist Residency, running from May 2019-April 2020.
This artist residency opportunity has been established in honour of John Coolahan, who sadly passed away earlier this year. John was a longstanding member of The Ark board and a leading champion for arts education in Ireland.
Beginning in 2018, this residency aims to honour the legacy of Professor Coolahan by providing the selected artist with a yearlong opportunity to develop his/her early years arts practice in association with The Ark.
This opportunity recognises the importance of the arts in early childhood and aims to nurture and support the development of professional artists working in this emerging sector of arts practice.
The inaugural John Coolahan Early Years Artist in Residence at The Ark is visual artist Lucy Hill who will be in post until April 2019. As The Ark wishes to establish the residency as an annual opportunity, we are now seeking a new artist from the fields of dance, theatre or music who will take up the residency for a year from May 2019 when Lucy’s tenure comes to an end.
The selected artist will have a strong vision for how they would like to deepen the range of their experience, knowledge and practice with this age group through the unique context of this residency in collaboration with The Ark.
Completed applications must be received by 5pm on Tuesday 30th October 2018
National School Photography Awards (INSPA)
Deadline for Entries: Midnight Friday 25th January 2019
INSPA 2018/19 sees the second open call for Ireland’s prestigious National School Photography Awards [INSPA]. INSPA is a national children’s photography competition which is open to all primary schools located in the Republic of Ireland. This years’ awards are brought to you by Image Masters Photography in partnership with LauraLynn; Ireland’s Children’s Hospice, INSTAX Instant Photography and the Amber Springs Resort Hotel.
The awards aim to encourage young creatives in primary level education to engage with both digital technology and the creative process to create striking visual images. They will inspire and ignite passion in students, increase engagement with digital arts within primary level education while at the same time educating students about the importance of the creative process.
The awards are offering a range of fantastic prizes for finalists, winners and their schools including; Free entry to the Amber Springs Easter Train Experience for the overall winner and their classmates, FujiFilm INSTAX cameras for winners and their schools, a two night stay in the Amber Springs for the Principal of the winning school, a one night stay in the Amber Springs for the teacher of the winning class, INSPA certificates, framed photographs and an #INSPAsmiles School Photography Fundraising Day in aid of this years’ charity theme partner; LauraLynn.
This years’ theme is titled ‘CONNECTIONS’ which asks both teachers and their students to integrate the camera into the school-day, allowing their students explore their classrooms, corridors and schoolyards, seeking out new found or old connections. For example ‘Pen & Paper’, ‘Socks and Shoes’, ‘Black & White’, ‘Rough & Smooth’ or ‘Parent & Child’. All entries will be judged by a national panel including Joe Kileen (INTO President), Tanya Kiang (CEO: Gallery of Photography), Liam Magee (President: Cumann na mBunscol), Linda Shevlin (Curator: Roscommon Art Centre), Michael Fortune (Artist, Folklorist, Filmmaker, Researcher), Niamh Doyle (Community Fundraising Executive: LauraLynn) and Richard Carr (Artist, School Liaison & 2018 Cultural Ambassador for Co. Wexford).
If your school would like to get involved they can request their schools access codes from the INSPA website – www.inspa.ie – here you will be able to activate your school account and begin uploading your students’ entries. The deadline for entries is midnight on Friday 25th January 2019 so make sure you have activated your school account well in advance of this date.
Kids’ Own Publishing Partnership are delighted to announce the publication of “A Strong Heart – A book of stories and dreams for the future by Syrian and Palestinian children living in County Mayo”.
Over five weeks, in April and May 2018, the group of children, who live in communities in County Mayo, came together with artist Vanya Lambrecht Ward and writer Mary Branley at the Linenhall Arts Centre, Castlebar, to develop the body of work that was to be brought together in their book.
Initiated and developed by Kids’ Own – and supported by the St Stephen’s Green Trust, Mayo County Council and South West Mayo Development Company – the project was part of a vision to offer a space for migrant children to develop their creativity and self-expression through an artistic process, and to publish a book that would foreground and give credence to their voices, lives and experiences.
In relation to the project, Kids’ Owns Acting Director, Jo Holmwood, says:
“Kids’ Own is deeply committed to publishing and developing children’s work in Ireland. We believe that children’s contribution to our culture and our society, as artists and writers, needs to be more widely valued and recognised. Kids’ Own is delighted to publish this brand new book, which is such a rich celebration of children’s resilience, ambition and cultural identity.
Image copyright Kids’ Own Publishing Partnership – Minister Zappone presenting ‘A Strong Heart’ to Louise Arbour, UN Special Representative for International Migration.
In July, Kids’ Own were thrilled when the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs Katherine Zappone shared the stories from ‘A Strong Heart’ at her UN Security Council address on ‘Children in Armed Conflict’.
“As Minister I am particularly proud that half of the 1,883 persons accepted into Ireland under resettlement and relocation programmes are children fleeing war and conflict.
In addition Ireland is providing care for 79 children who arrived alone at our ports and airports.
All of these children, from countries experiencing conflict such as Syria, Afghanistan and Eritrea, are making Ireland their home.
They speak for themselves in a collection of stories and art created by Syrian and Palestinian children now living in Mayo in the West of Ireland.
Through the book ‘A Strong Heart’ they tell of the beauty of their new home-towns, the local rivers, mountains and even the world famous salmon.
They express their passion for Irish sport, their sense of fun and their hopes and dreams.
12-year old Khaled in Claremorris writes, “My Dream for the future is to be a footballer first and play for Ireland. When I’m thirty-three I will be a teacher and go back to Syria to teach English.”
Khaled and his classmates, Irish, Syrian and Palestinian, are flourishing. They are our future”.
Minister Zappone also presented the publication to Louise Arbour, UN Special Representative for International Migration, following a discussion on child migrants.
Chosen from over 400 applicants, 150 schools across Ireland will participate in the new Creative Schools pilot which aims to put the arts and creativity at the heart of children and young people’s lives. The schools chosen include primary schools, secondary schools, Youthreach centres, special schools, DEIS schools, co-educational schools, rural, urban, single-sex and Irish-language medium schools. Their work will begin in the new school year and run through to the summer of 2019.
The enthusiastic response to the call for applications suggests just how vital the arts and creativity are within schools across the country. In their application, schools had to explain how their participation would support learning and development in the arts and creativity, their capacity to engage as a school and their plans for ensuring that children and young people play an active role in developing, implementing and evaluating their work as a Creative School. Through the programme, the Arts Council is engaging with children and young people across the country to develop their creativity and linking them to the arts and creative infrastructure in their locality and nationally.
Schools selected for the pilot will benefit from a package of support which includes funding and expertise from a Creative Associate to help them to understand, develop and celebrate the impact of the arts and creativity on school life. With the support of their Creative Associate, schools will develop a Creative School Plan and design a unique programme that responds to the needs and priorities of their school. This process will support children and young people to challenge themselves in new ways, to gain in confidence and to take a more active role in learning.
The Creative Schools team within the Arts Council will be travelling the country in September and October training and inducting Creative Associates, School Co-ordinators and other teachers from each of the 150 schools.
Future opportunities for Creative Schools will be included in the Arts Council’s newsletter which you can subscribe to at the following link: www.artscouncil.ie/about-us/newsletter/. They will also be posted on their website where a full list of the 150 schools participating in the pilot can also be found: www.artscouncil.ie/creative-schools/pilot-schools/
Cartoon Saloon
Screenings running Nationwide throughout May/June 2018
Cartoon Saloon are delighted to announce a series of upcoming screenings for schools of ‘The Breadwinner’, a powerful story of hope and resilience set on the streets of Afghanistan. The screenings are accompanied by a comprehensive education pack containing questions and activities to guide your class through the film.
THE BREADWINNER is a powerful story of hope and resilience set on the streets of Afghanistan and is based on the beloved book of the same name by Deborah Ellis which is currently on the curriculum. The heroine is Parvana, an 11-year-old girl whose family struggles for a better life under Taliban rule. Parvana disguises herself as a boy to help her family survive following the wrongful arrest of her father. Twomey’s powerful film drew the attention of UNHCR Special Envoy Angelina Jolie, who is an Executive Producer.
There a number of upcoming screenings suitable for schools for ages 10+, with a comprehensive education pack containing questions and activities to guide your class through the film. The education pack can be downloaded directly here and is a free resource for teachers.
The key points of interest in The Breadwinner include:
Arts education in the form of Cartoon Saloon’s beautiful animation
Social and personal health education reflected in Parvana’s resilience and good actions;
Diversity and inclusion explored through the representation of Afghan people and women in Afghanistan;
Politics, history and folklore referenced in stories of Afghanistan;
Language, reading and writing is represented as important skills in The Breadwinner. The students will also have the opportunity to discuss their feelings and opinions through the activities in the education pack.
The Breadwinner is available in English and in Irish language and has received a 12A certificate. It is recommended for Senior Primary Level and Junior Secondary Level students.
There is a full list of cinemas screening The Breadwinner online here: https://bit.ly/2ImyBmT
To book please fill out this booking form: https://goo.gl/forms/ EGO92EbalUaoVFmB2 or contact your cinema directly. Ticket prices are subject to the cinema’s school prices.
For any further queries, please contact Sarah Ahern, Schools Coordinator on thebreadwinnerfilm@gmail.com or ring The Breadwinner Team on 01 6185032.
To mark this significant anniversary a national invitation has been extended across Irish society including schools and their communities of staff and students to join with in the celebrations, raising awareness and understanding of children’s rights and listening to children and young people ensuring their voices are highlighted and heard. The aim is to provide creative and innovative ways to mark the 25th Anniversary and to enable educators to start the ‘Rights’ conversation in school – across many subject areas.
How to Get Involved
Get Animated About Rights
The OCO has teamed up with the Irish Animation Industry in a unique way to invite young people to create an image of the right that means most to them and have the opportunity to have it animated by one of Ireland’s leading animators.
Five winning artworks will be chosen by a panel of judges (including Oscar nominee 2018 Nora Twomey ‘The Breadwinner’, Best Animated Feature) for animation and winners will be offered an exclusive ‘behind-the-scenes’ tour of the hugely successful Brown Bag Studios (home of Give Up Yer Aul Sins, Doc McStuffins, Angelas Christmas and Octonauts). The animations will feature permanently on the OCO website.
Closing date is 16th June.
The Rights Museum
A cross-sector collaboration between OCO, National Museum of Ireland and Collapsing Horse Theatre. From September 2017 the OCO has been piloting this new education resource with Larkin Community College in Dublin (the first Rights Museum exhibition launched in March 2018 in the National Museum, Collins Barracks and runs until 29 June 2018). The Rights Museum resource will be available online on www.oco.ie from September 2018 inviting Junior Cert students to explore the UNCRC, choose and curate objects representing rights to exhibit in a pop-up Museum in school or in the local community.
The process of creating a Rights Museum offers schools opportunities for co-curricular co-operation, increased professional collaboration and students possibilities to apply learning in different contexts, engage in research, be creative and learn new skills. Collapsing Horse and Larkin’s pilot of the resource will be available as a short video piece.
Exhibition runs until 29th June
Check out Dan Colley, Collapsing Horse Theatre director guest blog series for the Arts in Education Portal on the project Rights Museum Project – artsineducation.ie/en/guestblog/dan+colley
Act Your Rights
Take part in the national ‘Act your Rights Drama’ competition in partnership with The Abbey Theatre.
Running until 30th May the OCO invite teachers and students to complete the ‘Act your Rights’ online resource. Make a short play, email a 3 minute taster and enter the competition to get the opportunity to perform on stage in the Peacock in September 2018.
The ‘Act your Rights’ online resource available here is a joint collaboration between the Ombudsman for Children’s Office and the Abbey Theatre. Act Your Rights aims to help children to become more aware of their rights and explore how rights are reflected in their everyday lives. It offers an innovative and enjoyable way to talk about rights with 4-6th class students through discussion, drama and art activities.
At the core of the Creative Engagement scheme is the collaboration between student, teacher and artist as set out in Artist~Schools (Arts Council 2006). It’s about tapping into the imagination of the young person while giving both an incentive and a framework for the work to thrive.
To encourage imagination, creativity, initiative and expression in student
Students must be at the centre of the creative process
To compliment curricular learning in the arts, culture and heritage
The selection criteria:
Student engagement in and ownership of the creative process
Evidence of partnership between the students, teacher and visiting artist.
Originality and viability of the proposal.
Clear plan of action.
The costing of the proposal.
The school leadership must be members of NAPD.
The school must be a second level one.
Financial considerations
The availability of the grant funding for Creative Engagement and number of applicants will determine the amount of the grant per school. We aim for €2000 euro per school.
Where possible schools will supply evidence of matching funding.
Artists are paid through the school, which will receive two cheques during the school year from NAPD, the final one following receipt of the Evaluation of the project.
Partnerships:
Since 2005 NAPD has established working partnerships with The Department of Education and Skills, The Department of Culture Heritage and the Gaeltacht, Poetry Ireland, The Heritage Council, Poetry Ireland, The National Museum, The National Gallery, IMMA, Amnesty International, Local authority Arts Officers and Cavan Monaghan ETB local arts in education Partnership.
Deadline October 25th 2018
Department of Education and Skills & Creative Ireland Programme
Deadline 11th May 2018
Creative Clusters is a pilot initiative of the Department of Education and Skills, led by, and in partnership with, the 21 full-time Teacher Education Centres (ATECI) and funded through the Schools Excellence Fund – Creative Clusters Initiative.
Creative Clusters is an important initiative of Creative Youth – A Plan to Enable the Creative Potential of Every Child and Young Person (View the full Plan here), which was published in December 2017 as part of the Creative Ireland Programme. The Creative Youth Plan aims to give every child practical access to tuition, experience and participation in art, music, drama and coding by 2022.
A Creative Cluster will typically consist of between three and five schools collaborating on the design, implementation, evaluation and dissemination of an innovative arts and creative learning project which supports them to address a common issue or challenge.
Each Creative Cluster will receive funding of €2,500 for one year to implement their project in the 2018-2019 school year. It is anticipated that all schools in the cluster will have a say in how the budget is allocated and spent to support the implement of the project
Paid substitution will be provided for the Regional Cluster Training event and two/three local cluster meetings.
How To Apply
Schools can apply as part of a cluster which may be an existing network of schools or a potential cluster. Each cluster must nominate a lead school and a Creative Cluster Coordinator. Substitution costs to the equivalent of 1 day per term for the duration of the pilot project will be provided for the Lead School Creative Cluster Coordinator
Schools can apply individually and if successful, they will be placed in a cluster with other applicant schools. The local Teacher Education Centre will have a key role in identifying and supporting a Creative Cluster for their local area.
The closing date for receipt of applications is 11th May 2018
We are delighted to announce the guest speakers for the third annual Arts in Education Portal National Day on April 21st in Maynooth University in partnership with Froebel Department of Primary and Early Childhood Education. Our day begins with a welcome from Professor Gary Granville, Emeritus Professor of Education at the National College of Art and Design (NCAD) & Dr. Katie Sweeney – National Director for the Integration of the Arts, Department of Education and Skills (DES).
We welcome Josepha Madigan T.D, Minister for Culture, Heritage & the Gaeltacht to speak on the day along with guest speaker Paul Collard, Chief Executive of Creativity, Culture and Education (CCE). The full line-up which will be announced shortly includes a broad range of practical workshops and skills sharing as well as theoretical and critical thinking in the area from artists, teachers and practitioners from across the sector.
This event brings together members of the arts in education community from all across Ireland, to share, learn, talk, network, get inspired, and continue interrogating best practice in the field.
Josepha Madigan T.D, Minister for Culture, Heritage & the Gaeltacht
Josepha Madigan was appointed as Minister for Culture, Heritage & the Gaeltacht on 30th November 2017. She is an award-winning Family Lawyer, a qualified mediator and is passionate about mediation. She published a book entitled “Appropriate Dispute Resolution in Ireland” and served as Specialist Liaison Officer for Family Mediation with the Mediators’ Institute of Ireland, lectured in the area of family law and has written newspaper articles on this subject.
The Minister believes in a society that is progressive and creative, and is passionate about using both her business and legal skills in assisting citizens.
Professor Gary Granville, Emeritus Professor of Education at the National College of Art and Design (NCAD)
Gary Granville is Emeritus Professor of Education at the National College of Art and Design (NCAD), Dublin. He served as Interim Director of NCAD after spending some sixteen years as Head of School of Education. The School of Education NCAD is the leading centre of research in art education in Ireland, with graduate programmes in arts leadership, in socially engaged art and in doctoral research in arts education.
He was formerly Assistant Chief Executive of the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment (NCCA) in Ireland. In that capacity, he oversaw the design and introduction of national programmes, including the Leaving Certificate Applied, the Junior Cycle Schools Programme and initiatives in citizenship education, in enterprise education and in the arts. In recent years he has chaired the NCCA Development Group for Art at junior cycle and more recently, the design of a new programme for Leaving Certificate Art.
Dr. Granville has been a member of the Higher Education Authority and of specialist committees of the Teaching Council, NCCA and other national and international bodies. He has worked on international projects in Europe and Africa. His research interests are in the fields of education policy, art and design education, curriculum and assessment, and educational evaluation.
Dr, Katie Sweeney, National Director for the Integration of the Arts, Department of Education and Skills (DES)
National Director for the Integration of the Arts in Education (DES) – appointed by Minister for Education and Skills Ruaraí Quinn T.D. in 2013. Previously Katie has worked as a Research Scientist, Senior Lecturer in Dublin City University, Dublin Institute of Technology, Karolinska Institute of Health Sciences Stockholm in Sweden. She was a former Head of GMIT @Castlebar, CEO of Mayo VEC and CEO of Mayo Sligo and Leitrim Education and Training Board.
Paul Collard, Chief Executive of Creativity, Culture and Education (CCE)
Paul Collard is Chief Executive of Creativity, Culture and Education (CCE) an international foundation dedicated to unlocking the creativity of young people in and out of formal education. CCE was established to design and manage the delivery of the Creative Partnerships (CP) programme in England from 2002-11. The success and impact of the programme attracted considerable international attention and CCE now supports the delivery of programmes modelled on CP across a wide range of European countries including Norway, Lithuania, Holland, Germany, the Czech Republic, Romania, and Hungary. In Wales, CCE is advising the Arts Council of Wales and the Welsh Government on its £20 million Creative Learning through the Arts Plan, which now has over 550 schools enrolled and in Scotland, it is piloting its Art of Learning programme in partnership with Creative Scotland and Education Scotland.
Opportunities for schools to apply to participate in the Creative Schools pilot open on Tuesday 20th February, 2018. Selected schools will have the opportunity to deepen the impact the arts and creativity can make on school life and on the lives of children and young people. Schools selected for the pilot will be partnered with a Creative Associate, who will support them in planning and implementing a creative programme that can be sustained in their school. Creative Associates will be artists, creative practitioners and educators who will help schools to draw on the range of opportunities within their school and wider community. Each school will also receive €2,000 to help them implement their programme.
Following an application and selection process 150 schools will participate for the 2018/19 school year across Ireland. All Department of Education and Skills recognised primary and post-primary schools and Youthreach Centres will be eligible to apply. A diversity of school settings will be selected, with a strong focus on inclusion. The long-term objective is that all schools will have the opportunity to participate. Schools are encouraged to get on line and register today. Demand for places is expected to be high and this is an opportunity schools are not going to want to miss.
Scoileanna Ildánacha /Creative Schools is seeking a team of Creative Associates to support the delivery of the pilot initiative. This is an exciting opportunity for artists, creative practitioners, individuals working in organisations in the arts and cultural sector and for teachers currently working in schools who have a creative practice.
Creative Associates have a deep understanding of the arts and creativity and its potential to transform the lives of children and young people. They are dynamic agents for change uniquely placed to form sustainable partnerships between teachers, school staff, learners and other partners. They will work with a number of schools, inspire and energise them to create new connections and approaches that will develop and sustain arts and creative practices in their schools.
On the 7th December Creative Ireland delivered on one of it’s key promises by publishing Creative Youth: a Plan to enable the Creative Potential of Every Child and Young Person. This now represents the core work programme for Pillar 1 of the Creative Ireland Programme. Michael O’Reilly from Creative Ireland discusses the plan development and implementation.
Michael O’Reilly – Creative Ireland
Developing the plan was an interesting and not entirely pain-free process: it is no secret that the 2018 budget didn’t allow as much scope for new investment as had been hoped. But in the end, a creative engagement between the Department of Culture Heritage and the Gaeltacht, the Department of Education and Skills and the Department of Children and Youth Affairs produced a plan with a long-term vision – cultural and creative education for all – a strategic approach to the further development of pillar 1, and 18 implementation actions.
The two headline actions are implementation of Scoileanna Ildánacha / Creative Schools – an Arts Council led project, which is a development of the Arts in Education Charter initiative, Arts Rich Schools – ARIS, and the extension of Music Generation countrywide during the lifetime of the Programme.
There are several entirely new ideas in the plan but in the main it builds on existing initiatives. For example there will be a significant research project, and a culture and creativity-mapping project, but both will build on existing work.
From our point of view the most encouraging aspect of the plan is the acceptance of the long term vision of cultural and creative education for all: Cultural education that enables young people to explore and understand their own and other people’s cultural assumptions, viewpoints, beliefs and values, and Creative education that uses the innate creative skills of children and young people as a powerful instrument of learning.
The plan is not static. A Pillar 1 expert advisory group will be appointed shortly which will guide the further development of pillar 1 and also monitor the implementation of Creative Youth. A cross-departmental working group and a senior officials group will ensure that implementation stays on track.
We now have a clear agenda and cross-government support for its implemenation. The next few years will be both testing and exciting.
The Arts in Education Portal editorial team are pleased to invite applications for a documentation award from organisations or individuals who are leading arts in education initiatives. Through the award, successful applicants will receive services to the value of €4,000 that will support them in the documentation of a current or upcoming project.
The purpose of the award is to support the development of documented outcomes from Arts in Education initiatives in Ireland, which can be shared with the arts in education community and give insights into different processes of engagement. This is part of the Arts in Education Portal Editorial Committee’s commitment to supporting and recognising the value of documentation and reflection as a key component within arts in education initiatives.
Two awards will be offered through this opportunity.
Outcomes of the documentation process will include: a project video, a project feature to be showcased on the Portal’s Projects/Partnerships, and the option of a critical essay, with a view to also presenting the work as part of the Arts in Education Portal National Day in April 2018.
The process will involve meetings with the Portal Team and a schedule of 3 site visits over the course of the project to capture video and photographic documentation and support reflective processes among participants. The portal team will edit and produce a project video, and will liaise closely with the project partners to develop the content for the project feature. The critical essay would be sited in the Portal’s Reading Room, and is optional. The author and focus of the essay can be decided by the project organisers in collaboration with the Portal Team.
Criteria
To be considered for this opportunity, projects must:
Have started in autumn 2017 or be due to start in Jan/Feb 2018.
Have a minimum duration of 8 weeks.
Involve a professional artist working collaboratively within an educational setting (early years, primary or post-primary).
Be underpinned by a strong ethos of collaboration and a commitment to excellence.
Focus on the creative process, with children having an active and collaborative role.
Additional criteria
Successful applicants will be asked to ensure that relevant permissions/consent have been sought for documentation of participants.
Please ensure your application has been approved by all project partners prior to submission.
How to make a submission:
Please submit the following to the Arts in Education Portal Team:
Background on who you are; your professional practice and your ethos or approach towards Arts in Education.
An overview of the project – who is involved, how did the collaboration come about, what processes or approaches will take place, what is the aim or focus of the process, what are the dates of engagement?
A statement of interest, explaining why documentation supports would be of value to this project.
Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council; Galway & Roscommon ETB; Mayo, Sligo & Leitrim ETB; and Waterford & Wexford ETB each invite applications for the position of Music Generation Development Officer:
Reference numbers –
007448 (Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown)
MGDO-Galway County 17-1 (Galway County)
MG2017 (Leitrim)
WTMG01 (Waterford)
WXMG01 (Wexford)
A Music Generation Development Officer will be appointed by each Statutory Agency and will be responsible for managing an extensive performance music education programme on behalf of the Music Education Partnership in each county.
All five counties have recently been selected for participation in Music Generation – Ireland’s National Music Education Programme, which is co-funded by U2, The Ireland Funds, the Department of Education and Skills and Local Music Education Partnerships.
Three-year fixed-term contract.
Application form, job description and person specification available online –
Music Generation has announced the 9 new areas of Ireland that will receive philanthropic funding from U2 and The Ireland Funds to create increased access to non-mainstream music tuition for children and young people in their local area.
Following an open national call for applications earlier this year, the 9 new areas selected for participation are: Cavan/Monaghan; Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown; Galway City; Galway County; Kilkenny; Leitrim; Roscommon; Waterford and Wexford. The programmes will be managed and delivered by local Music Education Partnerships in each area. Operating on a 50/50 matched funding basis, these new Music Education Partnerships will receive an investment of €5m raised by U2 and The Ireland Funds, and will also generate a further combined €5m in local investment over the next five years.
This year sees the inauguration of Ireland’s prestigious National School Photography Awards [INSPA]. INSPA is a national children’s photography competition which is open to all primary schools located in the Republic of Ireland. These awards are brought to you by Image Masters Photography in partnership with Dublin Zoo, The Alzheimer Society of Ireland and MummyPages.
The awards aim to encourage young creatives in primary level education to engage with both digital technology and the creative process to create striking visual images. They will inspire and ignite passion in students, increase engagement with digital arts within primary level education while at the same time subtly educating students about the importance of the creative process.
The awards are offering a range of fantastic prizes for finalists, winners and their schools including; Free Entry to Dublin Zoo for the overall winner and their classmates, digital cameras for winners and their schools, framed photographs, certificates of achievement and school photography fundraising days in aid of The Alzheimer Society of Ireland.
This years’ theme is titled ‘Making Memories’ which asks both teachers and their students to integrate the camera into the school-day to generate discussion and understanding around the idea of memory/memories. All entries will be judged by a national panel including John Boyle (INTO President), Ronan Smith (Chair of ASI Irish Dementia Working Group), Aideen Howard (Director: The Ark, Dublin), Catherine Bowe (Visual Art Manager: Wexford Art Centre) and Richard Carr (Artist & School Liaison).
If your school would like to get involved they can request their schools access codes from the INSPA website – www.inspa.ie – here you will be able to activate your school account and begin uploading your students’ entries.
The deadline for entries is midnight on Friday 19th January 2018 so make sure you have activated your school account well in advance of this date.
Trinity College Dublin is calling on the nation to get creative this autumn and be inspired by one of Ireland’s greatest cultural treasures, the Book of Kells. Get your pens and paint brushes out, and write a poem, short story or create a drawing or painting based on the images from the world’s most famous medieval manuscript. Our judges will be looking for modern and innovative interpretations of the Book of Kells from participants. There are fantastic prizes to be won for individuals, schools, clubs and groups nationwide.
Closing date for entries Thursday 30 November 2017
Baboró International Arts Festival for Children is delighted to announce details of its GROW programme, which aims to support Irish-based artists who are currently active in making work for children and young audiences, or who have an interest in doing so. Now in its 21st year, Baboró already has a long history of mentoring and supporting artists and educators who are committed to placing the creative development of children and young people at the heart of their work.
The GROW programme will continue to build on Baboró’s existing supports, and this October will also introduce two new strands; Pathways to Production and Festival Mentoring. Applications are now open for these new initiatives. The GROW programme hopes to solidify and support the development of artists and the TYA (Theatre for Young Audiences) sector in Galway and throughout the country. Baboró is delighted that the Irish Theatre Institute (ITI) will partner on GROW in an advisory capacity on the Pathways to Productionand Festival Mentoring strands.
The GROW programme includes a number of strands which interested candidates can apply for. Two of the recently introduced strands are Pathways to Production and Festival Mentoring.
1. Pathways to Production: Pathways to Production is a new initiative led by Baboró, which will commence in October 2017 and is funded by the Arts Council’s Theatre Artist Development Scheme. This scheme will see Baboró partner with Druid and the Mick Lally Theatre, Branar Téatar de Phaistí and Galway Theatre Festival to support artists and young companies to develop their ideas with a view to presenting a full performance piece. The scheme will involve workshops, sharings of works-in-progress as well as support in developing funding strategies.
The Pathways to Production programme will run from October 2017 to October 2018. This is a pilot programme and will be reviewed on an annual basis. Closing date for receipt of applications is 21 September 2017. Successful applicants will be notified by 29 September. For more details and to apply please see www.baboro.ie/grow
2. Festival Mentoring: Another new initiative from Baboró is the Festival Mentoring programme aimed at artists and creatives at any stage of their career, including those with an established career, who have never before made work for children. As part of the programme, participants will receive mentoring from two highly experienced individuals from the sector; Phil Kingston, Community and Education Manager at the Abbey Theatre and Maria Fleming, Chair of Theatre for Young Audiences Ireland (TYAI) and Freelance Producer. The four successful candidates will have an opportunity to attend shows during this year’s Baboró International Arts Festival for Children, which runs from 16 – 22 October in Galway, and will also attend industry and networking events.
The Festival Mentoring programme will run for three days during this year’s Baboró International Arts Festival for Children from 16– 22 October. Exact dates to be confirmed. Closing date for receipt of applications is 21 September 2017. Successful applicants will be notified by 29 September. For more details and to apply please see www.baboro.ie/grow
The GROW programme is open to artists at any stage of their career throughout Ireland. For more information about these exciting new initiatives see www.baboro.ie/grow or call 091 562 667.
Baboró would like to acknowledge the support of The Arts Council for funding the GROW programme through The Arts Council’s Theatre Artist Development scheme.
‘Virtually There’ Project – Opportunity for Action Researcher
Kids’ Own is pleased to invite applications from suitably qualified individuals for the role of ‘Virtually There’ Action Researcher.
Kids’ Own seeks an Action Researcher to join the ‘Virtually There’ project, which takes place in Northern Ireland. This is a long-term piece of work, running until 2020. This phase of this project is funded through a ‘More and Better’ Grant from the Paul Hamlyn Foundation’s Arts-based Learning Fund.
Deadline for receipt of applications is Weds 23rd Augustat 5pm. Shortlisted applicants for the post of Action Researcher will be invited to interview on 31st August or 1st September 2017, with a view to starting work in September. The successful applicant will be required to attend a two-day creative planning meeting in Belfast on 28th and 29th September 2017.
More information and a full brief for the role can be found here
Music Generation has announced that it will expand into nine new areas of Ireland within five years, thanks to the ongoing support of U2 and The Ireland Funds who together will have raised a total of €6.3m for the programme’s second phase. This combined investment in ‘Phase 2’ of Music Generation will include donations from the proceeds of U2’s The Joshua Tree Tour 2017, as well as donations previously raised for Music Generation through the band’s iNNOCENCE + eXPERIENCE Tour in 2015, alongside further philanthropic investment by The Ireland Funds. A grant from Bank of America, through the Bank of America Charitable Foundation, forms part of The Ireland Funds’ investment in this second phase of Music Generation.
Phase 2 of Music Generation has been assured of long-term sustainability through a commitment by the Department of Education and Skills to co-fund the new areas into the future, together with Local Music Education Partnerships.
To encourage imagination, creativity, initiative and expression in student
Students must be at the centre of the creative process
To compliment curricular learning in the arts, culture and heritage
The selection criteria:
Student engagement in and ownership of the creative process
Evidence of partnership between the students, teacher and visiting artist.
Originality and viability of the proposal.
Clear plan of action.
The costing of the proposal.
The school leadership must be members of NAPD.
Financial considerations.
The availability of the grant funding for Creative Engagement and number of applicants will determine the amount of the grant per school.
Where possible schools will supply evidence of matching funding.
Artists are paid through the school, which will receive two cheques during the school year from NAPD, the final one following receipt of the Evaluation of the project.
Partnerships:
NAPD has established working partnerships with The Department of Education and Skills, The Department of Arts Heritage and the Gaeltacht, Poetry Ireland, The Heritage Council, Poetry Ireland, The National Museum, The National Gallery, IMMA, Amnesty International, Local authority Arts Officers and Cavan Monaghan ETB local arts in education Partnership.
Deadline October 24th 2017
The Arts Council’s Creative Schools Initiative
The Arts Council is establishing a project team to lead Scoileanna Ildánacha/Creative Schools – a partnership initiative with the Department of Education and Skills. This initiative is being developed in the context of the Creative Ireland programme 2017–2022 and with the support of the Department of Arts, Heritage, Regional, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs.
Scoileanna Ildánacha/Creative Schools is an ambitious national initiative, which sets out to understand, develop and celebrate the arts in Irish schools, and to foster children and young people’s creativity and participation in the arts as an integral part of their education in Ireland.
The project team will be based in the Arts Council, 70 Merrion Square, Dublin 2.
The Project Lead will be procured by an EU public tender process and will be responsible for the development and implementation of the first phase of this important national initiative, and future phases, subject to agreement.
In addition, up to two Advisers will be recruited on a secondment basis from the Department of Education and Skills on an initial one year basis. These secondees will be qualified and registered teachers. A Primary and Early Childhood Education Adviser and a Post-Primary Education Adviser will work alongside the Project Lead and will contribute to the design and development of the Scoileanna Ildánacha/Creative Schools initiative as it relates to primary and early childhood education; and to post-primary education respectively.
Further information
For more information on the Project Lead tender and required services, please visit the Arts Council’s tenders page.
For more information on the roles of Primary and Early Childhood Education Adviser and Post-Primary Education Adviser please visit the Arts Council’s jobs page.
(Note: Scoileanna Ildánacha/Creative Schools is a working title. This initiative was formerly known as ARIS/Arts Rich Schools.)
Are you a teacher in Primary or Post-Primary education?
Then we are looking for you! We would love to hear from teachers who are taking part in a Summer Course and would like to document their learning throughout the week, as part of our Guest Blogger series.
If you are interested in being a guest blogger for the Arts in Education Portal then contact us at editor@artsineducation.ie for more information.
The Creativity and Change programme targets educators, change-makers, activists, artists, community workers, adult educators, youth workers, volunteers and anyone who is interested how creative engagement can nurture global citizenship and empathic action around local and global justice themes.
This is a Level 9 CIT Special Purpose Award offered over 8 weekends of the academic year, September – May.
Are you passionate about change?
Do you believe that you can make a difference in the world?
Do you believe that we need creativity to think in new ways about the challenges that face the world?
Are you curious about how creative processes and learning environments can transform how people engage with the world around them?
Do you want to build skills to bring others on a journey of transformation and growth as global citizens?
This course is for you if you can say ‘Yes!’ to these questions.
Find out more about the Accredited award, hear the stories of previous participants and how to connect to CIT online application here
Find out more about the Creativity & Change programme and what else it has to offer with master classes, Creative fairs and training for youth workershere
The Association of Irish Choirs presents its 38th International Choral Conducting Summer School from 6th-12th August 2017, for conductors, teachers, music students, choral singers and musicians. The only one of its kind in Ireland, this seven-day intensive course offers a wealth of expertise from international tutors, all of whom are active conductors and experienced teachers of conducting. With courses designed to meet the needs and abilities of every student — from beginners to experienced and established conductors — participants at all levels will develop and refine their core conducting skills, with more advanced classes focusing on areas such as rehearsal technique, interpretation, vocal technique, style, and pronunciation of languages. EPV accredited.
“The arts transformed my love of learning and are the reason I’m standing before you today” Prof. Anne Bamford
On May 6th the second arts in education portal national took place at St Patrick’s Campus, DCU. The portal national day is building momentum as a very significant event in the arts and education calendar in Ireland. Just under 200 people registered to attend the event with 17 workshops and lectures, an inspiring keynote from Prof Anne Bamford and a policy update from the Arts Council and Minister for Arts, Heritage, Regional and Gaeltacht Affairs, Heather Humphreys. We are already excited about next years event. Have a look here to see the video from the day. Thanks to all involved in making day a huge success!
Teacher/Artist Partnerships: supporting and enhancing Arts Education in Primary Schools
This is a unique summer course offering teachers the opportunity to explore the nature and educational value of partnerships between teachers and artists in supporting arts education in schools.
This course, which has the potential to improve literacy, numeracy and well-being in all schools including DEIS, will be offered across the Education Centre Network in 2017. It is supported by the Department of Education & Skills and the Department of Arts, Heritage, Regional, Rural & Gaeltacht Affairs. Many schools across the country are engaged in projects with artists, in a variety of art forms, ranging from one-off artist visits to longer term projects. If you are currently engaged in such a project, or are planning one for the coming year, then this course will be of interest to you. This course looks at the ways in which working with an artist in school can be enhanced in order to provide meaningful experiences for children and a lasting impact on school practice. Particular emphasis will be on the role of the teacher and artist, their unique contributions to projects and the significant benefits that can accrue from a dynamic teacher/artist relationship in the planning and implementation of projects. Placing the teacher/artist project within the overall Arts Curriculum in schools and exploration of related practical issues will be central to the course.
The course draws on research in the field and looks at practical teacher/artist projects and partnerships that have been undertaken in schools recently. Various art forms will be explored and participants will have opportunities to explore their own creativity throughout the week. Course tutors are teachers and artists who have been involved in such projects and participants on the course will include both teachers and local artists. Artists participating in the summer course are nominated through their local authority arts offices.
Are you looking to improve your understanding of arts education, to improve Arts Curriculum integration in your classroom, to work with a partner in the field of ‘The Arts’, to engage with a professional artist as a way of improving your own arts teaching skills? Would you welcome the input and insight of a practising artist while teaching the children in your care?
Schools Principals might consider this course in the context of the Government’s Creative Ireland Programme 2017-2022, featuring “Enabling the Creative Potential of Every Child” in Pillar 1 (creativeireland.ie), the upcoming launch of a Creative Children plan in September 2017 and the overall development of arts education your school community. It may be useful to consider more than one teacher attending from a school or even whole school participation.
A Teacher/ Artist Residency programme will be available to a limited number of the schools which participated in this summer course in the school year 2017-2018. While there is no guarantee that your school will have access to a residency in 2017-2018, this course will provide you with the skills and knowledge to support you and your school in your implementation of the Arts Curriculum.
Date & Venue: Please contact your local Education Centre (Teachers will receive EPV days). The course is free.
CREATIVE DANCE TALES is storytelling through dance. It began as a pilot workshop project in 2015 which ran in parallel with CoisCéim Dance Theatre’s THE WOLF AND PETER by David Bolger and its three year-long residency at DCU (formerly St. Patrick’s College).
Supported by The Ireland Funds, CoisCéim BROADREACH conducted 26 workshops in 8 primary schools at 6 locations around Ireland with over 300 children taking part. Two specialist seminars for educators were held in Dublin and Galway. CREATIVE DANCE TALES gave children an imaginative, kinaesthetic learning experience in dance and highlighted the power of storytelling through performance.
Emerging in part from requests made by teachers, the CREATIVE DANCE TALES DIGITAL RESOURCE was developed together by BROADREACH and the Physical Education Unit, The School of Arts Education and Movement, Institute of Education, DCU, and funded through the residency by the Arts Council of Ireland.
It is a celebration of the work of children, students, teachers, teacher educators and dance professionals. Distributed free of charge through the Arts in Education Portal in Ireland and www.dcu.ie, the lesson plans are designed to act as a starting point to stimulate creative thinking for teachers and children alike.
Learning through Creativity is a 5-day course accredited by Drumcondra Education Centre that enables primary teachers to consider how an engagement with visual art can enhance learning in other strands of the curriculum. Working with the Glucksman Curatorial Team and professional artists, participants will learn practical art making skills across a range of mediums and develop their own art integration lesson plans for use in the classroom.
This course is designed around the 5th/6th class Primary School Curriculum.
Monday 21st August – Friday 25th August 2017, 10am -2:30pm
Minister for Education and Skills Mr Richard Bruton T.D. officially launched “Exploring Teacher-Artist Partnership as a Model of CPD for Supporting and Enhancing Arts Education in Ireland: A Research Report” on 8th March 2017 in the Clock Tower at the Department of Education and Skills.
Officially launching the Research Report, Minister Bruton said: “I am very pleased to officially launch Exploring Teacher-Artist Partnership as a Model of CPD for Supporting and Enhancing Arts Education in Ireland: A Research Report at such an exciting time for the integration of the arts in education, when there is now a national ‘Creative Ireland’ programme to enable the creative potential of every child.
“The research report we are launching today provides evidence-based recommendations to foster and develop teacher-artist partnerships in innovative ways. I believe this model of teacher professional development has enormous potential to transform approaches to arts education in schools. In particular, it highlights the importance of supporting arts and education partnerships through professional development so as to create high quality arts experiences for children. In the research report, Dr Kenny and Dr Morrissey continually point to the complementary knowledge and skills that both teachers and artists bring to arts education in schools”.
Commenting on the launch, Minister for Arts, Heritage, Regional, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs Heather Humphreys T.D. said “Creative Ireland is an invitation to the entire country to get involved in something truly inspirational. This hugely ambitious all-of-Government initiative puts culture and creativity at the centre of public policy. Creative Ireland will ensure that children can participate in the arts from an early age, and it will drive cultural engagement in every county nationwide. This is a bold and ambitious initiative, and it is particularly appropriate and significant that our priority in this first year of Creative Ireland is children and young people.
“We already know that children who engage in the arts are happier and they perform better at school. I welcome the findings of this Research Report on the Teacher-Artist Partnership model and look forward to working with our colleagues in the Department of Education and Skills and the Arts Council of Ireland, both of whom have been instrumental in bringing this piece of work to fruition, on developing the Creative Children plan. This report provides very valuable insights into the importance of this approach to creative learning and contributes to the strong foundations upon which the Creative Ireland Programme is built.”
Minister Bruton finished by saying, “I congratulate Dr Kenny and Dr Morrissey on the quality of this excellent evidence-informed research report. I am delighted that the initiative has continued and is now at a stage where it will be delivered as a Summer Course in each of the 21 Education Centres in summer 2017. I wish the overall initiative continued success and I am now delighted to formally launch the research report”.
Ursula Byrne, Head of Development and Strategic Programmes, UCD Library and Dr Lucy Collins, Lecturer UCD are co–founders of the Irish Poetry Reading Archive:
The Irish Poetry Reading Archive is a free digital collection of readings by Irish poets in the English and Irish language. Educators and students alike will derive value from this archive, drawing on the readings by the poets themselves, along with their recollections and insights of the time, place and context that influenced their writing. The archive holds recordings by 80 poets, with new voices being added annually. Each poet reads up to 8 poems, and over time poets will be invited back, to capture more of their work. Bringing the voices of our poets together within a curated digital environment aims to ensure that these cultural heritage recordings are preserved for future generations. The Irish Poetry Reading Archive is poised to develop into a resource of national scope and significance. There is great potential for this resource to support students doing the Junior Cert and the Leaving Cert. Hearing the poets talk about their own work, and read the poems in their own voices brings the poetry to life and makes it really enjoyable.
We just had our final session of the online course, ‘Documenting Projects and Events’. The five weekly online conversations covered a range of topics surrounding the documentation of artwork and events. The participants on the course included a mixture of artists, educators and organisations working in different media (painting, sculpture, lens-based, performance) and carrying out different processes (workshops, artworks, and live events). Given this variety, the course took a participant-led format that based discussion around individual responses to weekly tasks and provocations.
Week-to-week, participants were asked to populate their own mini-website with their responses to tasks that focused on varying forms of artwork documentation. These included documentation in text, still image, and audiovisual (moving image/sound). In an attempt to broaden and challenge each participant’s approach to documentation in these media, tasks solicited examples of a range of formats with varying intentions and potential audiences. For example, promotional material for the general public; report for a funding organisation; material for an archive or portfolio; and notation for another artist to carry out a project.
The pace of the conversation really heated up in the last two weeks, darting around the various aspects of capturing and processing still and moving image. The discussion regularly turned to the online presence of artists and organisations and the various functions of their websites and social media presence – portfolio/archive/promotion/journalling. Whilst the chat sometimes took in tech-talk (digital file-types, recording gear, etc.), the diversity of the group led to a most advantageous sharing of ideas and concepts around the intentions and potentials of arts education documentation.
The group related an invigorated enthusiasm and curiosity about the ways in which they might capture their work, encouraged by the interdisciplinary discussion. In exploring what (and how) artefacts might be logged and captured, we have considered more critically how works and events might be preserved, shared and perceived by a myriad of potential stakeholders. I have been taking notes and observations throughout the course and will be sharing these as a resource with the group and other members of the Arts in Education Portal for future reference and inspiration.
Artist, John D’Arcy (Course Leader)
The Arts in Education Portal online documentation course kicked off on January 16th. Digital artist John D’Arcy gives us an update:
“We recently had our first session of the online course ‘Documenting Projects and Events’. The course brings together artists, educators and organisations in a weekly online conversation about how we document the work we make.
During the first session the course participants introduced themselves, each waving into the webcam of their laptop, tablet or phone from a different corner of the island. We practice in a diverse range of artforms: painting, sculpture, lens-based, performance, dance, sound – some working as freelance artists and others with arts organisations.
Our conversation revealed that many of us have experience capturing documentation of our own work (and that of others) through still image, video and audio. However, many of us identified problematic aspects with these processes and are looking for alternative ways to capture documentation whilst in the flow of a workshop or event. Some of the group are particularly interested in exploring experimental techniques for documenting their work.
We also spoke about some of the issues related to presenting work online in web portfolios and on social media, with some participants hoping to discuss this further in future sessions.
As the conversation came to a close, I gave the group their task for the next session – to create a website or blog where they will host their work for the course from week to week. To kick off the conversation next time we will be discussing some examples of documentation that have particularly inspired us in the past and jump off from there”.
Creative Ireland
Last week the government announced a new five year initiative which places creativity at the centre of public policy, ‘The Creative Ireland Programme’. Creative Ireland is a culture-based programme designed to promote individual, community and national wellbeing. The core proposition is that participation in cultural activity drives personal and collective creativity, with significant implications for individual and societal wellbeing and achievement.
Creative Ireland is the main implementation vehicle for the priorities identified in Culture 2025/Éire Ildánach, the draft cultural policy published by the Minister for Arts, Heritage, Regional, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs in July 2016, which sees a vibrant cultural ecosystem as essential to society. Culture 2025/Éire Ildánach states that arts and culture are intrinsic to the Irish State, acknowledges the need to increase access to, and participation in, the arts, boost our creative industries, and preserve our heritage with a particular focus on language, landscape and the environment.
Creative Ireland as a 2016 legacy project is inspired by the extraordinary public response to the Centenary: the thousands of events, largely culture-based, and unprecedented public participation that brought us together in shared reflections on identity, culture and citizenship that combined history with arts, heritage and language.
Creative Ireland will bring coordination and focus to existing culture-based policies and initiatives – and lead to ambitious new actions.
Creative Ireland is a wellbeing strategy for people, but it will also enable a representation of Ireland to the outside world that is well grounded, widely understood and meaningful. Creative Ireland will coordinate and enable the construction of that representation, seeking coherence among all stakeholders and placing a clear focus on our rich cultural heritage and our creativity.
Creative Ireland is underpinned by the key values should be identified in Culture 2025/Éire Ildánach. They are:
The intrinsic value of culture
The value of culture to our lives and our communities
The right of everyone to participate in the cultural life of the nation
The importance of the Irish language, our cultural heritage, folklore, games, music and the uniqueness of our Gaeltacht areas
The value of cultural diversity, informed by the many traditions and social backgrounds now in Ireland
The value of culture as a means of fostering a more sustainable future for Ireland, including through economic and social policy
The value of culture in presenting Ireland to the world.
Across an Open Field is the first Irish history book written and illustrated by children, revealing unique accounts and personal insights into Ireland’s past. Over 300 children from 10 primary schools in Ireland and Northern Ireland investigated the events of 1912-1922 during a two-year project led by Kids’ Own Publishing Partnership. Funded by the Department of Foreign Affairs Reconciliation Fund, the book project took place with children aged 8-12 in schools in Antrim, Down, Dublin, Galway, Kilkenny, Limerick, Monaghan and Tyrone. Across an Open Field was launched by the Minister for Education and Skills, Richard Bruton, T.D. on November 25th in Kilkenny Education Centre.
To create the publication, the children became action researchers within their own communities, each school taking a different direction as the children found their own areas of interest and exploration. Several schools engaged a local historian to support them in their research and the long-term nature of the project provided the scope for the children to look beyond the received myths and perceptions around historical events.
Across an Open Field captures the children’s fascinations across global and national happenings, local events and family stories in the 1912-1922 era. Some children were drawn to social change and economic development, and explorations included the Suffragette movement, transportation, workers’ rights and the children of the 1913 Lockout. The minutiae behind global events such as World War I were another source of intrigue. We learn about family histories and the role of blood relations during The Easter Rising and The War of Independence. Other children were captured by a single story – from pioneer aviator Denys Corbett Wilson to the Clones Shootings – which they chose to explore collectively in more detail.
Paul Fields, Director of Kilkenny Education Centre, said: ‘This publication demonstrates the commonality, humanity and concerns of our nation, all written and drawn by children. It offers a platform for historical discussion about our nation, our people, and how our children understand its evolution, development, emergence and identity.’
Fíonán Carolan, aged 12, St Joseph’s BNS, Carrickmacross, Monaghan, said: ‘When the project started I asked my Dad if he had any relations in the war or anything to do with the Easter Rising. I didn’t expect to have any connection. It was very interesting to find out how they lived. I’ve become passionate about history, the Rising, the War, Michael Collins, the Titanic and the Lusitania.’
Linda O’Sullivan, Teacher at St Joseph’s BNS, Carrickmacross, Co. Monaghan, said: ‘I feel that children have developed a wonderful sense of how history can leap off the page and come alive for them from this project.’
Marie O’Donoghue of the Education Authority, Northern Ireland, said: ‘The pioneering methods of Kids’ Own forge a rich environment where creativity is nurtured and developed. When children are placed in this type of environment they never cease to amaze us. They shine with their ability to think for themselves, to solve problems and to notice something that we would never think of. The depth and breadth of the learning that the children are experiencing is tangible. This is education at its best.’
Orla Kenny, Director of Kids’ Own, said: ‘This publication provides a unique and significant resource as a first history-book publication developed by children as part of the commemoration initiative. The title of the book is drawn from the children’s own words – from a story about World War One – but as the title, it seeks to convey history as an open field of investigation. We hope that it offers a stimulus for continued dialogue and learning, and inspires children everywhere to have a deeper connection with our history and our culture.’
Across an Open Field is published by Kids’ Own Publishing Partnership in association with Kilkenny Education Centre (representing the Association of Teacher Education Centres in Ireland) and the Education Authority, Northern Ireland. The children’s historical research is documented on a dedicated website which includes case studies and videos capturing their voices and perspectives: 100yearhistory.com
As part of a review of the Artists~Schools Guidelines conducted by the Arts Council on behalf of the High Level Implementation Group of the Arts in Education Charter, this video has been developed to capture stakeholders’ observations regarding the key principles and information of most relevance to artists and/or schools interested in developing best practice in this area.
A ground-breaking research document, which was launched on Friday 4 November at the 6th Annual Conference of the Society for Music Education in Ireland, has revealed a new model for the provision of music education that can achieve powerful and positive outcomes for children and young people. ‘Possible Selves in Music’ challenges traditional thinking about music education, uncovers an entirely new approach and opens up a wealth of knowledge to all who are interested in bringing music into children’s and young people’s lives.
As Ireland’s national music education programme, Music Generation seeks to transform the lives of children and young people through access to high-quality vocal and instrumental tuition (also known as performance music education). Working through local Music Education Partnerships, the programme provides children and young people with a multitude of different ways to engage with music.
National Director of Music Generation, Rosaleen Molloy said that: “‘Possible Selves in Music’ reveals rich and valuable information about how children and young people flourish when they connect with music. We now know that children and young people engage with music learning to enrich their lives in a range of different ways. ‘Possible Selves’ is a useful concept to capture the various ways that they imagine music will be part of their lives in the future.”
‘Possible Selves in Music’ is the outcome of a two-year research partnership between Music Generation and St Patrick’s College Drumcondra (now DCU). The research, which will be of significant interest to musicians, educators, policy-makers, youth workers, and national and local government agencies at home and overseas, was commissioned by the Board of Music Generation in 2013 and carried out by Postdoctoral Research Fellow Dr Thomas Johnston, who worked with Principal Investigator to the project Dr Patricia Flynn (DCU/St Patrick’s College).
The Research Board comprised Dr Patricia Flynn (DCU/St Patrick’s College); Rosaleen Molloy (National Director, Music Generation); Prof Stephanie Pitts (University of Sheffield); and Prof Emer Smyth (ESRI).
For further information about the research and to download the document visit www.musicgeneration.ie.
The 100-year history project is a creative commemoration project, engaging children and teachers from 10 schools in Ireland and Northern Ireland with the Decade of Commemorations, through research and creative activity alongside a professional artist and writer. The project is phased to encompass child-led research, exploring the wider political events of the decade 1912-22 through the lens of local and family histories.
The 100 Year History publication will be launched in September 2016.
The project aims to:
Support a way of working that involves children as action researchers within their own communities and that recognises the value of the arts for breaking down cultural barrier.
Make a unique commemorative book publication to provide a legacy that promotes children’s inclusion in commemorations, and the power of the child’s voice to challenge the perceptions of adults.
Engage children with the decade of commemorations through child-led research and creative activity alongside a professional artist and writer.
Challenge received myths and perceptions around historical events from 1912-22, and break the culture of silence surrounding these events.
Who was involved?
The project is managed and led by Kids’ Own Publishing Partnership, in conjunction with the Kilkenny Education Centre, Blackrock Education Centre, Dublin West Education Centre, Limerick Education Centre, and the Belfast Education and Library Board. For 10 primary schools North and South of Ireland with artist Ann Donnelly and writer Mary Branley. The project is funded by The Department of Foreign Affairs Reconciliation Fund.
The 12 primary schools included;
Northampton National School, Kinvara, Co. Galway
Laghey Primary School, Dungannon, Co. Tyrone
Inchicore National School, Dublin 10
Hazelwood Integrated PS, Belfast
Lisnafunchin National School, Castlecomer, Co. Kilkenny
Gaelscoil na Bhfál, Falls Road, Belfast
Nicker National School, Old Pallas, Co. Limerick
Holy Rosary Primary School, Belfast
St Joseph’s Boys National School, Carrickmacross, Co. Monaghan
St Brigid’s National School, Dublin 4
How did you begin?
Phase one of the project began with an initial teacher meeting, with teachers from schools, north and south, artist Ann Donnelly & writer Mary Branley, representatives from the partner organisations. The aim of the meeting was to provide a space for teachers participating in the project to come together to begin to discuss and plan the project.
The feedback from the teachers on the day reflected both their excitement about the project, as well as their fears and concerns, in terms of supporting the children through a research process while being mindful of the political sensibilities involved;
“Only British history is taught to the pupils in my school. I am excited to teach the children some history about Northern Ireland, especially within their own locality. Children learn a lot of British history but have never visited the settings of these historical events. By learning about local history the children can compare now and then.”
“There was a positive sense of schools working as part of a group, with help from writer and artist.”
“Rich historic surroundings around our school in Inchicore/ Kilmainham. I am excited and enthusiastic about beginning the project and exploring, 1. How the children interpret these events explored, and 2. How it can be linked to personal/ local history, and also how it can be compared to their experiences of the world today – perspective of an innocent eye.”
How were the ideas developed and how did the young people, artist and teacher work together?
This work is not just about the facts and stories that have been uncovered, although some of these are full of interest and worth: above all, the project needed to be child-led. This approach has required a huge amount of resourcefulness from all concerned, as often the material doesn’t exist in a form that is easily accessible, particularly for younger children or those with English as a second language. The role of the writer and artist was in supporting children and teachers in their research, encouraging them to dig deeper into local and family history.
Writer Mary Branley
The actual historical knowledge the children researched through different means and sources. In two schools so far the entire class focused on place related incidents, i.e. The Lockout of 1913 in Haddington Rd Dublin, The Clones Shooting in 1922 (in which the newly established border plays a big part), and the arrival of the Belgian Refugees in Monaghan, Carrickmacross. In preparing these stories for publication, children, teacher, artist and writer worked together to tell the story orally, writer transcribed, we revisited the story for accuracy, completeness, further details and context. Once agreement had been reached on the written story, the children selected the images or aspects of the story they wanted to illustrate. This kind of collective working meant both a higher level of knowledge was attained, and shared, and that a high level of ownership of both text and illustrations was reached. The role of the adults was to support the children in their line of inquiry, rather than leading the children in any particular direction.
Pupil from St Joseph’s Boys’ National School, Carrickmacross
“There has been a lot of work researching, searching the internet and books and doing drawings. But it should be spectacular at the end to see what other kids have done”.
Pupils from Gaelscoil na Bhfál, Belfast
“We walked from school to City Cemetery up the Falls Road. It took us five minutes. It’s a very old cemetery. We saw graves from 1789. We first had to go big gates with statues on either side of the wall, we followed the trail to find the graves.
The highlight of our day was climbing through bushes to find what graves there were. Someone leaned over to pull the ivy vines away from the headstone. We saw a grave over 200 years old.
We also found the grave of Viscount Perrie’s. He was in charge of Harland and Wolf during the building of the Titanic”.
What aspects of the project made you smile? What aspects of the project made you feel challenged?
Artist Ann Donnelly
The children’s enthusiasm was exciting in every school, I loved seeing real objects and photos, these really brought things to life for me. Or hearing about something that happened just around the corner, amazing stories and ideas. Louis from Kilkenny discovered from visiting historian that his great aunt was the first woman to drive an armoured car. Children in the Limerick class told me about rebel ambushes a few fields away and about great aunts who were shot as German informers near Lublin in Poland. I was challenged to ensure that these amazing little stories did not get swept away in a big important narrative strand.
Writer Mary Branley
School visits are always exciting and it’s a privilege to be welcomed wherever we have gone. It was a delight to meet individual children who had found out about the lives of their great great grandparents, or other family members, and conveyed their amazement in looking at artefacts, like photos, letters from the trenches in World War 1 and even a beautifully boxed deck of playing cards. It made history come alive to make connections with family members, in some cases with the same names as themselves and clear family resemblances.
The sensitivity of the history itself, both of the formation of the Republic of Ireland and the creation of Northern Ireland challenged us. As one teacher explained it “History is not just fact, but perspectives on the same stories, depending on your sources. Then there are opinions and judgments on the facts which we are living with to this day. It’s not easy for children to understand this, but their perspectives are also part of the learning process.” We need to be aware of the pitfalls of simple jingoistic narratives that essentially continue the status quo, and never go deeper into the complexities of issues that might challenge us, and lead us to question our mono cultural perspectives. But there has never been a better time to investigate the past, with so many and varied sources now available.
Teacher Linda O’Sullivan
“I feel that children have developed a wonderful sense of how history can leap off the page and come alive for them from this project”.
What insights from the project are worth sharing?
Writer Mary Branley
Winston Churchill famously described history, as “just one damn thing after another.” This is both true and very misleading. Facts are facts, but they don’t exist by themselves, such as neat little sums,like 2+2=4. There are causes, consequences, terrible events, and further reprisals in an ongoing saga of power and politics. Then there are the ordinary people caught up in battles for equality, rights, justice and the wish to lead a peaceful life. This can be a daunting task for children to negotiate. But how worthwhile to allow children to connect with and make sense of the past.
Pupil from St Joseph’s Boys’ National School, Carrickmacross
“My Grandad has a chest of stuff about PJ Cassidy. I felt excited because someone in our family was in such a big event and I had real thing from 100 years ago to show the boys in the class”.
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Opportunity for Schools: 2025 Waltons RTÉ lyric fm Music for Schools Competition
2025 Waltons RTÉ lyric fm Music for Schools Competition Closing date: 12 February 2025 at 5pm
Founded in 2012, the Waltons RTÉ lyric fm Music for Schools Competition is a non-profit national event celebrating and supporting music in Irish schools.
All primary and post-primary schools in the Republic of Ireland are eligible to enter the Competition, and schools from all 26 counties have participated in previous years.
The Competition’s objective is to promote the enormous benefits of creative music making for young people. Its open nature offers schools the opportunity to think and work creatively in any genre (or genres) of music and with any combination of students, developing an original musical project that has learning potential at every stage of the process.
Each year’s Competition culminates in a gala Finalists Concert in the National Concert Hall, in which twelve Finalist school music groups (six primary and six post-primary) perform before their peers and a panel of distinguished adjudicators. The entire concert is streamed live by RTÉ lyric fm and can be watched from anywhere in Ireland or around the world.
At the end of the Finalists Concert, the adjudicators announce six winning groups (three primary and three post-primary), which receive trophies and awards totalling €7,000 worth of vouchers for musical instruments and equipment from Waltons Music Ireland for their schools, including two First Prizes of €2,000 vouchers, two Second Prizes of €1,000 vouchers and two Third Prizes of €500 vouchers.
How It Works
Primary and post-primary schools put together instrumental, vocal or mixed student music groups (between 10 and 40 performers), which create ensemble pieces or songs that respond in some way to the year’s Competition theme. A group can be made up of any combination of singers or instrumentalists you choose. And this year’s theme is The Key of Life.
Schools submit an online entry form and send a video of the group’s performance as well as a jpeg photograph of the group.
The initial entries are judged by a team of first-round adjudicators, and twelve Finalist groups (six primary and six post-primary) are selected.
The Finalists are announced on RTÉ lyric fm. Groups not selected as Finalists but displaying real merit are designated as either Commended or Highly Commended. Certificates are produced for the schools and all student performers, and the groups are listed on the Waltons New School of Music website. Finalists’ entry videos are added to the Music for Schools Competition YouTube channel.
The twelve Finalist groups perform in a gala Finalists Concert at the National Concert Hall. Their performances are assessed by a panel of distinguished adjudicators, who announce the six winning groups at the end of the concert. Finalists Concert videos are later added to the Music for Schools Competition YouTube channel, and both videos and photos are added to the Waltons New School of Music website.
2025 Competition Calendar:
Wednesday, 12 February 2025, 5 pm
Deadline for schools to submit their entries.
Friday, 28 February 2025
The twelve Finalist schools are announced on RTÉ lyric fm.
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Opportunity for Teachers: Oide Creativity Autumn/Winter 2024 Workshops
Oide Creativity Dates: various November 2024
The Creative Ireland Programme and Oide are delighted to present their Autumn/Winter 2024 series of professional development workshops for teachers to support engagement with the arts and learning.
The courses include:
STE(A)M SEAI Workshop Making Connections: Energy within and across junior cycle specifications Dates: Saturday 9 November 2024 10:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. Location: Mount Lucas, Daingean, Co Offaly, R35 XW10
Online via Zoom: Tuesday 19 November 2024 7:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m. Online via Zoom
Oide Creativity, in collaboration with Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI), presents a one-day or online STE(A)M elective workshop, open to teachers from all subject disciplines. For full details go here.
Crafting Connections
A creative writing workshop Dates: Saturday 16 November 2024 10:30 a.m. – 3:30 p. m. Location: Museum of Literature Ireland (MoLI), 86 St. Stephen’s Green, D02 XY43
Oide Creativity, in collaboration with poet and writer Colm Keegan, presents a one-day workshop, open to all teachers. This workshop will take place in the Museum of Literature Ireland (MoLI). For full details go here.
This workshop offers participants an opportunity to:
explore the Museum of Literature Ireland (MoLI) and use it as a stimulus and source of inspiration,
engage in an active listening process as a means to discussing the relationship between teachers and students in the classroom,
consider the written word and Joyce’s use of language,
discuss how words are mediated through multi-modal texts in the world today,
enjoy time and space to develop their own writing.
Introduction to Visual Thinking Strategies (VTS): Learning to look
Dates: Saturday 16 November and Saturday 30 November 2024 Location: Irish Museum of Modern Art (IMMA)
Oide Creativity in collaboration with artist Claire Halpin and the Irish Museum of Modern Art (IMMA), presents a two-day elective workshop, open to all teachers. For full details go here.
This workshop offers participants an opportunity to:
look at and respond to a range of images utilising the VTS method of looking,
practice the VTS method of looking in a collaborative and supportive environment,
discuss how thoughtful and responsible image selection supports aesthetic development and critical thinking skills,
reflect on how the VTS method can be utilised to engage students in analysing imagery.
Spaces are limited for each workshop. A waiting list will apply.
For more information on full list of Oide Creativity workshops, dates and to book your place, please visit: www.creativity.oide.ie/
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Opportunity for Schools: Good Vibes Arts Calendar Project 2025
Good Vibes Project Deadline: 15 December 2024
The Good Vibes Arts Calendar Project, associated with the Open Science Scenario Project at University College Cork, invites anyone with an interest in the arts, to get involved in the pilot 2025 Art Calendar Project. The project is open to individuals but is also an ideal project for primary or secondary school class groups to participate in.
You are invited to develop creative ideas in response to the question:
Have you perhaps come across a piece of art (song, poem, play, novel, painting, drawing, photograph, film, sculpture etc.) that resonates strongly with you? A piece of art that in the currently overwhelmingly crisis-ridden world might reassure people, give them hope and strengthen their sense that humans can do better?
The 2025 Arts Calendar Project pilot aims to inspire with a weekly online calendar featuring a selection of 52 pieces of art from submissions.
Individuals or groups who are interested in getting involved, please share your selected piece as follows:
In English, briefly introduce the piece of art you have selected (max. 150 words), explain why it has touched you personally and might have an uplifting impact also on others,
add any additional information (image, link, source/copyright etc.) that helps to convey a vivid impression of the selected piece of art,
You are welcome to send up to three proposals if you wish.
As cultural and linguistic diversity is valued in this project, contributors with a first language other than English are encouraged to provide a first language version of their proposal(s).
The Guidelines are for early years educators, school-age childcare practitioners and childminders who are currently working to support the meaningful inclusion of autistic children in early learning and care, school-age childcare and childminding settings.
They form part of a wider suite of universal and targeted supports under the Access and Inclusion Model (AIM) which have been designed to ensure children with a disability and additional needs can access and participate in the ECCE programme and early learning and care settings more broadly.
The Guidelines fulfil a commitment in the recently launched National Autism Innovation Strategy, which aims to address the bespoke challenges and barriers facing autistic people and to improve understanding and accommodation of autism within society and across the public system.
Each year 2,735 services benefit from AIM supports.
Speaking about the National Guidelines, Minister O’Gorman said:
“I am delighted to announce the publication of National Guidelines to Support the Inclusion of Autistic Children in Early Learning and Care and School-Age Childcare Settings.
Meaningful inclusion of neurodivergent children and their families in settings starts with the early years educators and school-age practitioners being fully informed of their role in active inclusion.
These Guidelines form part of the Access and Inclusion Model (AIM) suite of supports and resources supporting the inclusion of children in the ECCE programme and beyond.
I hope the Guidelines assist early years educators and school-age childcare practitioners with the important role they play to support the inclusion of all children in their settings.”
Welcoming the publication of these guidelines, Minister of State with responsibility for Disability, Anne Rabbitte added:
“I warmly welcome these National Guidelines for those working with our youngest children. They deliver on an action of our Department’s Autism Innovation Strategy.
This Strategy will work hard to respond and enhance the lived experience of autistic people, their families and carers, so we can ensure that challenges and barriers currently being faced are being adequately addressed and to improve understanding and accommodation of autism within society and across the public system.
These guidelines for early learning and care, school-age childcare and childminding settings are an example of a clear action that can make a tangible difference to children’s lives.”
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Artist Opportunity: Open Call for Mother Tongues Festival 2025
Mother Tongues Festival 2025 – Open Call for Artists Closing Date: Sunday, 27 October 2024
The Mother Tongues Festival, Ireland’s largest celebration of linguistic diversity through the arts, is calling upon artists like you to be a part of an unforgettable event in 2025. Get ready to make a difference, connect with diverse communities, and showcase your artistic practice like never before.
The Mother Tongues Festival is an inclusive platform that invites artists from all backgrounds to participate in workshops, performances and exhibitions that embrace the power of multilingualism.
The festival encourage everyone, regardless of their linguistic background, to explore new horizons, learn something new and most importantly, have a blast doing it. The festival is all about celebrating your mother tongue and the multitude of languages spoken in Ireland.
Your Chance to Shine
For the 2025 edition of the Mother Tongues Festival, they are searching for passionate artists to lead workshops that captivate, educate, and entertain. Whether your field is music, visual arts, dance, storytelling, traditional arts and crafts, or any form of performance, they want to hear from you.
The workshops must be designed for families (parents/carers will attend with children) catering for children in the following age groups: 2 to 3 years, 3 to 6 years and 6 to 8 years.
While all proposals are welcome, they are particularly interested in those which encourage active participation and link clearly to one of the following themes:
Creativity and multilingualism
an activity that promotes creativity and language, that fosters an understanding of linguistic diversity or an appreciation of all languages
Languages from shared heritage
an activity that promotes a single language by showing the relevance of the links between language and heritage
Each selected artist will receive a budget of €250 per workshop.
The festival is particularly interested in proposals that celebrate languages beyond English, with a special emphasis on those from Latin America, Asia, and Africa. Your unique perspective can enrich the festival and create a vibrant cultural exchange.
For more information about this open call and details on how to submit your proposal click here: mothertonguesfestival.com
The deadline is Sunday, October 27th 2024. The workshop will be held on February 22nd 2025 in Tallaght.
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Opportunity For Schools: Branar’s Acorn Digital Arts Flag
Branar
Closing Date: 31st October 2024
Branar is accepting applications from schools for their Acorn Digital Arts Flag programme.
Branar’s Acorn Digital Arts Flag is a whole school initiative designed to promote and reward arts engagement in schools. Branar is proud to be partnering with Acorn Life Group to make this happen each year.
The Acorn Digital Arts Flag programme includes:
A series of 6 arts workshops in video format that teachers and pupils can do in the classroom (there is a version for junior classrooms and one for senior classrooms)
Suggestions for extending the workshop activities in the classroom
Documentation to support engagement with the workshops and to build on them afterward in the classroom
Completion of the Acorn Digital Arts Flag is intended to be a statement of achievement and intent with regard to the prominence and status of the arts in the school. It will be a visible beacon that indicates a commitment to the importance of participation in the arts for the students of the school, both within and outside their classrooms.
Further details about what’s involved, see Branar’s website branar.ie/en/schools or watch this introduction video:
This programme is free to apply for schools in Ireland so please share with any teachers/schools you think may be interested.
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Opportunity For Schools: This is Art! 2024 Competition Now Open
RTÉ’s ‘This is Art!’ Closing Date: 3rd November 2024, at Midnight
Exciting news! The “This is Art! 2024” competition is now open for entries, and they need your help to inspire the next generation of young artists.
RTÉ’s ‘This is Art!’ is a free-to-enter youth art competition celebrating the creative talents of young people of all abilities across the island of Ireland. Open to individuals and class groups aged 18 and under, the competition welcomes various art forms, including paintings, drawings, sculptures, and digital art.
The Judges this year, including artists Maser, Leah Hewson, and Aideen Barry, along with curators Tadhg Crowley from The Glucksman Cork and Sheena Barrett IMMA, will review submissions and award prizes worth €10,000 across five categories.
Student entries will be hosted on the RTÉ website www.rte.ie/thisisart as a digital gallery.
The theme for this years completion is “This is Imagination!”
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Artist Opportunity: Apply for BABEL Round 4 with Baboró
Baboró International Festival for Children
Closing Date: 6 November 2024 Opportunity for artists passionate about developing performances for young audiences Baboró seeks two artists to participate in professional development workshops hosted by international European festivals.
Selected artists will:
Participate in two 5-day practical sessions in 2025 with a cohort of 11 other professional artists from across Europe;
Experience two European children’s arts festivals with their workshop cohort;
Receive a daily fee of €200 to cover workshop and travel days. The cost of all travel, accommodation and festival tickets will be covered.
This opportunity is made possible through Baboró’s partnership with BABEL, a 4-year Creative Europe project emphasising communication and multilingualism in Theatre for Young Audiences (TYA).
Is this opportunity for you?
Baboró strives to make sure that all children in Ireland see themselves and their stories reflected in the arts. They endeavour to deliver projects and present performances which reflect the diversity of the Ireland we live in today. They strongly encourage artists from currently underrepresented backgrounds to apply.
Information Session
If you would like to know more about this opportunity or the application process, please join the Baboró team at their online info session on Monday, 16 September at 2:30pm on Zoom.
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Opportunity for Schools: National Heritage Keepers Programme Opens For Applications
Burrenbeo Trust : Heritage Keepers
Closing Date: 4 October
Burrenbeo Trust has opened the latest round of the National Heritage Keepers Programme. Over 150 groups and schools have completed the free programme to date. Heritage Keepers are now looking for community groups and senior classes of primary schools to take part in its highly anticipated fourth round. Through a series of online workshops Heritage Keepers empowers groups and schools to delve into their local heritage and provides funding to allow them to take positive action. Rather than seeking to separate built, cultural and natural heritage the programme works on the principle that all aspects of heritage are very closely inter-linked and that these aspects work together to create our distinctive Places. Last year, 70 schools and communities participated in the programme, with the majority successfully completing local funded projects and actions. These actions included exhibitions, heritage trails, tree planting, podcast creation, booklets, wildlife ponds, oral history projects and ‘Place Celebration’ days. Funding for fieldtrips is also provided meaning participants get to visit local heritage sites in person rather than just learning about them online.
The programme consists of five two-hour online workshops, followed by dedicated support while completing the funded action. It is open for expressions of interest, with options to begin this autumn or in the New Year.
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Spark curiosity, learning and engagement with a school visit to the Museum!
The National Museum Of Ireland
Dates: Autumn / Winter 2024
The National Museum of Ireland has launched its latest programme of guided tours, workshops and resources for primary and post primary schools for the autumn/winter 2024 term.
Available from September 2024, the programme offers students an opportunity to explore priceless treasures, Ireland’s military past, traditional rural life, natural history and more through guided tours, workshops and classroom resources.
All of the activities are designed to complement the primary and post primary curricula and are offered free of charge to schools.
Schools can visit three Museum sites in Dublin and Co Mayo this year. Click on a location below to see what is on offer at each Museum.
The NMI – Natural History, also known as the ‘Dead Zoo’, closed on 2 September 2024, so a school visit is not possible at this location. However, teachers can still book a virtual session for your school and explore the fascinating Natural History Collections through a range of classroom activities and resources.
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Arts Council announces 184 new schools will join its Creative Schools programme
Creative Schools
The Arts Council announced this week that 184 new schools and Youthreach centres across Ireland will join its Creative Schools programme. This brings to 1,100 the number of Irish schools who have participated since the programme began in 2018. One in four Irish schools will have now been part of the Creative Schools programme.
This is a critical development for the arts and young people in Ireland and helps to fulfil the Arts Council’s aim for all children to have the opportunity to participate fully in a range of art forms within our education system. The Arts Council works to ensure that all children can fully enjoy their right to arts and culture.
There were 300 applications to the programmme this year, a significant increase on 2023 numbers. This year’s Creative Schools intake includes 53 DEIS schools and 23 Irish language schools as well as seven youthreach centres and eight special schools. The 184 schools chosen will each receive a €4,000 grant and will work with a professional Creative Associate for two years who will support them to develop and implement their own bespoke Creative School Plan.
Participating in the Creative School programme empowers children and young people to develop, implement and evaluate arts and creative activity throughout their schools and Youthreach centres. The initiative also enables schools to discover additional ways of working and uncover the impact of creativity on children and young people’s learning, development and well-being. Schools who take part explore creativity in all its forms and embrace how it can be celebrated in so many ways. From baking to creating and designing gardens, from photography to performance, from working with other community groups to transforming areas of their own schools, the impact of Creative Schools is already felt in every county.
Minister for Education Norma Foley TD said: “It is wonderful to welcome the 186 schools to the Creative Schools initiative 2024. I would like to personally welcome these new schools into this unique programme. I’m very excited to see how these creative and captivating projects will develop over the coming two years.”
Also speaking today, Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media Catherine Martin TD said: “I would like to congratulate the 186 schools and Youthreach centres that have successfully applied to become a Creative School. This new cohort of schools and school communities have the opportunity to embark on a unique two-year journey of creativity and discovery. With this additional set of schools, it now means that, since inception in 2018, 1 in 4 schools in Ireland will have experienced Creative Schools. Again, this year sees a continuous increase in the diversity of settings in receipt of support. This is a testament to its impact and the strength of the partnership between the Art Council, the Department of Education and the all-of-government Creative Ireland Programme.”
Speaking about today’s announcement Director of the Arts Council Maureen Kennelly said: “We warmly welcome our new cohort of 186 schools to Creative Schools. Following the wonderful success of Creative February for schools this year, we are heartened to see a clear increase in applications for this incredible resource. By this stage of the programme, we’re delighted to say that 25% of all schools in Ireland have connected with us. We know that arts experiences with, for and by children can be transformative. Working with our partners in the Department of Education, and in the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media and in Creative Ireland, we are looking forward to another school year full of exploration, creative thinking, discovery and most importantly fun”.
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Tales to Scale – Creative Workshops for DEIS schools
Fighting Words
Dates: Workshops run throughout academic year
‘Tales to Scale’ is a project run by Fighting Words focused on engaging with DEIS schools across Ireland. It offers creative workshops for DEIS primary and post-primary schools free of charge. They can run between 90 mins to 2 hours.
The workshops are in two parts: group work and individual writing time. The first part of the workshop focuses on the group creating the beginning of a story together. A facilitator works with the class to develop characters, incorporating the many ideas that pop up around the room into the plot.
The second part of the workshop allows each student to explore individual creation. Armed with paper, pencils and colours, students can either finish the group story or create something new – they can draw, write, sing – it’s completely up to them!
At the very end, there will be time to share work if the students wish, followed by positive feedback from the volunteer mentors.
After the facilitators says goodbye to the wonderful writers (the students), teachers are welcome to adopt the structures in the classroom and continue to encourage creativity.
Fighting Words is looking for an Irish Language Project Coordinator who will be responsible for organising and providing workshops, projects, and more through Irish outside the Gaeltacht.
Fighting Words offers free creative writing workshops through Irish for children, young people and other groups throughout the country.
Workshops are held through Irish with Irish schools, other schools, youth groups and communities.
The vast majority of demand is in Dublin with the majority of workshops being delivered at the centre on Russell Street. Travel to another location is required from time to time.
This is a full-time position on a temporary contract – September 2024 to June 2025 – with the possibility of an extension depending on funding.
€3,141.17 will be paid per month, which is €37,694 pro rata as a gross salary per year.
If you are interested in this position, and the chance to work with a great team and an exciting organisation, send a CV to info@fightingwords.ie by Friday 30th August.
Further information can be found here: https://www.fightingwords.ie/news/taimid-ag-fostu/we-are-hiring-comhordaitheoir-tionscadail-gaeilge
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Reminder of Deadline: Call for Presentations and Workshops – National Portal Day 2024
The Arts in Education Portal Editorial Committee welcomes submissions of proposals for workshops and presentations that represent quality practice and thinking within the field of arts and creativity in education. This year, the Portal Day will have a special focus on ‘Amplifying All Voices’.
The Committee particularly want to profile projects that represent children from diverse communities and children who are seldom heard. The closing date for submissions is 5pm Monday 9th September 2024.
Criteria for selection of proposals:
The Arts in Education Portal Editorial Committee welcomes submissions of proposals for workshops and presentations that represent:
Dynamic approaches
New ways of working
Work that represents a commitment to excellence
Strong aesthetic and/or educational outcomes
Presentations/ workshops that include children’s voices
Our selection of proposals will also be informed by a desire for:
Good geographic national spread
A range of art forms
Early years, primary post-primary and Youthreach representation
Equal representation of both arts in education and creative sectors
A balance of practical and theoretical approaches
How to apply:
Submissions should be made using the online form, please click the following link to access the form and read the full application guidelines.
For further enquiries, contact events@artsineducation.ie.
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Announcement of schools selected for new BLAST Arts in Education residencies and Creative Clusters
Department of Education
Minister for Education Norma Foley TD has announced details of the 425 schools selected to take part in the innovative 2024 BLAST Arts in Education Residencies programme, as well as of 42 new Creative Clusters involving 138 schools nationwide. Both initiatives are part of the Creative Youth Plan 2023 – 2027. BLAST residency projects are creative collaborations between the artist/creative practitioner, teacher, children and young people in and with the school under the coordination of the 21 full-time Education Support Centres of Ireland (ESCI). Each residency is worth €1,100 which is fully funded by the Department of Education with the local ESC managing the administration of the Artist/Creative Practitioner’s 20-hour residency. BLAST residencies can be delivered throughout the academic year 2024/25.
The 42 new Creative Clusters announced will see schools come together over two years to work on a project of their choice. A Cluster may receive up to €15,000 in funding to help them bring their plans and ideas around a project of their choice to fruition, with support from a local facilitator and their local ESC, between 2024 and 2026. The programme is designed to help schools build a project of learning and activities which is tailor-made for their students.
Minister Foley said: “I am pleased to announce today details of the 425 schools which will take part in the 2024 BLAST Arts in Education Residencies Programme, as well as the schools to take part in 42 new Creative Clusters. The Government’s investment of nearly €1.2 million in these initiatives for 2024 represents the extent of its commitment to providing access to the arts for children and young people. We know the very positive benefits which can be reaped from opportunities to be creative and that is at the heart of BLAST and Creative Clusters. These programmes will support children and young people by equipping them with skills such as the ability to connect and collaborate with others, engage in creative and critical thinking, and practice inclusivity at every level.”
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Architects in Schools: Open Call for Architects 2024/25
The Irish Architecture Foundation
Closing date: Wednesday 7 August, 18:00
Inspire the next generation of architects and creative problem solvers by leading collaborative design workshops for TY students. The Irish Architecture Foundation invites applications from architects and architectural graduates to participate in the 12th cycle of the national Architects in Schools programme. This is a great opportunity to share your knowledge of architecture with young people and teachers in a fun and engaging way. If you have good communication skills and are looking for exciting ways to expand your practice, they would love to hear from you.
You will work directly with Transition Year students in their school, supporting them as they learn how to explore, research, design and communicate their ideas about architecture and the built environment. You will also collaborate with students and teachers to select work for the annual Architects in Schools exhibition event in May 2025.
Architects in Schools is supported by the Arts Council of Ireland, the Department of Education and the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage.
How to apply: Complete the application form ( see link below)
Closing date: Wednesday 7 August, 18:00
How it works:
– The time commitment is 20 hours or more per year, it’s up to you!
– Work with 1, 2, 3 or 4 schools
– The Irish Architecture Foundation will match you with schools in the county/counties you request
– Flexible schedule, agreed between you and your assigned school(s)
– Share your own creativity, experience and unique perspectives with young people!
– 20 CPD points offered for each school programme
Hours:
20 hours per school (consisting of 12 hours of workshop facilitation & 8 hours of preparation time). This can be divided into 4 x 3 hours, 3 x 4 hours, 2 x 6 hours etc. of workshop delivery time.
Late August 2024: Offer of places. Complete acceptance form.
2024/25 Programme Delivery: Workshops can take place anytime between 15 September 2024 and 11 April 2025. Dates, times and workshop duration will be arranged directly between the designated teacher / TY coordinator and the assigned architect.
By Friday 28 March 2025: Submission of exhibition material (5 photographs, short text) by architects, via an online portal.
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Explore the Seashore-Creative Curricular Learning & Skills Development
Mayo Education Support Centre Dates and Deadlines: Registration open. Last date for registration is Wednesday 14th August. Access to the course closes at 5pm on 16th August for all participants
The Explorers Education Programme online course aims to provide engaging activities, resources, and support for teachers to incorporate Marine Content through Science, Maths, English, Geography, and the Arts into the class curriculum. Launched in 2006, the Explorers Education Programme, funded and supported by the Marine Institute promotes ocean awareness, knowledge, and engagement, as well as supports ocean literacy and marine education in primary schools in Ireland.
By learning about the ocean literacy concepts; enabling us to understand the influence of the ocean on us and our influence on the ocean; as well as supporting engagement with the UN Sustainable Development Goals 12 and 14, teachers will be able to incorporate marine themes with a range of primary subjects and learning methodologies. Through a series of seashore focuses videos and activities participants will explore
• Biodiversity, and adaptation to the life on the shore,
• Sustainability fisheries and future of our coastal ecosystems
• Environmental awareness and care, and design and make
• Outdoor learning and planning fieldwork
• Using ICT to bring the Ocean into the classroom
• Methods for SSE and exploring work samples and self-reflection tools
The course provides teachers the opportunity to develop their individual and collective skills through the delivery of ocean literacy concepts and learning about the seashore online as well as through nature. The teachers will become proactive in:
• Assessing their own abilities as well as positively contributing to understanding the importance of the ocean
• Being able to communicate about the ocean in a meaningful way
• Using these skills to make informed and responsible decisions regarding the ocean and its resources in line with SDG14
Based over 5 modules, participants will use a range of pre-recorded video content, teacher resources, workbooks, and lesson plans to complete tasks. On completion participants can request a pack of Explorers Educational Resources to be sent to their school. This course is approved for E.P.V. certification by the Department of Education
For more information see here.
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Music Generation’s Annual Report 2023
Music Generation
Music Generation recently released their Annual Report for 2023. In 2023, Music Generation reached 8% of children and young people in Ireland, a total of 115,936 programme participants. The year was full of collaborations across counties, vibrant youth-led festivals and young musicians creating new music with professional artists.
513 Musician Educators actively delivered programmes in 2023, a further 514 visits from 204 Professional Musicians/ Ensembles across twenty-five Local Music Education Programme (LMEP) Areas.
Many programmes offered a mix of sound and music forms including: Foundational or Pre-Instrumental Recording and Production, Singer-Songwriter, Creative Music Making, Composition, Music Technology, Spoken Word, Rap, Podcasting.
We have selected some programme highlights from Music Generation’s Annual Report:
Music Generation Leitrim ran pop-up bucket drumming and percussion workshops at primary and secondary schools throughout the county. During these workshops, children and young people learned the basics of bucket drumming and other percussion instruments, as well as singing songs.
Music Generation Louth curated a series of guest workshops with Berlin-based digital artist Æ Mak. The series was designed to build a progression route from the technology programme TY Trax. It aimed to inspire participants to continue as creative musicians beyond the school experience.
Music Generation Offaly participated in the official opening of the new Esker Arts Centre in Tullamore. A choir of children from two local primary schools performed with local musician Tolü Makay, with accompaniment from musicians Donal Lunny and Graham Henderson. President Michael D. Higgins and his wife Sabina attended the event along with local dignitaries and guests from the community
Music Generation Tipperary hosted the “Big Sing Along” performance workshop at the Source Arts Centre, Thurles. Three workshops were delivered over one day and attended by more than 600 children and young people from local primary school programmes including “Primary Beats” and “Tune Up Tipp”. These programmes focus on early years and instrumental performance music education.
The report also detailed national events where young musicians from Music Generation programmes were invited to bring their music to national and international audiences. Music Generation Laois performed at Child Summit 2023 hosted by The Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth. Young singers from Paddock National School, performed a segment of “Bicycles, Boomerangs and Blue Macaws”, a suite based on the United Nations Convention on the rights of the child. The Lundy Model of Participation (2007) was used to facilitate and empower the voice of the child throughout the songwriting process, the programme also encompassed pupils from Cloneyhurke and Rath National Schools.
The Arts in Education Portal Editorial Committee welcomes submissions of proposals for workshops and presentations that represent quality practice and thinking within the field of arts and creativity in education. This year, the Portal Day will have a special focus on ‘Amplifying All Voices’.
The Committee particularly want to profile projects that represent children from diverse communities and children who are seldom heard. The closing date for submissions is 5pm Monday 9th September 2024.
Criteria for selection of proposals:
The Arts in Education Portal Editorial Committee welcomes submissions of proposals for workshops and presentations that represent:
Dynamic approaches
New ways of working
Work that represents a commitment to excellence
Strong aesthetic and/or educational outcomes
Presentations/ workshops that include children’s voices
Our selection of proposals will also be informed by a desire for:
Good geographic national spread
A range of art forms
Early years, primary post-primary and Youthreach representation
Equal representation of both arts in education and creative sectors
A balance of practical and theoretical approaches
How to apply:
Submissions should be made using the online form, please click the following link to access the form and read the full application guidelines.
For further enquiries, contact events@artsineducation.ie.
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Fighting Words Workshops for Secondary Schools 2024-2025
Fighting Words
Fighting Words are taking bookings for the 2024 -2025 academic year for free secondary school students creative writing workshops. This is a great way to get students excited about writing. Creative writing is a skill that anyone can learn, develop and enjoy. Students are supported throughout the two-hour session by a team of trained and vetting writing mentors, who provide plenty of positive feedback and advice.
Benefits Outside the Classroom
These workshops are not only beneficial for students’ creativity, but help develop writing skills and self-confidence, which they can take with them and apply to their daily lives outside of the classroom.
The Team
The workshops are run by teams of volunteer writing mentors, supervised by Fighting Words staff using fun and interactive formats. Specialist workshops are delivered by experienced practitioners in a variety of fields, such as playwriting, graphic fiction, short stories and more.
All programming is focused on supporting children and young people to tell their own stories in their own voice and at their own pace. There is never a focus on spelling or grammar. The content is decided by the participants, with advice and guidance from the Fighting Words team.
Baboró offers a small Go See Fund to support artists and creatives to travel within Ireland to see work for children. The fund is designed for those who make or wish to make work for children and are looking for inspiration, new approaches to presentation, etc. To ensure this small fund can benefit as many individuals as possible, it will support the cost of event tickets and travel within the island of Ireland only, up to a maximum of €100 per application.
If you wish to apply for this funding, you need to please outline in 1-2 pages:
Information about your practice
Details of the work you wish to see (inc. title, artist/company, age range of audience, and the venue/festival at which it will be presented)
Why you wish to see this particular piece of work
How you think seeing it will benefit your practice
A brief budget outlining the costs that the fund would cover
You can send completed applications to the Artist & Programme Coordinator at rachel@baboro.ie with the subject line ‘Go See Fund Application’. Applications are accepted on an ongoing basis throughout the year. For further details, please visit: https://www.baboro.ie/artists/grow/go-see-fund.
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Grace Park Educate Together National School : Percent for Art Commission
Grace Park Educate Together National School
Deadline: 12 noon, Wednesday 26th June, 2024
Grace Park Educate Together Public Art Working Group are seeking expressions of interest from artists whose practice focuses on permanent visual artwork(s) to be sited in the foyer of their school building in a visual medium. The school is open to the idea of the artworks travelling throughout the interior of the building also once this does not impact on the budget for an engagement process with all of their students.
Grace Park ETNS is a child-centred, co-educational, equality based and democratic primary school under the patronage of Educate Together. The school has 423 students, with 16 mainstream classes from Junior Infants to 6th Class and 2 Autism Classes. There are 25 teachers and 16 additional needs assistants (ANAs) working alongside the children in our school.
The school asks that artists who apply consider the following:
It is expected that artwork(s) will be interactive for the children in this age group: 5 – 12 years.
The Public Art Working Group are not interested in the Digital Art Medium for this commission.
The school is located at DCU All Hallows Campus, Grace Park Road, Drumcondra, Dublin 9
The selection process will take the form of a Two Stage Open Competition. The closing date for receipt of Stage 1 completed application form together with supporting documentation and material is 12 noon, Wednesday 26th June 2024. It is anticipated that the project would commence in Summer 2024 and be completed by June 2025.
The commission was originally posted on Visual Artists Ireland and you can read further details on the briefing document: https://visualartists.ie/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/FINAL-2024-Apr-GP-ETNS-Stage-1-Brief.pdf
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Arts Council Project Award information session : Arts Participation & Young People, Children and Education (YPCE)
The Arts Council of Ireland
Date: 10th July
The Arts Council’s Arts Participation and the Young People Children and Education teams are hosting a joint information session on the Project Award 2025.
The purpose of the YPCE Project Award is to support artists to develop and deliver ambitious and original projects with and for children and young people. Projects may be interdisciplinary or focused on a specific artform.
You can join them online to learn more about the Project Award 2025 and how it can support your initiatives in the areas of Arts Participation and/or Young People, Children and Education.
The information session will take place on Zoom and is an opportunity to learn more about the Project Award and how it can support your initiatives in the areas of Arts Participation and/or Young People, Children and Education.
This practical online clinic will support and guide new and returning applicants to the award. You can register your interest for this information clinic taking place online Wednesday 10 July at 11:00am. There will also be an opportunity for attendees to submit their questions in advance of the clinic. If you have a question relating to the Arts Participation Project Award or Young People, Children and Education Project Award, please send it in advance to caroline.magnani@artscouncil.ie by Friday 5 July.
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A Visual Arts Approach in the Classroom @ The Ark
Teacher Training at The Ark
Dates: 12 – 16 August
Cultural Hub for kids, The Ark, is running this five day course over the summer from 12 – 16 August. Artist Jole Bortoli will deliver this hugely popular hands-on, creative course for teachers focusing on a visual arts approach to exploring narrative, literacy & other subjects.
This is a five-day Department of Education EPV-approved summer course for teachers. It runs from 10 am – 3 pm each day with breaks and is suitable for all levels of experience.
The aim of the course is to enable participants to start the new school year with an enhanced toolbox of skills and knowledge, in order to effectively deliver the visual arts curriculum in the classroom. Participants will be engaged ‘hands-on’ throughout this course so learning will be through doing. Working in teams and individually, participants will cover a range of curriculum strands including drawing, painting, print, 3D construction, fabric, and fibre.
A strong emphasis will be on building skills and creative confidence. The group will also explore how visual art can be used to link with other subjects, as well as to promote visual literacy. Time will also be given for individual reflection, school self-evaluation and group discussion.
This course will appeal to teachers of all levels of experience and will be facilitated by the visual arts and education specialist and founder of Art to Heart, Jole Bortoli. This is a continuing professional development opportunity
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Performing Arts Forum Gathering 2024: a visit
Performing Arts Forum
Members of the Portal team recently ventured out to meet with colleagues, artists, theatre-makers and arts professionals who had convened in Sligo for Performing Arts Forum’s Annual Gathering. This was the first event to occur under the new name having recently re-branded from Theatre Forum. Their fully booked annual conference touched down in Sligo on Tuesday 28th and Wednesday 29th May with several hundred in attendance.
This Portal is managed by Kids’ Own Publishing based in Sligo so it was only a stroll across town to join proceedings.
Over the two days, the gathering explored many themes under the concept Where Connection Creates Change including freedom of expression, career viability and sustainability, advocacy, audience research and lots more. For the Portal it was an opportunity to hear from associate groups Theatre For Young Audiences (TYAI) and the Young Curators / Lasta Festival.
We connected with many individual artists, theatre makers, venue managers who make and present work, run outreach programmes, participate in TAP+/BLAST/Creative Clusters with young people.
There was a fantastic buzz with lots of opportunities for discussion, entertainment and discovery. More information on https://performingartsforum.ie/
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Arts in Education Portal Regional Day 2024 Roundup
Arts in Education Portal
Teachers, artists and arts in eduction professionals gathered in Sligo Education Centre on Saturday last for a day of sharing experience, gathering new ideas and networking with colleagues. This, the eighth of our Portal Regional Days, focused on best arts and creativity in education practice in the Northwest. This year’s gathering also saw attendees travel from Galway and Dublin.
The morning session saw two highly engaging presentations which demonstrated excellent Teacher Creative Practitioner/Artist partnerships. The first was from artist Andy Parsons and teacher Triona O’Dowd Hill who brought to life their process-based, abstract art project undertaken by Triona’s class at St Cecilia’s School, Sligo; a school that caters for students with moderate to profound learning disabilities.⠀The project, facilitated by Kids’ Own Publishing, focused on the partnerships between teacher and artist, and between artist and students. Triona and Andy spoke of the many ways the students asserted their creative voice and the sense of equality brought to the project by inviting TY students from the Ursuline College to participate in a collaborative session. The second presentation was delivered by teacher Karen Brogan and arts professional Leslie Ryan on their Creative Cluster project involving a group of five rural schools in West Sligo. Karen started by describing their project as an adventure, in which they took creativity and the creative arts as a lens in which to explore their local heritage, ecology and environment. They highlighted the benefits and the opportunities that came from working as a Creative Cluster and the impact it had within their schools and wider local communities.
Image: Artist Andy Parsons and teacher Triona O’Dowd Hill (left) and teacher Karen Brogan and arts professsional Leslie Ryan (right) speaking at the 2024 Regional Day
Before breaking for lunch, practical advice was provided through two sector bulletins where attendees heard from Daragh McDaid, Director Sligo Education Centre and Rhona McGrath of Roscommon County Council Arts Office who provide an overview of the supports and initiatives available through ESCI and the Local Authority Arts Offices.
After a morning of sharing practice, the group enjoyed a fab lunch catered by Blend Cafe.
Two creative workshops were available in the afternoon session, these offered attendees fun, stimulating, hands-on activities. Kathleen Gallagher led an interactive art workshop with Scratch and Makey Makey. Participants were encouraged to think outside the box and transform everyday objects into touchpads that interact with computers, bringing the worlds of coding and art together. Meanwhile Maeve Pudney, co-owner of artisan design studio Pop Out Projects immersed participants into the traditional craft of weaving using a bespoke table-top loom and genuine Donegal tweed wool yarn. Participants tried their hand at creating colourful bookmarks and coasters, seeing enormous possibilities for application within the classroom.
Thank you to everyone who joined us on the day. For those who missed the mornings discussions, we recorded both of the main talks and these will be available as podcasts later in the summer.
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Hilary Heron at IMMA – free guided tours and workshops for schools
Irish Museum of Modern Art (IMMA)
IMMA invites teachers and tutors from pre-primary, primary, secondary schools and colleges to bring their student groups to IMMA any time during opening hours. Teachers and tutors can book bespoke guided tours and talks focused on specific exhibitions, and can access related digital resources, such as study notes and videos.
Before the school breaks for the summer holidays, why not come and see some exciting sculpture? In IMMA’s Garden Galleries, Hilary Heron: A Retrospective celebrates the pioneering work of modernist sculptor Hilary Heron (1923 – 1977). Hilary Heron was a Dublin born sculptor who co-represented Ireland at the 1956 Venice Biennale alongside painter Louis le Brocquy (1916 – 2012).
She was a courageous sculptor who travelled extensively, absorbing cultures whilst pursing new modern ideals. She created works in wood, terracotta, steel, bronze and with welding, in this practice she was ground breaking, as there were few women welders in the 1950s.
Also on exhibition are a selection of artworks by contemporary Irish female sculptors, who like Heron, have represented Ireland in the Venice Biennale.
Book a Tour and Workshop
You can book a guided tour with a member of the Visitor Engagement Team, who will explore and tease out the artworks with your class. The tour is followed by a workshop in the Matheson Creativity Hub. A combination of both will take approximately 2 hours. To make a booking, please visit: https://immatours.ticketsolve.com/ticketbooth/shows/1173590867/events/428615079
ZOOM Presentation
If you cannot come to see this exhibition in person, IMMA can bring it directly onto your smartboard via Zoom presentation. A member of the Visitor Engagement Team can present and host a discussion with your class group.
If you would like some more information or to book a session then contact joan.walker@imma.ie
Towards the end of our playschool year 2023 we had the pleasure of welcoming welcoming Kids’ Own associate artists Maree Hensey and Naomi Draper into our playspace, as our playschool took part in the Arts in Early Learning and Care (ELC) and School Age Childcare (SAC) Pilot. Embarking on a journey of creativity and learning together, we put the child’s experience at the centre.
Upon reflection a number of points of interest are highlighted for me. Firstly, what a privilege it is to be able to work with such an enthusiastic, empowered and autonomous group. The ability of the group both children and adults to adapt to and embrace new learning opportunities is evidence of the hard work, perseverance and resilience present in the group individually and as a whole.
Secondly, how exposure to new approaches and ways of doing things can energise practitioners – we saw an enhanced enthusiasm for viewing creativity as a process rather than a product in practitioners, parents, families and the children themselves. Some children (and, more particularly, adults) can tend to view the product as being more important than the process. This arts project helped to challenge this idea and resulted in a more balanced approach towards the process of making art.
Thirdly, the presence of new adults within the setting sparked conversation and directed interactions in new ways, giving Early Years Practitioners opportunities to model pro-social behaviour e.g. inclusion, respect of others, listening, empathy and personal responsibility. The children observed their trusted adults welcoming newcomers with confidence, acceptance and high-regard. This modelled behaviours through which the children acquired learning completely unrelated to art and creativity, but useful and important for their future pro-social development.
Finally, the evolving nature of the project allowed us to reflect upon the constantly changing dynamic of the group and the emerging opportunities, the life of a young child changes quickly as do their needs, interests and motivations. The adults within the group (both artists and practitioners) were able to acknowledge, accept this and use a go with the flow approach when needed, allowing movement of learning from child-to-adult as well as from adult-to-child.
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19th Annual FÍS Film Competition
FÍS Film Project
Deadline: 5pm, 28th June 2024
There is an open invitation to all Dept. of Education designated Irish primary schools to enter their films into the annual national FÍS Film Awards competition. To enter, primary schools across the country are asked to create an (up to) five-minute film on a subject of their choice, registration is not required.
Awards may be made in a wide variety of categories including Documentary, Comedy, Acting, Storytelling, Adaptation, Animation, Special Effects, Direction, Costume, Editing, Production Design, Cinematography, Sound Track, Best Newcomer, Best Junior Class Production, Curriculum Relevance, among others.
The FIS website is packed with resources and tools on incorporating film into the primary classroom, with lesson plans, videos, technical guides and templates to help get you started with your submission.
The deadline for entries is Friday 28 June at 5pm, for further details on the competition including the rules and guidelines and judging criteria, please visit https://fisfilmproject.ie/competition/
Shortlisted schools must be available to attend the FÍS Film Awards Ceremony, which takes place in the Helix Theatre, DCU Dublin. It is a large-scale national event with over 900 people in attendance, filmed and broadcast by students and staff from the National Film School, at the Institute of Art, Design & Technology (IADT).
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European Parliament: Art in Democracy Pedagogical kit for Teachers
European Parliament
Date: exhibition runs until 18 September
This pedagogical kit aims to provide educators with practical guidance for the exhibition Art in Democracy. Next to a temporary physical exhibition all the material is always accessible online. The information provided takes a more generic approach, so that it is adaptable to educational contexts at international level that vary in the different countries.
The kit is divided into several sections, including:
specific information about how the seven selected topics as well as the individual artworks of the exhibition relate to the overarching theme of democracy with a ‘teacher’s corner’ giving some hands-on ideas of students’ own creations;
ideas for using the interviews that some of the represented artists gave about their works in the exhibition;
a concrete lesson plan based on a methodology following democratic principles and giving a variety of activities that can easily be applied in the classroom.
an additional resources list for further information about the EU, the European Elections 2024 as well as links to related examples in art history.
With the next European Elections approaching in June 2024, it is interesting for students to reflect on democracy and what it means to them. Seeing Europe and its democratic values through the eyes of its artists offers the opportunity to address the topic of democracy and democratic values via aesthetic and experience-based learning. Artistic expression can more easily lead to student engagement, facilitate classroom discussions and trigger reflection on this topic.
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Part 1 – Announcing the 2024 Arts in Education Portal Documentation Award Recipients
The Portal Team are delighted to announce the first of the of the two recipients of the 2024 Arts in Education Portal Documentation Award. We are very excited to be working with each recipient in the coming months to document their projects. These projects will be showcased on the portal as the documentation progresses.
Project title: Let’s Get Real
The project “Let’s Get Real” consists of creating an advocacy multimedia film with animated elements to share the learner’s ideas of home life, work life, relationships, health, and education and explore how laws and society is changing to make these human rights prevalent. There are five learners, working with Streetwise staff Ruth O’ Keeffe and Patricia Dooley under the guidance of artist Ana Colomer. The sound design is the result of a partnership piece with Oisín Ó Cualáin from Music Generation inspired by the learners’ work.
Using green screen technology and stop motion animation, they are trying to deliver an honest, personal message about themselves. There is nothing strange or supernatural in our film but quite the opposite, we just point and enumerate the small things that make us who we are. What we enjoy, what we do in our day-to-day routines, and our dreams and hopes for the future, simple things that others might take for granted, like going to work or enjoying a meal with friends.
The process consists of:
Storyboarding, green screen video telling the viewer about us and then creating animations to match the autobiographical video bites. These animations are made with tablets and stop motion studio, but each scene has a different background, elements, and props to accompany the narrative.
This specific creative & educational process has been led by the learners at their pace, to convey the message that is paramount to them & their peers.
Artist: Ana Colomer
Ana Colomer is a visual artist based in Ennis Co. Clare. Ana works as a community artist and arts educator. She is a tutor for LCYP, LCETB, a Creative Associate for Creative Schools, Arts Council, and an Associate Artist for Helium Arts. She holds a Bachelor Degree in Fine Arts by Seville University and a H Dip.
Ana is a firm believer in the importance of a holistic approach when educating at any level, such as primary, post primary or in adult education settings. This holistic approach should have the arts at the centre of it, promoting different ways of learning and prioritising the wellbeing and the joy of creative thinking.
This is Ana’s third collaborative project with Streetwise. “This project is truly special, there is so much effort and love put into it through collaborative learning, and it offers an intimate insight into the lives of people currently living in Ireland with intellectual disabilities.”
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TAP+ Summer Course: Teacher Registration Open
Department of Education
Deadline: 21st June 2024
The Department of Education has announced TAP+ 2024 Summer Course registration is now open.
Free to all primary & special school teachers. Hosted by your local full time Education Support Centre. Approved and led by the Department of Education and Education Support Centres Ireland (ESCI) under Creative Youth 2023-2027.
Teacher Artist Partnership+ (TAP+) is a creativity rich summer course that supports professional development through wellbeing, relationships and creative partnership for teachers and artists /creative practitioners.
Participants create, explore and collaborate to enhance arts and creativity in education through creative process, critical reflection, collaboration and enjoyment.
TAP+ Teacher Registration Flyer
During the summer course teachers will have the opportunity to apply for a TAP+ Residency to take place in partnership with a creative practitioner from their summer course and their students in the school year 2024/2025. Each ESC will have 8 Residencies for participating teachers on the TAP+ Summer Course.
Please use the following link to register for the upcoming TAP+ Summer Course link
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TAP+ Summer Course & Residency: Call Out for Artists & Creative Practitioners
Department of Education
Deadline: Friday 7th June 2024
Announcing a wonderful opportunity for artists and creative practitioners of all disciplines to broaden their practice through Teacher Artist Partnership+ (TAP+) professional development and in-school residency programme.
Develop creative partnerships with teachers and children. Receive funded training and residencies that bring the arts and creativity to children all over Ireland through TAP+, an initiative of Creative Youth 2023-27 under Creative Ireland and led by the Department of Education.
TAP+ Overview
TAP+ 2024 Artist Call-Out flyer
TAP+ Summer Course running 1st to 5th July 2024 in your local Education Support Centre
– Fully paid training to support artists and creative practitioners to work in primary and special schools
TAP+ In-school Residencies
– Bringing learning into practice through creative partnership with teachers and children
– Funded 20-hour residencies in the school year 2024/25
– Access to the BLAST register of creative practitioners to deliver in-school residencies
Artists / Creative Practitioners apply for TAP+ via expressions of interest addressed to the Director of Tralee Education Support Centre submitted to artsineducation@traleeesc.ie no later than 5pm on Friday 7th June 2024. Expressions of interest should be in the form of a letter of max 600 words, accompanied by a CV or short bio with links to images or samples of relevant work.
Towards the end of our playschool year 2023 we had the pleasure of welcoming welcoming Kids’ Own associate artists Maree Hensey and Naomi Draper into our playspace, as our playschool took part in the Arts in Early Learning and Care (ELC) and School Age Childcare (SAC) Pilot. Embarking on a journey of creativity and learning together, we put the child’s experience at the centre.
We have a natural diversity of families and family backgrounds represented at playschool and we place a high value on the richness of the different cultural backgrounds that are represented within the group, both adults and children – we are a community made up of many different parts.
When we introduced the idea of visiting artists to the families there was a general sense of interest and curiosity with parents making comments such as “What is going to be expected of my child…How will they interact with my child…I don’t like art, I was never any good at school…Will my child’s ability be judged…What type of art will be involved?”.
Some parents are artists themselves and were naturally excited and impressed by the idea. One hundred percent of families gave their consent for their child to take part in the art project.
It soon became evident that a great number of parents had fixed ideas about what both ‘Art’ and ‘Artists’ were and some parents talked about their expectations e.g. “It will be lots of colouring…There will be careful painting”.
As the weeks rolled by and the project unfolded I am sure that comments from children at home added detail to parents’ interpretation of what was happening with the artists at playschool.
One of the favourite links between families and playschool was the gallery which we opened after one session, where parents were invited to view and experience the group’s work. This presented a wonderful opportunity for parents to interact with the artists and to get to know them, as well as to appreciate the work the children were doing.
We have very strong, positive bonds with the families who use our service, we value parental input and encourage open communication between parents and the service providers.
The arts project was very much a shared experience where a recognition and value was placed upon the contribution made by families towards the overall development of the child both within and outside of the setting. The introduction of the community artists into our space strengthened the link between our service provision and the local community – the project formed a conduit for interaction and involvement.
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Creative Ireland Release Review of Creative Youth Plan 2018-2022
Creative Youth
Creative Ireland have released the review of the Creative Youth Plan 2018-2022.
Trinity College Dublin have undertaken a systematic review of the first Creative Youth Plan. Since 2017, Creative Youth has had a significant impact nationally which has included support for over 2,000 schools and Youthreach centres to enrich their students experience through a range of creative programmes, and provided access to programmes such as creative writing, youth drama, music, and creative technology, as well as supporting educators in embedding creativity into their programmes
The report is a systematic review of outcomes and trends across the Creative Youth Plan 2017 – 2022.
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Deadline Closing for arts & creativity in education initiatives
Department of Education & The Arts Council of Ireland
The application deadline for the following Arts In Education initiatives are closing.
Creative Schools
Deadline: 2nd May 2024
Participating schools/centres will be provided with a package of supports that includes working with a Creative Associate, training and networking to support them to create their Creative School Plan, as well as seed funding to begin to implement their Plan.
Successful schools will receive €4,000 to implement their plans over the school years 2024–25 and 2025–26.
In addition to downloading and reading the guidelines, you can find out more about the Creative Schools Initiative here.
BLAST
Deadline: 10th May 2024
Minister for Education Norma Foley, TD, has invited primary, post-primary, special schools and YouthReach to apply for the BLAST – Bringing Live Arts to Students and Teachers – arts in education initiative 2024/25. The 2024 programme will enable 425 new arts in education residencies in schools over the course of the year.
BLAST aims to provide pupils in schools all over the country, time and the space to work with a professional artist/creative practitioner on imaginative and joyful projects. BLAST is a key Department of Education initiative of the Creative Youth Plan 2023-2027 which aims to foster creativity in schools focus and to provide young people with opportunities to learn and develop the key skills and competencies of collaboration, critical thinking, problem-solving, and innovation.
Innovative BLAST residencies are designed and developed between the artist/creative practitioner, teacher, students and the school community under the coordination of the 21 full-time Education Support Centres Ireland (ESCI) network.
The Department of Education is pleased to announce the opening of a new round of Creative Clusters for the two years commencing September 2024. The programme is open to primary and post-primary schools, including special schools, as well as YouthReach centres.
Up to €575,000 has been made available this year for Creative Clusters and this will enable up to 210 schools to come together across 42 clusters.
Each Creative Cluster will receive grant funding of €3,000 per school over a two-year period to implement their project 2024–2026.
3 schools would receive €9,000
5 schools would receive €15,000
In addition to financial support above each cluster will also receive:
A Creative Cluster Facilitator
Teacher Substitution to attend workshops and meetings
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Have Your Say: NCCA Consults on Five Draft Primary Curriculum Specifications in Arts Education
NCCA
Date: March to June 2024
As part of the redevelopment of the Primary School Curriculum, NCCA is now consulting on five Draft Primary Curriculum Specifications in Arts Education; Modern Foreign Languages (MFL) in the Primary Language Curriculum; Social and Environmental Education (SEE); Science, Technology and Engineering (STE) Education; and Wellbeing from March to June 2024.
The consultation includes gathering feedback from children, working with schools networks, online and in-person focus groups, online questionnaires, written submissions, bilateral meetings and a consultation conference.
Here are some of the ways you can get involved and have your say:
Focus Group Events: Online and in-person focus groups will take place for teachers, school leaders and parents. The in-person focus groups will take place across the country.
Questionnaires: There are two online questionnaires, one for education professionals and one for parents. Each should take no more than ten minutes to complete.
Written submissions: Individuals, groups and organisations are invited to make an online written submission on one or more of the Draft Primary Curriculum Specifications.
For more information on the consultation and how you can get involved, please visit their dedicated consultation page.
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Opportunity: Teacher Artist Partnership+ Summer Course and Residency Programme 2024
Department for Education – TAP+
Minister for Education Norma Foley TD has announced the opening of registration for the 2024 Teacher Artist Partnership+ summer courses for primary and special school teachers, artists and creative practitioners.
These professional development summer courses for teachers and creative practitioners are aimed at enhancing arts and creativity in education in primary and special schools. The Teacher Artist Partnership+ Summer Courses will be provided free of charge in each of the 21 full-time Education Centres in Ireland this summer. Each course will have 20 primary teachers and 4 professional artists participating.
Minister Foley said: “I hope that this exciting initiative will help teachers and schools to further enhance creativity in their classrooms. It is important that our children are allowed to express themselves and learn to adapt and collaborate.”
The Creative Youth Programme aims to develop the creative potential of every child. Professional development for both teachers and creative practitioners working in schools is critical to the long-term success and sustainability of creativity in education.
To achieve the long-term objectives of cultural and creative education, it is necessary to build a critical mass of education and creative practitioner professionals who are versed in the theoretical frameworks of arts and creativity education and equipped with the skills and techniques for delivering programmes in partnership.
The TAP+ residency element of this programme will give students of all ages in primary and special schools the opportunity to have their TAP+ trained teacher and artist working together in their classroom facilitating the development of these essential skills for students to enjoy and explore artistic and creative expression.
TAP+ provides trained teachers with the opportunity to host a fully funded TAP+ Artist in Residency in their school in 2024/25. This Department of Education-led initiative is a highly innovative, creative and participant-responsive programme that promotes professional learning towards partnership.
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Fall and Float Dance Show Irish Tour 2024 for schools
Mónica Muñoz Dance
Location and Dates: Various
Mónica Muñoz Dance presents FALL and FLOAT: A Dance show for schools in venues across Ireland recommended for children from age 4+.
With playful energy, impressive acrobatics, comic timing and a joyful soundscape, two dancers create a magical world through the clever manipulation of simple balloons. Their imagination seems to know no bounds- resulting in a hypnotic, funny and uplifting performance full of falling, throwing, catching, stumbling, floating… and sometimes maybe even a little bit of flying.
The tour takes place in May across selected venues throughout the country:
15 MayBackstage Theatre, Longford 16 MayNenagh Arts Centre, Co. Tipperary 21 MayCivic Theatre, Tallaght, Dublin 24 23 MayMermaid Arts Centre, Bray, Co. Wicklow 5 JuneSource Arts, Thurles, Co. Tipperary 8 June Dunamaise Arts Centre, Portlaoise *Family shows for Cruinniú na nÓg 12 JuneDraíocht Blanchardstown, Dublin 15. 13 JuneRiverbank Arts Centre, Newbridge, Co. Kildare
Schools and Teachers interested in attending should contact their local venue and book directly through their box office. Ticket prices vary, and teachers attend FREE with their classes.
Towards the end of our playschool year 2023 we had the pleasure of welcoming Kids’ Own associate artists Maree Hensey and Naomi Draper into our playspace, as our playschool took part in the Arts in Early Learning and Care (ELC) and School Age Childcare (SAC) Pilot. Embarking on a journey of creativity and learning together, we put the child’s experience at the centre.
Placing the child at the centre of practice requires a greater investment of energy from the adult. It is usually more stressful and certainly appears more chaotic and messy than putting the adult’s needs at the centre of practice.
In our space we try always to put the experience of the child at the centre of all we do – empowering for the child, exhausting for the adult! One of the many benefits of adopting a truly child-centred approach means that by the end of the year the group is very well defined, usually extremely confident, inclusive and cohesive with members confident, and comfortable within their own role and expectations. This can be beneficial when introducing new adults into the setting, allowing for the swift development of trust and rapport.
Strong leadership is important in ensuring that staff feel supported and secure in their role when new adults are introduced, especially staff are being asked to step away from their comfort zone into unfamiliar and unknown areas: e.g. “I’m rubbish at art…..I don’t know anything about art”. Thoughtful use of supportive, inclusive, non-threatening language can enhance and promote a feeling of mutual respect and encouragement, protecting positive outcomes for all of the adults involved.
We observed how the adults in the setting, both staff and artists, developed positive, supportive links, sharing the experience and learning that emerged through reflective practice: e.g. “I’ve noticed how ______ really loves working with charcoal….We should bring that resource into the playspace more often…..I really enjoyed working with the flowers, twigs, moss that we collected on the nature lane, I never thought of using them in that way before”.
Reflective practice should be a cornerstone of practice in the Early Years and is the hallmark of a high quality service – embracing new ways of doing things, seeking out and welcoming new challenges and reflecting upon this process empowers staff and encourages creative and innovative thinking.
The adult’s experience enhances the child’s experience.
Inviting the artists into our space elevated our practice and energised our thought processes, supporting our continued professional development.
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Job Opportunity: Kids’ Own seeks Portal Assistant (freelance, fixed term contract)
Kids’ Own Publishing Partnership Deadline 3 April 2024
Kids’ Own, the current Arts in Education Portal Mangers, is seeking an experienced individual to assist with elements of the Arts in Education Portal programme in 2024. Reporting to the Arts in Education Portal Manager, and the CEO of Kids’ Own, the Portal Assistant will assist with key events and content development for the Portal. We invite applications from suitably qualified individuals for this fixed term contract for service.
Launched in 2015, the Arts in Education Portal is the key national digital resource of arts and education practice in Ireland. The ethos for the Portal is about building a community of practice within arts and creativity in education, and providing a space – both online and offline – where artists and teachers can be supported and inspired. It provides a platform through which good collaboration practice in arts-in-education and arts education will be supported, developed and enhanced.
The specifications of the contract are set out below.
Coordination of Portal events, particularly the Spring Regional Day, in Sligo in late Spring 2024 and the National Arts in Education Portal Day which will take place in Dublin in early November 2024. Event coordination will include pre-event planning, organising guest speakers, communications with ticket holders and management of all event logistics. Coordinating third-party suppliers, freelancers, videographers and designers to ensure on-time delivery of assets.
Developing social media content to promote the content of the Arts in Education Portal website and events, ensuring the delivery of effective, cohesive, and engaging brand messaging.
Assistance with the management of the Arts in Education Portal website, including updating content.
Assisting with the development of content for the AIE Portal, which could include travelling to different education settings to document arts in education projects.
The successful applicant will have:
A strong interest in arts in education and collaborative arts practice.
Experience in event coordination.
Experience with self-directed projects.
Strong digital skills, including experience using WordPress.
Proven track record in managing social media campaigns, across platforms including Facebook, Instagram, X, and LinkedIn.
Expertise in documenting creative projects.
Ability to travel when required for meetings, events etc. Full, clean driving license and access to own transport.
Excellent interpersonal and communication skills.
Excellent organisational and time-management skills.
The ability to work well as part of a small team.
Desirable:
Experience in working with non-profit or charitable organisations.
How to apply:
Applicants should send a detailed CV, along with a cover letter outlining their interest in this piece of work, with reference to relevant experience, and any other relevant details.
Fee: there is a set fee of €12,000 for the delivery of these services. There will be additional funds available for travel and other expenses to be confirmed with the successful applicant(s).
Timeline: Timelines will be agreed with successful candidate, but candidates should note dates of Regional and National Day events are in May and November.
Deadline: Wednesday 3rd April
How to apply: please send a cover letter detailing your experience, approach, and interest in the role, along with a CV to ciara@kidsown.ie
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BLAST Arts & Creativity in Education Residency 2024/2025 Applications Are Now Open
Department of Education: BLAST Initiative
Application Deadline: 10th May 2024
Applications for BLAST are now open.
Minister for Education Norma Foley, TD, has invited primary, post-primary, special schools and YouthReach to apply for the BLAST – Bringing Live Arts to Students and Teachers – arts in education initiative 2024/25.
Minister Foley is delighted to confirm that BLAST will be running in 2024 for the fourth time. The 2024 programme will enable 425 new arts in education residencies in schools over the course of the year.
BLAST aims to provide pupils in schools all over the country, time and the space to work with a professional artist/creative practitioner on imaginative and joyful projects. BLAST is a key Department of Education initiative of the Creative Youth Plan 2023-2027 which aims to foster creativity in schools focus and to provide young people with opportunities to learn and develop the key skills and competencies of collaboration, critical thinking, problem-solving, and innovation.
Innovative BLAST residencies are designed and developed between the artist/creative practitioner, teacher, students and the school community under the coordination of the 21 full-time Education Support Centres Ireland (ESCI) network.
Minister Foley said: “I am extremely proud to announce the launch of BLAST 2024, which builds on the great success of the BLAST 2021, 2022 and 2023 Programme.”
BLAST Arts & Creativity in Education Residency 2024/2025 apply online here: LINK
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FÍS Film Project Invite Primary Schools to Enter Their Storyboard Storytelling Competition
FÍS FILM Project
Deadline: Friday 19th April 2024 at 5pm
Irish primary schools are invited to enter the 2024 FÍS Storyboard Storytelling competition. The FÍS Storyboard Storytelling Competition is open to all primary schools in the Republic of Ireland. Only storyboards created and produced by primary school pupils and their teacher(s) will be eligible, i.e., the storyboard must be the school’s own original work.
To enter schools should create a storyboard that is a visual interpretation of a story, a concept, a topic, a poem or nursery rhyme. Suggested themes are as follows but not limited to:
Everyday heroes, e.g. ‘a day-in-the-life of someone in your community who supports others
Staycation
Local History / Folklore
As Gaeilge
Curriculum relevant topic, e.g. environmental exploration, climate change, history, science, etc.
Time capsule, e.g. school of the future, letters to grandchildren, a snapshot of time
An adaptation of a traditional story / fairytale with a modern day twist
FÍS film making in schools – what would that be like in the future?
The pupils own original story
Judging Critera Highlights:
When reviewing storyboards submitted to the competition, judges will consider the following:
Excellence in visual interpretation of a story or concept or topic
Excellence in the use of artistic media e.g. a variety of art materials, copyright free images, etc.
Imagination and creativity
Curricular relevance
Support of pupils’ literacy skills development and enhanced learning
Use of different types of shots, i.e. close-ups, mid-shots, long-shots, etc. that help to convey the story
Evidence that the Storyboards could be developed in the future by the class or group into a FÍS film or stop-motion animation project for entry into the 19th Annual FÍS Film Awards competition 2024.
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Kids’ Own Offer Complimentary Books and Teacher Resource to Schools and Educators
Kids’ Own Publishing Partnership
Kids’ Own have published two books by children and young people from the Roma and Traveller community Cork. They are offering complimentary copies of these books, together with the accompanying teacher learning resource, to schools and educators.
Explore the lives of Roma children with The Real Us. This publication shares their voices, experiences, and ambitions, challenging stereotypes and fostering empathy.
Discover insights from Traveller children with Grow Up Strong. Through narratives and artwork, this publication celebrates their experiences, highlighting the significance of their voices.
Developed by teachers, artists, and educators, the teacher resource supports the use of these books in classrooms. With a focus on fostering creativity and meaningful discussions, it aims to cultivate cultural understanding by centring children and young people’s experiences.
Tailored for upper primary and post-primary levels (Junior Cycle), these resources provide valuable perspectives and insights for your students’ educational journey.
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Opportunity For Teachers : CPD Courses with Education Support Centres Ireland
Education Support Centres Ireland (ESCI)
Education Support Centres Ireland are offering a selection of CPD courses for teachers. Highlights of courses available are as follows:
Cork Education Support Centre
Course Title: Enriching Learning Through Play – The Power of Drama Games in your Classroom
Location: Online
Date: 10 April 2024
Level: Primary
Drama can sometimes feel like a strain for teachers! Join Debbie Cullinane for an enlightening, informative webinar, where you’ll delve into the magic of drama games for all ages and the positive impact they can have in your classroom. A huge bank of games & resources will be shared, along with practical ideas to seamlessly integrate drama games into your classroom.
Read more and register here: https://www.cesc.ie/primary-courses/3022-24-5938-spr-enriching-learning-through-play.html
Wexford Education Support Centre
Course Title: Senior Cycle Poetry
Location : Online
Date: 30 April 2024
Level: Post primary
Join facilitator Deidre Carroll in this CPD Course by Wexford Education Support Centre.
Looking at Language – What is required in a Comprehension exercise? Writing style – what is it? How to write an impactful piece. The composition – what to choose, what to write.
Course Title: Let’s Play
Location : Online
Date: 30 April 2024
Level: Primary and Post primary
Join multi-disciplinary artist Kajsa Kinsella for an exciting webinar titled “Let’s Play!” In this session, learn how to transform everyday objects into simple, cost-effective toys, games, and even musical instruments. Imagine the joy on your students’ faces as they learn to create, replicate, and share these fun projects, fostering a love for learning that lasts a lifetime.
This is a great opportunity to bring hands-on, interactive learning into your classroom.
Course Title: Sensory Arts for SEN
Location : Online
Date: 07 May 2024
Level: Primary, Special Education
Join Blackrock Education on this webinar where you will learn to create captivating educational, safe and sensory arts and crafts for and with SEN classes. Speaker Kajsa Kinsella will show you how to utilise everyday items to create educational material for children of different abilities, sensitivities and preferences.
Towards the end of our playschool year in 2023 we had the pleasure of welcoming Kids’ Own associate artists Maree Hensey and Naomi Draper into our playspace, as our playschool took part in the Arts in Early Learning and Care (ELC) and School Age Childcare (SAC) Pilot. Embarking on a journey of creativity and learning together, we put the child’s experience at the centre.
By placing the experience for the child at the centre it, the experience, becomes relevant and meaningful for the child – they are empowered and the process better reflects the individual need of each child. For example, a more confident and socially independent child will prioritise their learning through identifying and initiating contact with the newcomers. She will explore what they have to offer, what their contribution is going to be and how she can use this to further her own learning. She will embrace the new experience, quickly and enthusiastically seeking out learning e.g. “What’s your name?….What’s in your basket?….Can I have a go?….I need that” etc. etc.
A more reserved child, on the other hand, may prefer to spend his time in an observational role, building up learning through spectating, watching others, as they develop relationships and build trust. Once this phase is completed he is ready to take a more active role within the group once they become certain of expectation, roles and the new dynamics which are emerging.
Children experience art and the creative process differently to adults. Mostly children are creative in nature, possessing abundant curiosity and motivation to explore, experiment and create. Children do this all of the time through constructive play, arts and craft, mark making, dramatic role-play, musical play and physical play. It is, in fact, impossible to stop children from creating – it is how they learn.
The introduction of the artists directed the children’s learning and we observed how the child’s experience was enhanced through the patient, child-centred and facilitative approach adopted and employed by the artists.
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Arts for transformative education: A guide for teachers from the UNESCO Associated Schools Network
UNESCO
This guide invites teachers to harness the transformative power of the arts through the research-informed Arts for Transformative Education model. This thinking tool for teachers was developed by analysing data from more than 600 teachers across 39 countries in the UNESCO Associated Schools Network (ASPnet).
The guide presents and explains the Arts for Transformative Education model – a thinking tool for understanding, planning and supporting transformative arts learning experiences. It also describes a curated collection of arts learning activities and projects from across the globe that may serve as inspiration for arts learning experiences suited to your own context.
This publication provides:
12 ‘learning experience descriptions’ illustrating how the Arts for Transformative Education model works in real-world learning.
JCSP Libraries are running an exciting new photography challenge. This inclusive challenge can be enjoyed by students in post-primary JCSP/DEIS schools across all year groups. The aim is to support young people to develop their artistic practice, creativity, originality and self-expression through the medium of photography.
The main idea behind this initiative is to promote visual literacy and creative thinking. To take part, students are encouraged to take a daily photo inspired by daily prompt words throughout February. Students can snap photographs of people, places or things around them. The prompt list encourages students to study the world around them and to focus on visual features including texture, pattern, colour and shape. Extra resources on jcsplibraries.com will also allow students to make connections between photography and numeracy, learn new tips and tricks, and to develop their literacy with photography keywords. The challenge is very flexible: individual students, clubs or classes can participate.
The Challenge is open to students in all post-primary JCSP/DEIS schools and that winners will be selected in 3 categories:
1. Junior
2. TY and Senior
3. Special Needs
HOW TO ENTER:
This exciting new photography competition is open to students in 2nd Level JCSP and DEIS schools across Ireland.
There will be three prizes categories: Junior Cycle, Senior Cycle, Special Needs.
Each school can submit a maximum of 5 entries per category.
All entries must be the original work of the students.
All entries must be submitted via the school and using the official entry form. Students should not submit entries directly.
Send a digital file or make a scan of all of your student entries and send them to info@jcsplibraries.ie along with a copy of the entry form detailing your school and participating students’ details.
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Opportunity for Schools: Creative Clusters 2024-2026 initiative
Department of Education
Deadline: 10th May 2024
The Department of Education is pleased to announce the opening of a new round of Creative Clusters for the two years commencing September 2024. The programme is open to primary and post-primary schools, including special schools, as well as YouthReach centres.
Up to €575,000 has been made available this year for Creative Clusters and this will enable up to 210 schools to come together across 42 clusters.
Each Creative Cluster will receive grant funding of €3,000 per school over a two-year period to implement their project 2024–2026.
3 schools would receive €9,000
5 schools would receive €15,000
In addition to financial support above each cluster will also receive:
A Creative Cluster Facilitator
Teacher Substitution to attend workshops and meetings
Eligible Schools – The following schools are welcome to apply to participate in Creative Clusters:
Schools that have not yet participated in Creative Clusters.
Schools that have not yet participated in Creative Schools and those who will complete Creative Schools Year 2 in the 2023/24 school year.
Schools that will complete Creative Clusters Year 2 in the 2023/24 school year. However, they must apply as part of a cluster who have not yet participated in the initiative. In this instance, it is required that this school applies to lead a cluster of schools that are new to the initiative.
The local Education Support Centre will have a key role in identifying and supporting a Creative Cluster for their local area. 42 Creative Clusters will be selected nationally – 2 per Education Support Centre.
In announcing this new round of Creative Clusters, Minister Foley said:
“This is a wonderful opportunity for schools to work together on a creative project of their choice. Schools are given complete freedom to design and develop their own project, with support from a local facilitator and their local education centre.”
Creative Clusters is an initiative of the Department of Education, led by and in partnership with the 21 full-time Education Centres (Education Support Centres Ireland – ESCI) and funded through the Schools Excellence Fund.
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Opportunity: Portal Documentation Award 2024
Deadline extended: 6 March 2024
The Arts in Education Portal editorial team are pleased to invite applications for a documentation award. Through the award, successful applicants will receive services to the value of €5,000 that will support them in the documentation of a current or upcoming project and a €500 stipend.
The purpose of the award is to support the development of documented outcomes from Arts in Education initiatives in Ireland, which can be shared with the arts in education community and give insights into different processes of engagement. This is part of the Arts in Education Portal Editorial Committee’s commitment to supporting and recognising the value of documentation and reflection as key components within arts in education initiatives.
Two awards will be offered through this opportunity.
Outcomes of the documentation process will include: a project video, a project feature to be showcased on the Portal’s Projects/Partnerships, and the option of a critical essay, with a view to also presenting the work as part of the Arts in Education Portal National Day in 2024.
The process will involve meetings with the Portal Team and a schedule of up to 2 visits over the course of the project to capture video and photographic documentation and support reflective processes among participants. These visits and meetings can be conducted virtually if required.
The portal team will edit and produce a project video and will liaise closely with the project partners to develop the content for the project feature. The critical essay would be cited in the Portal’s Reading Room and is optional. The author and focus of the essay can be decided by the project organisers in collaboration with the Portal Team.
Criteria
To be considered for this opportunity, projects must:
Have started in Autumn 2023 and continue into 2024, or take place in 2024. Please note if selected, filming of engagement sessions will take place after 19th March 2024.
Have a minimum duration of 8 weeks.
Involve a professional artist working collaboratively within an educational setting (early years, primary or post-primary).
Be underpinned by a strong ethos of collaboration and a commitment to excellence. Focus on the creative process, with children having an active and collaborative role.
Additional criteria
Successful applicants will be asked to ensure that relevant permissions/consent have been sought for the documentation of participants.
Please ensure your application has been approved by all project partners prior to submission.
Deadline for submission is 5pm, Wednesday 6 March 2024.
Note: this article was amended on 29/02/24 to revise the deadline for submission from Friday 1 to Wednesday 6 March
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I-TAP-PD: Research Reports
International Teacher-Artist Partnership (I-TAP-PD) PD
Research reports from the International Teacher-Artist Partnership (I-TAP-PD) PD project were published in June 2023. The project focus was on enabling teachers and artists to jointly develop their understanding, expertise and creativity in ‘arts in education’ work with children and young people in education, community and arts settings. It is funded under the Erasmus+ KA2 Strategic Partnership for School Education initiative.
Consisting of a 5-day pre-service training course to prepare participants for their partnered engagement and a 20 hour in-situ residency in a primary school, the programme was piloted in four countries: Ireland, Serbia, Greece and the Netherlands.
I-TAP-PD focuses specifically on the partnership between a teacher and an artist, aiming to facilitate a strong foundation of relationship and inspiration before working together in the classroom. In co-creating this methodology a research group was organised to collect data about the impact of the programme and the residencies, and to monitor the development and finetuning of the training programme. The research team consists of representatives of each country.
Four residencies took place in Ireland during 2022, data from these, confirmed findings published internationally on TAP initiatives. In this case, sufficient allocation of time for residencies, whole school buy-in and political will and support were confirmed as the main enablers of TAP practices, whereas two residencies were hindered by a lack of support by school management. Key findings for the Irish research indicated that learning fell broadly into three categories: personal development, professional development and effective collaboration. The greatest areas of learning for teachers were in the collaborative sphere while artists reported significant personal development.
The research from each partner country is available to read on the I-TAP-PD website, including a short introduction and download link to each research reports from Ireland along with Greece, Serbia and the Netherlands. Read them all and explore how the programme and residencies were experienced and analysed within the different contexts.
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New Creative Schools initiative: Creative February
The Arts Council of Ireland
Dates: 1st-29th Feb
The Arts Council is inviting all schools across Ireland to get involved in their first ever Creative February, a celebration of art and creativity in schools with a focus on fun, festivities, imagination and innovation. This initiative will run from the 1st to the 29th of February.
Creative February will recognise and affirm that our schools are truly creative places, filled with very creative people. From primary to secondary to alternative settings, all children and young people will be encouraged to MAKE, SEE, DO.
Make any style of art you choose – paint, draw, dance, knit, design, sculpt, code;
See art – visit a museum or gallery, attend a theatre or spoken word performances, dance shows, music gigs, or see architecture and local art in your town or city!
Do a creative project – as a team, as a class or as a school.
To help inspire, guide and motivate everyone taking part, the Arts Council will host a series of online workshops in collaboration with Monaghan Education Centre and Wexford Education Support Centre. These workshops will be divided: half will be catering for school staff and teachers, with the remainder dedicated to students.
The underlying theme for Creative February is Spring. Creation from new growth, the seeds of inspiration, this theme hopes to encourage students and school communities to reflect on where creativity begins in our lives, in every class, in every school and how it can grow and flourish.
Ongoing updates and details of webinars will appear across the Arts Council’s social media platforms and Creative February website.
Run by the Creative Schools team within the Arts Council, Creative February is open to every school in the country, and all are warmly invited to take part. A welcome pack, with posters and details has been distributed to each school across the country.
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Evaluation of Creative Schools – full report
The Arts Council of Ireland
The Arts Council has warmly welcomed the publication of a landmark report which shows the impact, reach and influence of the Creative Schools Programme. Creative Schools is led by the Arts Council in partnership with the Department of Education, the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media and Creative Ireland.
The report by Dr Regina Murphy and Dr Eemer Eivers (Dublin City University) presents an evaluation of the first four years (2018-2022) of the initiative and provides information on the experiences of children and young people, teachers, educators, arts practitioners and artists. To date 971 schools, nearly a quarter of all schools in the country [~24%], have participated in the programme.
Participants in schools and centres, including children, students, teachers, principals, Creative Schools Coordinators and their supporting Creative Associates have been overwhelmingly positive in their overall attitudes towards the programme and in their reports of experience. 99% of participating schools said they would recommend the programme to other schools.
Schools from every county in Ireland have participated in the programme and all school types including 27 Youthreach Centres, have been well represented. The Creative Schools programme has successfully prioritised participation by DEIS Schools, small rural schools, Special Schools, Irish Language medium schools and Youthreach centres in response to interim findings from this report.
In many instances, changes to how students perceive their place in the school as well as improvements to the physical face of the school (e.g. an art installation or a student co-designed garden), can be directly attributed to the programme. The report also highlights that the Creative Schools initiative has been successful in promoting and infusing creativity in schools and drawing attention to the increasing importance of creativity in education.
Creative Schools has opened up a very broad range of experiences for students and pupils and each participating school has had a unique journey. The wide variety of activities undertaken by schools during their engagement in Creative Schools have included circus, architecture, heritage, music, comedy, literature, coding, traditional arts, science, horticulture, film, design, craft, drama, visual arts and dance.
The researchers Dr. Murphy and Dr. Eivers conclude:
“The overall Creative Schools initiative has transformed a very broad range of Irish schools in the Irish educational landscape more than any other initiative heretofore in placing learners in every county at the heart of the process, valuing and validating their perspectives and experiences, collaborating meaningfully with them while shifting the focus of arts education in particular from child-centred to child-led participatory practice.”
Maureen Kennelly, Arts Council Director said of the report:
“…By placing young people at the heart of decision making, we have been able to support schools to fully embrace the creative possibilities within their community and their locality…”
Catherine Martin TD, Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media said:
“Creative Schools, a key programme under the Creative Youth Plan, has gone from strength to strength since 2018, particularly in its reach to schools and those under the DEIS programme, in alternative settings and special schools. This report highlights positive impacts that Creative Schools has had on students and their school communities…”
Minister for Education, Norma Foley TD added:
“I welcome DCU’s Creative Schools report which highlights the success of the programme in putting the arts and creativity at the centre of education. It has given students the opportunity to develop creative projects on their own school grounds, to take part in workshops and performances and to visit galleries, theatres, heritage sites, cinemas, museums, libraries and local arts centres…”
Two Sixth Year students from Mungret Community College, Limerick who participated in the Creative Schools programme also gave their views about their experience.
Aaroh Jain: “I think Creative Schools had a profound impact on me, because it was a chance to exercise autonomy in our school, a platform to see if we could bring our own ideas to life.”
Eve Adedirann: “Creative Schools is a great way to explore interests you may have thought you never had.”
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Opportunity for Schools: Young Filmmaker of the Year 2024 call for submissions
Fresh International Film Festival
Deadline extended: Friday, 1st February 2024
Fresh International Film Festival is accepting entries for Ireland’s Young Filmmaker of the Year 2024. Open to all young budding filmmakers and school groups, between 7 – 18 years of age, encouraging young people from Ireland and overseas to create, exhibit, and share films. Submissions are welcome across comedy, horror, drama, documentary, experimental, music video, animation.
The 28th annual Fresh International Film Festival will take place in April, showcasing hundreds of short films from Ireland’s future screen talent. A highlight of the festival is Ireland’s Young Filmmaker of the Year, an awards programme which acknowledges and celebrates the highest standards of youth filmmaking across three categories: Junior (7-12 years), Senior (13-18 years) and International (7-18 years). The awards include a prize fund, filmmaking equipment, mentoring sessions with creative professionals, and the opportunity for young people to have their work screened theatrically.
Dublin student Max Hendrickson (17) was named Ireland’s Young Filmmaker of the Year 2023 at the Fresh International Film Festival. His short animated film, The Tell-Tale Heart is a re-telling of Edgar Allan Poe’s famous short story and it scooped the top prize for the amazing young Director.
“I have been submitting to the Fresh International Film Festival since I was 12, and it has consistently provided the inspiration and motivation for me to keep making movies. It has been absolutely amazing to attend every year and meet other young filmmakers, and I urge all aspiring filmmakers to submit their work to Fresh”. – Max Hendrickson, Dublin; Ireland’s Young Filmmaker of the Year 2023.
Are you a school group who produced an original film work since January 2023? Closing date for entries is Friday, 1 February, 2024 and are welcomed in English (or English subtitles) and Irish.
This article was edited to amend the deadline date which was extended from 19 Jan to 1 Feb
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Funding Opportunities and Events for Artists
The beginning of the year often signals the start of the funding cycle for artists and arts organisations, we have collated a number of upcoming webinars and sessions along with a selection grants of interest for artists working in the arts and creativity in education sector as well as school/education leaders.
Funding Opportunities from The Arts Council
The Arts Council is the national agency for funding, developing and promoting the arts in Ireland. They recently released the current schedule for funding opportunities for 2024. The full listing can be found here: https://www.artscouncil.ie/funding-opportunities-schedule/
For interest to school/education leaders and artists in the arts and creativity in education practice are a selection of relevant funding streams:
Creative Schools Initiative – opens 27th Feb, deadline 2nd May (open to Department of Education-recognised primary and post-primary schools and Youthreach centres)
Young People, Children and Education Residencies – opens 5th Mar, deadline 4th Apr (open to higher-education institutions that provide initial teacher education in partnership with an artist / arts organisation)
Date: Thursday 25th January 2024
VAI are hosting a webinar ‘An Artist’s Guide to Accessing Funding’ on Thursday 25th January at 11am via zoom with curator and critic Marianne O’Kane Boal. This event is supported by Clare, Limerick and Tipperary County Council Arts Offices.
The online session will consist of one 45 minute presentation that will take a closer look at all things ‘Funding and applications’ covering grants, bursaries, residencies, per cent for art commissions and project proposals. It is free to artists based in Counties Clare, Limerick and Tipperary and general admission is €10.
The Arts Council is also hosting a series of ‘Meet the Arts Council’ sessions in arts venues around the country in January/February.
These sessions are an opportunity to speak with Arts Council staff about funding opportunities and hear about what the Arts Council does.
Update: bookings have now closed for all events, but you are welcome to join the waiting list using the links below and the Arts Council will contact you if further places arise.
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An Cumann Scoildrámaíochta: Irish medium drama festivals for primary and post-primary schools
An Cumann Scoildrámaíochta
Dates: February – March 2024
An Cumann Scoildrámaíochta, which is under the patronage of the Department of Gaeltacht and Rural Affairs, organises schools drama festivals on a countrywide basis to promote Irish medium drama in schools at both primary and post-primary level.
The festivals are organised on a local, provincial and national basis. These festivals give young people from every part of the country the opportunity to be directly involved in all aspects of drama production. As well as being a hugely enjoyable experience, participation also helps to build self-confidence, self-esteem and an overall fluency in the Irish language. Part of the fun is the competition element with the standard rising year after year.
The programme begins with the local festivals which are usually held in February and early March each year, provincial festivals follow in March and the national festival is held in April.
There are separate competitions and divisions based on school level, the size of school, age groups, operas/musicals and for primary schools that are not Irish-medium or Gaeltacht schools.
A repository of scripts translated into Irish are available in pdf format to download from An Cumann Scoildrámaíochta website.
If you are a drama producer involved with primary or post-primary students or if you are a teacher who would like to try producing a play for the first time ever, this is your chance to take part.
If you are interested in taking part, contact the representative listed for the festival nearest you or send an e-mail to eolas@scoildramaiocht.ie.
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Creative Schools initiative: Arts Council announces 141 new schools
The Arts Council recently announced that offers have been made to 141 schools and centres across Ireland who applied to be part of the Creative Schools initiative.
The Creative Schools initiative gives opportunities for children and young people to build their artistic and creative skills. Each of the 141 schools taking part will receive a grant and work with a professional Creative Associate who will support them to develop and implement their own bespoke Creative School Plan over a two-year period.
The 141 new Creative Schools comprise 97 primary schools, 25 post-primary schools, 4 special schools and 10 Youthreach centres. Joining the programme this year are five schools in Alternative Settings who cater for young people with severe emotional and behavioural challenges. St Paul’s YEP, Dublin; St Laurence O’Toole’s Special School, Dublin; Henrietta Street School, Dublin; St Kevin’s School, Cork; and St Augustine’s Special School, Limerick will join the programme and receive enhanced supports.
Catherine Martin TD, Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media said:
“I am thrilled to see the continued success of the Creative Schools initiative and warmly welcome the 141 new schools and centres. Since 2018, Creative Schools has been a testament to the pivotal role creativity plays for children and young people across Ireland; in their education and for their school communities. I hope that the Creative School initiative continues to flourish and empower our young people as these new schools and centres embark on the programme.”
Norma Foley TD, Minister for Education said:
“I am pleased to see that 141 new schools and centres are now joining the Creative Schools Programme. Creative Schools puts the arts and creativity at the heart of children’s and young people’s lives. Over 970 schools and Youthreach centres have been invited to participate since it was set up in 2018. We are increasingly embedding the arts into the education system, which includes the development of a new subject – Drama, Film and Theatre Studies – which will commence in schools in 2025.”
Maureen Kennelly, Director of the Arts Council, said:
“We extend a warm welcome to the 141 new schools joining Creative Schools. The demand nationwide is a testament to the programme’s impact, and we’re excited even more schools in Ireland are now part of this creative journey. Collaborating with our partners in the Department of Education, the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport, and Media, as well as Creative Ireland, we anticipate another school year filled with creativity, consultation, and exploration.”
Participation empowers children and young people to develop, implement and evaluate arts and creative activity throughout their schools and centres. Creativity stimulates additional ways of working and has a positive impact on children and young people’s learning, development and well-being.
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Call for contributions: FEAPDA/NCSE/BATOD Joint Congress 2024
National Council for Special Education
Deadline: Friday 12th January 2024, 5pm
The European Federation of Associations of Teachers of the Deaf (FEAPDA), National Council for Special Education (NCSE) and British Association of Teachers of Deaf Children and Young People (BATOD), with support from BATOD Northern Ireland, invite all interested parties (teachers, professionals, lecturers, researchers, developers and manufacturers of technical devices, service providers, service users, policy makers, students etc) to present their work at the 27th FEAPDA Congress.
Deaf children and young people form a diverse group with varying experiences of hearing loss but who are also affected by other aspects of their lives. Additional medical and/or educational needs, cultural and social backgrounds and every individual’s own life experience will influence their experience of deafness.
This year’s congress will explore the diversity of deaf learners in their many lives: implications for our knowledge and practice.
Papers and presentations may consider issues such as:
Meeting the needs of children who are deaf with additional needs;
Meeting the needs of children whose deafness is not their primary need;
The experience of deaf children from minority communities;
How deaf individuals experience and define their own identities
Abstracts for paper presentations (30 min), workshops/interactive presentations (60 min) and poster presentations are welcomed.
The Emma O’Kane Bursary is an award for independent artists who want to think beyond the boundaries of their art form and practice and to explore dance or a physical language in their work. It honours the exceptional ethos and artistic practice of artist Emma O’Kane who died in 2021.
The Emma O’Kane Bursary is open to artists working in any artform and at any stage in their career. Whatever your background, lived experience or artistic practice, if you have the curiosity to explore and integrate dance, movement or other forms of physical language in your work, the courage to push art form boundaries and to challenge norms and the ambition to be the best that you can be as an artist, we would love to hear from you.
Over the course of the year, successful bursary recipients will receive a six-week residency at the Atrium at 42 Fairview Strand, Dublin along with a stipend for the duration of the residency and a research and materials budget. There will also be opportunities to avail of bespoke mentorships sessions and to attend professional morning dance classes.
The Emma O’Kane Bursary was created by Anu Productions, CoisCéim Dance Theatre, Crash Ensemble, Dublin Dance Festival, Fishamble: The New Play Company, Pavilion Theatre, Project Arts Centre The Ark, Dublin and a number of independent professionals. It was set up with a Collaborative Capacity Building Award from the The Arts Council / An Chomhairle Ealaíon in 2021 and is funded entirely by donation.
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Opportunities for Schools: Support & Inclusion for Erasmus+
Léargas
Date: 18th January
Do you have ideas for an Erasmus+ project, but not sure where to start? Wondering how to promote inclusion in your Erasmus+ project?
Don’t miss this information session on 18th January for those working in primary and post-primary schools in Ireland and who are interested in learning about funding opportunities under Erasmus+. The event will be led by Inclusion and Impact Officer, Vasiliki Psarra, and will be a good opportunity to connect with other schools, share experiences and challenges and learn about additional supports.
This session will focus on the range of opportunities for pupils and staff in school education and the inclusions supports available. This session will cover pupil mobility, staff mobility, and how to apply. There will be time to answer any questions you may have.
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2024 Waltons RTÉ lyric fm Music for Schools Competition
Waltons New School of Music and RTÉ lyric fm
Deadline: Friday, 23 February 2024, 5pm
After four long years without it, Waltons New School of Music and RTÉ lyric fm have announced the launch of the 2024 Waltons RTÉ lyric fm Music for Schools Competition!
Founded in 2012, the Music for Schools Competition is a non-profit national event celebrating and supporting music in Irish schools.
The Competition is open to all primary and post-primary schools in the Republic of Ireland, and hundreds of schools from all 26 counties have participated in previous years. Music groups of up to 40 members formed by schools will work together to produce a piece or song in response to this year’s Competition theme, Music Moves.
Groups can be made up of any combination of instrumentalists and singers that schools choose, and all music genres are welcome. (Past entries have included classical, Irish traditional, jazz, pop, rock, rap and folk). Schools are also encouraged to promote diversity and inclusiveness in their groups.
Twelve Finalist groups (six primary and six post-primary) will be selected to perform before their peers and a distinguished panel of adjudicators in the National Concert Hall on 8 April 2024. And at the end of the concert, the adjudicators will announce this year’s six winning groups (three primary and three post-primary), which will win awards totalling €7,000 worth of vouchers for musical instruments and equipment from Waltons Music to expand and enhance their schools’ music programmes. The entire concert will be streamed live by RTÉ lyric fm and can be watched from anywhere in Ireland or around the world.
The Music for Schools Competition offers schools the opportunity to think and work creatively with any combination of students, developing a creative and original musical project that has learning potential at every stage of the process.
Important Dates
Friday, 23 February 2024, 5 pm • Entry Deadline
Friday, 1 March • Announcement of Finalists on RTÉ lyric fm
Monday, 8 April • Finalists Concert, National Concert Hall
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Opportunity for Teachers: Oide Creativity Autumn/Winter Workshops
OIDE Creativity
Dates: Various
OIDE Creativity have released various dates for their creative and engaging workshops for teachers this autumn and winter.
The courses include:
Unlocking Shakespeare: The Merchant of Venice
Oide Creativity in collaboration with voice specialist Andrea Ainsworth, presents a one-day elective workshop, open to post-primary teachers from all subject disciplines.
This workshop offers participants an opportunity to:
focus on a prescribed Shakespeare play (junior cycle English)
experience practical, creative ways to lift Shakespeare’s language off the page and into action
reflect on how the workshop may support professional classroom practice and approaches to Classroom-Based Assessments (CBAs).
Get your World Turning With woodturner Willie Creighton
Oide Creativity and Oide Technology Subjects, in collaboration with woodturner Willie Creighton, present a one-day elective workshop, open to post-primary teachers from all subject disciplines.
This practical workshop offers participants an opportunity to:
experience exciting ways to create wood turned artefacts
discover the natural properties and aesthetics of wood through the craft
develop practical and creative approaches that may be used in classroom practice.
Page Turners
Oide Creativity, in collaboration with spoken word poet Erin Fornoff, author Sam Blake/Vanessa Fox O’ Loughlin and author Dave Rudden, presents a one-day series of workshops and a panel discussion, open to teachers from all subject disciplines.
These three writing workshops offer participants an opportunity to:
collaborate, share ideas, learn and reflect in a safe, supportive environment
learn practical, creative teaching methods
discuss writing tips, writing groups, and author visits.
Spaces are limited for each workshop. A waiting list will apply.
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Minister Foley announces 425 new BLAST Arts in Education residencies in schools and 40 new Creative Clusters commenced
Department of Education
Minister for Education Norma Foley recently announced the latest updates to BLAST (Bringing Live Art to Students and Teachers) and Creative Clusters as part of the Creative Youth Plan 2023 – 2027. 425 schools have been selected to take part in the BLAST 2023 initiative and 40 new Creative Clusters were created.
The aim of the BLAST scheme is to give students in schools all over the country the opportunity to work with a professional artist on unique projects to be planned and developed between the artist, the teacher and the school under the co-ordination of the Education Support Centres Ireland ESCI network of 21 full-time education centres.
Announcing the creation of 425 new BLAST Arts in Education Residencies, Minister Foley said:
“The initiative will provide additional opportunities for schools to collaborate with established artists and creatives, supporting our children and young people to collaborate and engage in creative and critical thinking – all crucial skills for their futures… Each residency is worth €1,100 which is fully funded by the Department of Education and the local Education Centre will pay the Artist for a 20-hour residency which will be delivered throughout the academic year, commencing from September 2023. I look forward to seeing how these exciting artist in residency opportunities in schools develop over the coming year.”
With the creation of 40 new Creative Clusters, Minister Foley said:
“Now more than ever, it is important that our students are supported to develop their creativity and given flexibility to express themselves in a variety of exciting new ways. Today I am proud to announce the 140 schools that are coming together to form 40 new Creative Clusters. I look forward to seeing how these exciting projects develop over the coming two years. This year has once again seen a very significant level of interest from schools applying to participate in the 2023 Creative Clusters initiative across the country.
Each Creative Cluster will receive grant funding of €3,000 per school over a two-year period to implement their project in the 2023–2025 school years (e.g. a cluster of 3 schools would receive €9,000 over two years while a cluster of 5 schools would receive €15,000 over two years). Clusters will receive 50% of the total grant funding in Year 1, with the second 50% being provided in Year 2. In addition, but separate to the grant funding, all successful clusters are further supported with: A fully paid Creative Cluster Facilitator; paid Teacher Substitution to attend training and meetings; room hire, travel & subsistence.
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Get Ready for the 2023 National Arts in Education Portal Day!
Ticket Booking Opens on 12th October!
Ticket booking for the Arts in Education 2023 National Portal Day will open on 12th October.
This year’s conference is taking place at Mary Immaculate College, Limerick on Saturday, 11 November 2023 in partnership with the Department of Arts Education & Physical Education. The event aims to bring together members of the arts in education and creative practice community from all across Ireland, to share, learn, talk, network, get inspired and continue interrogating best practice in the field.
The Programme will see a mix of presentations, smaller discussion-led sessions and creative workshops each addressing the special focus of ‘Seldom Heard Voices’ reflecting diversity and inclusion across school communities.
As previously announced The Portal Team is delighted to welcome guest speaker, artist/researcher Dr Jill Goodwin, who will deliver the conference keynote address. Using personal examples from her experience in schools, her research and her art practice, Jill will consider the spaces – both physical and psychological – we provide and inhabit. Can we make space to dream, to listen, to be?
Sneak Peek at the 2023 National Arts in Education Portal Day Programme
Presentation & Discussion: Seen and Heard – Refracting responses of children to a school-based theatre workshop and arising implications for the Arts and Education sectors
Lecturer in Drama Education Dr Tríona Stokes and Creative Producer/Curator Hannah Mullan will reflect on the findings from an engaged research project featuring a consultation with key stakeholders, including children, about the extent to which they felt seen and heard in a pre-production school-based theatre workshop by Monkeyshine. They will invite audience consideration and discussion for artists, teachers and teacher-artist collaboration and partnership.
Creative Workshop:Reflective Data Visualisation – Using art-based reflections to encourage participants to promote an individual as well as a collective understanding of social injustices.
Visual Art Education lecturer Anne Marie Morrin from Mary Immaculate College will present an original methodology called ‘The Data Reflective Wall’.The focus of this workshop is (in)equality and will place the participants’ own understanding of inequality and social justice at the forefront of the learning experience, building a sense of empathy and collective responsibility into a teaching and learning experience.
Ticket bookings open at 12 noon, Thursday 12th October 2023. Tickets are free but pre booking is essential as capacity is limited.
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Opportunity For Teachers: Teaching Creative Skills Programme by The Big Idea
The Big Idea
Deadline: Open
The Big Idea have created a full 14-week creative programme of learning resources for your Transition Year or Leaving Cert Applied students. Each teacher and tutor will receive a teaching pack to support in-class activities regardless of their school context. You will also join their B!G Teacher community with exclusive offers from their partners.
All resources are digitally formatted with two lessons per week. The adaptable format can be used for either a 40-minute class or a 1-hour class with teacher prompts and lesson plans included as well as built-in assessment structures and additional class materials.
Their national and international network of professional experts will share knowledge directly with your students, supporting them in their project development. Student teams will be matched with Big Idea industry Mentors giving them the opportunity to gain advice on next steps, ask questions to get students thinking, ask them things to consider or offer resources to explore.
There will be a free B!G Idea Learning Pack given to every student, which includes all the materials needed to engage in the programme.
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Blog 1 – Lorna Watkins, Visual Artist and TAP+ Tutor
In the first of a new guest blog series, artist Lorna Watkins talks about her thoughts and experiences on her TAP placement.
New Beginnings
Being an artist of any kind can be a lonely existence. I love my alone time, it’s necessary to do the work but other human exchange is needed from time to time. I need that human energy to feed into my work and to me. I had worked with adults on painting workshops before but had never really considered working with young people.
My studio work is cyclical, I tend to make more work during the winter than the summer as I’m a Mammy too, with kids off school it’s harder to to get to the studio every day.
In comes an email from Sligo Education Centre and I clicked on it. I don’t even remember signing up for it. They were offering the TAP+ CPD training. Truthfully I didn’t really know a whole lot about it but it sounded interesting. It turned out to be a week long of blissful discussion with other artists, theatre practitioners, composers and designers amongst passionate educators.
The exercises that we did during the course were fun, inventive, thought provoking and playful. As an artist once you complete the course you are given a TAP+ Residency with a Primary School. That year I got a TAP+ placement in the Our Lady of Mercy Primary School, Sligo paired with tutor Niamh Middleton. It was a wonderful experience and has energised my practice. As a result I have since worked on four BLAST projects, worked on several Youthreach projects and with the SMILY LGBTI group. All because I left myself open to the “what if?”
So artists out there. If you’ve ever wondered about Arts in Education, please go to your local Education Centre and enquire about the TAP+ CPD Summer Course.
It can change everything!
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Dr. Jill Goodwin Announced As Keynote Speaker for 2023 National Arts In Education Portal Day
The Portal Team is delighted to welcome guest speaker, artist/researcher Dr. Jill Goodwin, highly respected for her practice working with children labelled as having profound and multiple learning disabilities, who will deliver the conference keynote address.
Dr Jill Goodwin
Dr Jill Goodwin is a UK-based artist/researcher with a background in education. Her experience working with children labelled as having ‘profound and multiple learning disabilities’ has led her to seek and explore ways of sharing meaning without words, and she sees the arts as key to this process. Jill has recently worked as a consultant, mentor and trainer with arts and educational organisations, as well as with individual artists. She was Visiting Research Fellow with the ‘Centre for Research in Inclusion’ at the University of Southampton from 2020 – 2023, and Researcher-in-Residence with Oily Cart, a London-based sensory theatre company, from 2020 – 2022. Jill’s own art work privileges the sensory over the intellectual, making it innately inclusive.
The full line-up of the national day will be announced soonwhen ticket bookings will open online. This year’s event will again focus on ‘Seldom Heard Voices’ and will see a return to the usual mix of presentations, smaller discussion-led presentations and creative workshops addressing this theme.
These events bring together members of the arts in education community from all across Ireland, to share, learn, talk, network, get inspired, and continue interrogating best practice in the field.
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Call for Papers, Presentations and Workshops! 2023 National Arts in Education Portal Day
Arts in Education Portal
Deadline: Friday 15 September 2023
Artists, teachers, academics and arts education professionals….Do you want to be part of the eighth annual National Arts in Education Portal Day?
The National Arts in Education Portal Day will take place at Mary Immaculate College on Saturday, 11 November 2023 in partnership with the Department of Arts Education & Physical Education. The event aims to bring together members of the arts in education and creative practice community from all across Ireland, to share, learn, talk, network, get inspired and continue interrogating best practice in the field.
The Arts in Education Portal Editorial Committee invites proposals from organisations or individuals who want to give dynamic and inspiring presentations or workshops that can offer sharing of skills, practical approaches, new insights and critical thinking across the field, from a range of perspectives.
This year, the Portal Day will continue the special focus of ‘Seldom Heard Voices’. The Committee particularly want to profile projects this year that reflect diversity and inclusion across school communities and represent all children.
Do you have a workshop or presentation that you would like to be included in the programme for this day? If so, please send us your proposal.
The deadline for submission of proposals is 5pm Friday 15th September 2023.
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Opportunity for Teacher Creative Associates: Creative Schools
Creative Schools
Deadline: 31st August 2023
Creative Schools have launched a call out for Teacher Creative Associates. Scoileanna Ildánacha/Creative Schools is a flagship initiative of the Creative Ireland Programme to enable the creative potential of every child. Creative Schools is led by the Arts Council in partnership with the Department of Education.
It is expected that the Creative Associate will work in partnership with up to one school to develop expertise and approaches that will develop and sustain arts and creative practices in their schools. Creative Associates will draw on the range of opportunities within the school and wider community to stimulate and support creative practices as part of the school’s plan.
Creative Associates are educators with their own arts practice and a deep understanding of creativity and its potential to transform the lives of children and young people. They are dynamic agents for change uniquely placed to form sustainable partnerships between teachers, school staff, learners and other partners.
They are original thinkers who will match the needs of schools to creative opportunities in their locality. They can identify potential areas for improvement and will inspire, energise and drive schools forward in addressing these. Through this pioneering initiative, Creative Associates will have the chance to shape the place of the arts and creativity in Irish schools.
It is expected that up to 10 to 15 Teacher Creative Associates will be engaged to deliver services. Each associate will be partnered with one school within one the following regions:
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Opportunity for Teachers and/or Artists: Online Photography Learning Resource with Source Magazine
Source Magazine
Date: Ongoing
Source Magazine has created a free online learning resource about photography, designed for the Senior Cycle. Its three interlinked strands of research, creativity and response aim to provide a context for students to develop critical and productive skills in photography.
They are written by Jesse Alexander, an experienced educationist in photography and contributor to Source. Each includes group discussion topics and suggested activities to help grasp their significance. They are illustrated with the work of some of the most celebrated photographers.
Portraiture & the Human Form: Portraiture has been an important part of art for centuries and photography has given the genre new opportunities. This essay looks at how portraiture photography compares and how it can reveal the private lives of its subjects, show their emotional states and personalities. We might see ourselves reflected in some!
Exterior & Interior Spaces: Many photographers concentrate on landscapes and cityscapes, along with interior spaces such as bedrooms, shared domestic spaces or parts of public buildings. They can make familiar places look strange and make the unfamiliar seem welcoming. After seeing many of the photographs included, we may see our own surroundings a little differently!
Documentary & Narrative The many forms of documentary photography often record everyday aspects of our lives, such as work or play, or it can be used to help professionals in many fields to do their work. For some, this is an opportunity to tell stories about how we live our lives. At times, this is an area where making art and documenting the world around us often cross over, making this, for many people, the most exciting area of photography to pursue or to look at!
Teachers can email research@source.ie to obtain a free digital subscription to Source, which includes access to the digital archive of the last 47 issues.
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TAP+ Summer CPD Course and Residency Programme for Teachers and Artists
Teacher-Artist Partnership+ (TAP+) CPD
Call Out for Artists and Creative Practitioners
Application Deadline: Friday 23rd June 5pm
Teacher Artist Partnership + (TAP+) together with the Association of Local Authority Arts Officers are pleased to launch a Call Out for Artists/ Creative Practitioners to participate in the 2023 Face-to-Face TAP+ Programme.
TAP+ CPD Summer Course & Residency programme is open to Artists / Creative Practitioners (in all art forms / creative practices) who are committed to sharing creativity with children and teachers in primary and special schools.
To apply for TAP+ Summer Course and Residency please send expressions of interest to the Director of your local Education Support Centre (ESC): https://www.esci.ie/
Call Out for Teachers
Application Deadline: 26th June 2023
The Teacher Artist Partnership+ (TAP+) Summer Course explores partnership through arts and creativity in education in primary and special schools.
TAP+ trained teachers can apply to host a fully funded TAP+ artist/creative practitioner Residency in their school in 2023/2024.
TAP+ is a unique summer course that offers teachers the opportunity to explore professional learning through a partnership between teachers, artists, creative practitioners, and children. TAP+ aims to support creativity throughout the curriculum and focusing on wellbeing, literacy, and creative arts for all schools including DEIS.
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Primary School FÍS Film Awards 2023 Open for Entries
FÍS Film Awards
Deadline: 30th June 2023 at 5pm
FÍS have launched an open invitation to all Dept. of Education designated Irish primary schools to enter their films into the annual national FÍS Film Awards competition. There is no need to register in advance. To enter, primary schools across the country are asked to create an (up to) five-minute film on a subject of their choice.
Judging Criteria Highlights:
Imagination and creativity
Originality of the story
Curricular relevance (include details of subject/strand/strand unit where relevant)
Support of pupils’ literacy and/or numeracy skills development
Excellence in set design, costume design, film direction, film production, the use of sound, acting, cinematography, etc
Excellence in the art of storytelling
Excellence in the use of special techniques, e.g., animation or special effects
Excellence in visual interpretation of a story or concept
Shortlisted schools must be available to attend the FÍS Film Awards Ceremony, which takes place in the Helix Theatre, DCU Dublin. It is a large-scale national event with over 900 people in attendance, filmed and broadcast by students and staff from the National Film School, at the Institute of Art, Design & Technology (IADT). The awards ceremony is live- streamed via their website. Shortlisted schools must be available to attend the ceremony.
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Sign up for Arts In Junior Cycle Elective Courses!
Arts in Junior Cycle
Dates: Various
Arts in Junior Cycle have an extensive range of elective courses available to book for post-primary School teachers. Please see a selection of the course available below.
Lights, Camera, Action! A film production workshop
Date:Wednesday 7th, Thursday 8th and Friday 9th June
Times: 10.30am – 4pm
Location: Kilkenny Education Centre
This Arts in Junior Cycle workshop with Young Irish Film Makers (YIFM) in Kilkenny Education Centre will provide participants with an opportunity to:
understand how camera tells a story and consider film as visual language
engage in the three phases of production from concept to realisation, including: story-boarding, scripting, devising shot lists, filming, editing and creating a final rough cut
learn techniques to support classroom engagement with film-making across a range of contexts, including free software and using smart phones to film
This in-person workshop is open to junior cycle teachers of all subjects and disciplines.
Figurative Oil Painting workshop
Dates: Monday 19th and Tuesday 20th June
Times: 10.30am – 3.30pm
Location: Royal Hibernian Academy of Arts (RHA), Dublin
This Arts in Junior Cycle workshop with visual artist Blaise Smith in the RHA will provide participants with an opportunity to:
explore basic technical and material skills to underpin a professional painting practice
examine how compositional tools such as the Golden Mean and the Rule of Thirds are utilsed in traditional and contemporary oil painting
use a limited palette to create layers and flesh tones
explore basic anatomical structure of the human figure
Open to junior cycle teachers of all subject disciplines.
Do Your Own Thing! A workshop to explore the creative process
Dates: Thursday 22nd and Friday 23rd June
Time: 10.30am – 4.00pm
Location: Irish Museum of Modern Art
Arts in Junior Cycle in partnership with visual artist threadstories and writer and poet Colm Keegan offer a two-day workshop in The Irish Museum of Modern Art.
In this hands-on and practical workshop, participants will:
engage in an open-ended exploration of word and image, using a variety of art-making materials and writing prompts
consider their own relationship to education, art and self-expression
gain insights into the creative processes of a visual artist and a writer
explore IMMA and use it as a source of inspiration
discuss possible approaches to a range of stimuli
collaborate in a safe, supportive and experiential environment
This year Cruinniú na nÓg will be on 10th June 2023 and will feature more than 500 free creative activities for children and young people throughout the country. Cruinniú na nÓg 2023 is a collaboration between, the Creative Ireland Programme, local authorities and RTÉ and is the only event of its kind in the world.
Announcing Cruinniú na nÓg 2023, Minister Martin said:
“Every year Cruinniú na nÓgbecomes more firmly embedded into the lives of young people all over Ireland. There’s a huge programme of free creative activities for 10th June that will really stretch the imaginative muscles of all young people. Cruinniú na nÓg 2023 is a wonderful opportunity for the young people of Ireland to show off a little, try a new creative activity, make new friends and connect with their communities. Every event is free.”
The Creative Ireland Programme and its strategic partners have developed a number of creative projects, all planned to go live on Saturday 10th June 2023. These include:
Irish Street Arts, Circus and Spectacle Network (ISACS) will host open days for young people who want to try their hand at circus skills and street spectacle at their dedicated venues in Cloughjordan, Cork, Dublin and Galway. For those that can’t be there on the day, there will be a full range of online tutorials available.
Rhyme Island – This year Creative Ireland is teaming up with The Kabin Studio to get every young person in Ireland rapping. In preparation the Rhyme Island team have been travelling the length and breadth of the country holding a series of online and in-person workshops which will culminate in a massive day of rap at 17th Century Elizabeth Fort in Cork.
This is Art 2023 –Creative Ireland and RTÉ’s wonderful art competition for young people has returned, and the winning entries will be announced on 10th June 2023 along with a national on-line digital gallery of all entries.
TG4 with support from the Gaeltacht division of the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media will support ‘Our World’/ ‘Mo Dhomhan’several Cruinniú na nÓg projects groups which will include sand art projects.
Cruinniú na nÓg 2023 Ambassadors
This year, Creative Ireland have asked five wonderful young people to represent Cruinniú na nOg 2023 to inspire others with their creative energy and skills.
Caterina Chiu Paone (8)Last year Caterina triumphed in This is Art with her cat collage. Not only does Caterina make art but she loves Irish dancing, playing the guitar, writing and singing her own songs.
Sibéal de Spáinn (8) loves swimming, making art and recording radio shows. She made her first radio show in 2022 on Raidió Rí-Rá. Making art makes her feel great and that she is helping the world.
Jamie (the King) Forde (17) has been rapping at Knocknaheeny’s The Kabin in Cork since he was 10. With his friend MC Tiny (Darren Stewart) Jamie recorded ‘ Yeah Boy’ which they have performed in all over Cork, at Dublin Castle and on The Late, Late Toy Show.
Jodie Byrne (14) isa member of the Dublin Circus Club which she joined in 2022. In a relatively short period of time she was walking on stilts in the St Patrick’s Day parade. For Cruinniú na nÓg this year she will be at the Dublin Circus Club learning to spin plates.
Archie Evans (15) has been involved with the Dublin Circus Club for over a year and he loves it! Once a week he joins his friends in the club to learn everything from stilt walking to trapeze to juggling. Through circus he has met other circus teens from all over the country.
Consistent with the aims of the Government’s Shared Island initiative to deepen beneficial cooperation and connections across the island of Ireland, Cruinniú na nÓg 2023 will be programmed on an all-island basis with cross-community events connecting children and young people from both sides of the border, including via our partners in Circus Explored and Rhyme Island. This action is an integral part of the Shared Island dimension to the Creative Ireland Programme which focuses on harnessing the power of culture and creativity to inspire connections between people, communities and places.
RTÉ is supporting Cruinniú na nÓg with a nationwide campaign on television, radio, online and digital.
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2023 Creative Schools Initiative open for applications
Arts Council of Ireland
Application Deadline:Thursday 15 June 2023 at 5.30pm
Maximum Award: with €4,000
Applications are now open for the Creative Schools Initiative! All Department of Education-recognised primary and post-primary schools and Youthreach centres that have not already participated in a previous round of Creative Schools are eligible to apply.
Creative Schools supports primary and post-primary schools and Youthreach centres across Ireland to put arts and creativity at the heart of children’s and young people’s lives.
It supports schools/centres to provide opportunities for children and young people to build their artistic and creative skills, and to develop additional ways of working that reinforce the impact of creativity on their learning and wellbeing.
Schools and Youthreach centres that join the programme take part in a two-year guided journey to develop a Creative Schools Plan unique to their own school, and to put it into action. Children and young people’s involvement in planning, decision-making and reflection is central to the journey.
Participating schools/centres will be provided with a package of supports that includes working with a Creative Associate, training and networking to support them to create their Creative School Plan, as well as seed funding to begin to implement their Plan. Successful schools will receive €4,000 to implement their plans over the school years 2023–24 and 2024–25.
Application guidelines 2023
The application guidelines are available here. All applications to the Arts Council are made through the Arts Council’s online services system. To access the application form and make an application, please set up an organisation account for your school or Youthreach centre on the Arts Council’s online services system here.
Information clinics
Please join one of our online information clinics to find out more.
Monday 15 May 2023 at 16.00-17.00. Book tickets here.
Tuesday 16 May 2023 at 16.00-17.00. Book tickets here.
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School Tours and Workshops at The Hunt Museum
The Hunt Museum
Dates: Ongoing
Join The Hunt Museum for a range of options of tours and workshops in the museum, and online resources for learners of all ages including lesson plans, videos and activities.
Some highlights of the workshops include:
Primary:
Life in the Bronze Age
Duration: 60 minutes
This workshop encourages pupils to thematically explore the objects and practices of Ireland’s Bronze Age people. It enables them to investigate and use as evidence the Bronze Age collections on display in the Hunt Museum. The handling of replica prehistoric artefacts will provide additional opportunities for inquiry-led learning. Pupils also get to try out some simple prehistoric technologies. This workshop walks the students through the prehistoric timeline as they learn how technologies emerged and advanced from the Stone Age to the Bronze Age.
Animal Hunt Online Programme
Date: Watch video to your schedule
This 20 minute video workshop introduces Primary School students to animal based collections at the Hunt Museum. Students learn how artists throughout history have depicted animals in their art, and why certain animals are important to different cultures. Students will be introduced to the online research tools that will help them complete the Animal Hunt 3D online activity.
Post-Primary
800 Years of Fashion Workshop
Duration: 60mins
€3.50 euro per student. Teachers go free!
In this workshop, students will learn about clothing from eight different periods (between 1200 and 1920), and these societies. These resources, and objects in the permanent collection, will be used as historical evidence to better understand the evolution of fashion over time, and how these shifts in style relate to changes in society.
Creative Schools have invited every school in Ireland (primary, post-primary, special education schools and Youthreach centres) to celebrate the arts and creativity from 8 – 12 May, 2023. The theme this year “Creativity Lives Here” encourages school communities to pause and reflect on where creativity is evident in their lives, in every class, in every school and in the experience of every student. The week is a time to focus on celebrating this creativity, perhaps adding to the experiences of students in the form of events or workshops and providing a platform to show how creative each school can be.
If your school is already in the Creative Schools initiative, this week is a great time to celebrate your journey so far!
Previous years’ Celebrations included Online Celebrations highlighting work from a selection of Creative Schools and Creative Clusters initiatives since 2018, as well as workshops, interviews and features across a wide range of different artists and arts and cultural organisations. They invite you to watch these videos with your students to learn about school communities across the initiative as well as their creative approaches to learning and artistic responses to Covid 19. Schools highlighted are a representation of the over 460 schools who had participated in the Creative Schools initiative since 2018.