Your Gallery at School

An artist drawing with three school students in a Your Gallery at School workshop

Round 2 participants in 2022

Round 2 applications were accepted 29 August–15 September 2022, and the following schools were selected:

  • Ballagh National School, Kilrooskey, Co. Roscommon
  • Scoil Naomh Eoin Primary School, Navan, Co. Meath
  • Our Lady of Mercy Secondary School, Waterford
  • Scoil Naomh Pádraig, Oram, Co. Monaghan 
  • St Fintan’s BNS, Mountrath, Co. Laois 
  • St Declan’s College, Dublin 7
  • Davitt College, Castlebar, Co. Mayo
  • Catherine McAuley School, Limerick
  • St. Brogan's College, Bandon, Co. Cork
  • St. Michael's NS, Cootehill, Co. Cavan
  • Tyndall College, Carlow
  • Holy Child BNS, Dublin 9

These schools will be taking part in workshops over the coming months which will be appropriate for the students’ ages and school levels, covering the following areas:

  • Learning through and about art: a practical workshop inspired by the national collection.
  • Wellbeing: a sensory session focusing on slow looking and mindfulness.
  • Creative Careers: a talk and Q&A with Gallery staff and an established artist, enabling students to learn about a variety of arts careers.

The Round 1 participants in 2022 were: 

  • St Paul’s Special School, Cork
  • Scoil Náisiúnta Leitir Mealláin, Co. Galway
  • St Brigid's & St Patrick's National School, Drogheda, Co. Louth
  • St Colmcille's Primary School, Templemore, Co. Tipperary
  • Mount Sion CBS Secondary School, Waterford
  • Enniscorthy Community College, Co. Wexford

About the initiative

Supported by SMBC Aviation Capital, 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. We 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.

As children transition through school and on to adulthood in their personal and professional lives, creativity and innovation are transferrable and valuable skills. Art education also offers hope, the confidence and belief that children can create a life of curiosity and engagement with the world. Art can help to give young people all of these skills and attitudes. However, many children in Ireland today experience barriers to engaging with the arts. If a child does not engage with art in their childhood, studies show they are unlikely to do so as adults.

Partner schools

Over the course of 2022–23, we 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:

  1. DEIS schools to address socio-economic barriers to accessing culture.
  2. Boys' schools to address the gender barrier to accessing culture.
  3. Schools geographically far away (over 2 hours away from Dublin) to address the geographic barrier to accessing culture.

Workshops

The Gallery will collaborate with each school to identify a class or group of students to work with, who need most support with successful transitions. Each school will be paired with an artist who will develop a package of three workshops appropriate for the students’ age and school level, covering the following areas:

  1. Learning through and about art: a practical workshop inspired by the national collection.
  2. Wellbeing: a sensory session focusing on slow looking and mindfulness.
  3. Creative Careers: a talk and Q&A with Gallery staff, and an established artist, enabling students to learn about a variety of arts careers.

Due to the global pandemic, in order to ensure project continuity and successful, safe completion, these workshops will be configured in a flexible ‘future proof’ manner, mindful of all government guidelines and in dialogue with both schools and facilitators. Workshops may take place physically or digitally.

By participating in the project you agree to assist them with their research and for your school to feature in publicity.

Meet the 2021 participants!

Post-primary participants

In this short video, post-primary students, teachers and artists share their experiences of Your Gallery at School workshops which took place in autumn/winter 2021. The post-primary participants were: Coláiste Mhichíl, Co. Limerick; Ennistymon Vocational School, Co. Clare; and Youthreach Leixlip, Co. Kildare.

Primary schools

In this short video, we talk to the three primary schools, selected following an open application process, who participated in workshops in spring/summer 2021. The participating schools were Scoil Chiaráin CBS, Dublin 5; Cliffoney National School, Sligo; and Donagh National School, Donegal.

SMBC Aviation Capital 20-year anniversary logo

Your Gallery at School is supported by SMBC Aviation Capital.

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