Education

Artist in Residence
Fingal Arts Office annually funds and co - ordinates an Artist in Residence Programme in schools.  The programme’s intent to stimulate innovation in the classroom and offer support to schools teaching through the arts, has seen it develop into two strands: the 12 Week Artist in Residence Scheme; and the Academic Year Long Artist in Residence Scheme.  Both schemes provide funding for professional practicing artists to work in primary and post – primary schools.  Each year Fingal Arts Office writes to all schools in Fingal, calling them to apply for the annual programme.  Schools are selected on the basis of a completed application form supplied by The Arts Office.  Selected schools are matched with suitable artists, and initial meetings between the school, the Arts Office and the Artists begin.  Each Residency is tailored to meet the needs of the participating school, teacher and students.  The Artist works one day a week in the school, facilitating a creative space, where the young participants can actively engage in experimental and exploratory practices within their chosen art form.  The young participants have full input in the artistic and aesthetic nature of the project.

Drawing In Camera 

Fingal Students Exhibition at Farmleigh

An exhibition of work by students from Coláiste Pobail Setanta Dublin 15, at the Cowshed Theatre Space at Farmleigh was officially launched by Mayor of Fingal Councillor Gerry Mcguire on Thursday 20th October, and is open to members of the public on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays from 12 noon to 4pm until Sunday 6th November 2011.

The school applied to take part in the 2010 / 2011 Artist In Residence  programme run by Fingal Arts Office, and artist Cóilín Rush was invited to work with the then second year class and their teacher, Charlene Brazil.  The programme supports teachers and students engaging with visual arts education in schools, and its aim is to provide schools with the opportunity to engage in intensive collaboration with a professional artist, the focus of which may be a particular project.

At the launch, the Mayor of Fingal said “Having access to artists is a fantastic opportunity for second level students to enhance their understanding of contemporary art practices and an important element of the programme. It is evident that the process was not only an education in visual practices, but also in peer relations, patience, research, critical reflection and exploration.”

The title for the exhibition, Drawing in Camera comes directly from the projects overarching theme, the mechanics of drawing. The process employed was vast in range and led the participants down some unfamiliar paths.  Cóilín Rush commented, ‘the discipline the students showed continually impressed me. During the whole experience every student showed a willingness to engage that was courageous given that there were no guarantees of success.’

About the Project:   Cóilín and the students built a transparent easel to literally trace the objects in front of them and made a camera obscura to fix images onto disposable plates that could be drawn upon. The students engaged in some very advanced drawing processes, training techniques and disciplines that are usually the reserve of third level institutions.  Cóilín engaged the students in blind drawing, continuous line drawing, collage and assemblage. They drew in three dimensions with wire sculptures and used computer software to render photo collages. They worked on 10 second drawings and drew with foot long pieces of bamboo to experiment with drawing techniques.

About the Artist:  Cóilín Rush is an Irish Artist who works in visual mediums including painting, photography and video.  He has lived and worked in Dublin since graduating with a BA in Fine Art paint from NCAD in 1999.  In 2009 he completed an MA in digital media and broadened his practice to include video work.  He has exhibited in group and solo shows both home and abroad, and has been awarded The Arts Council of Ireland’s Travel Award among others.

For more information on this and other Arts Education projects please contact Julie.clarke@fingalcoco.ie Fingal Arts Office, Fingal County Council, Swords, Co. Dublin 

Junk Ensemble Dance Company have been working with 6th class in Donabate / Portrane Educate Together National School for seven months now and both pupils and teachers have responded to the weekly workshops with huge enthusiasm and energy.  The class consists of 22 boys and 7 girls, who came to the project with varying levels of ability, yet the group have remained integrated and participative to the best of their abilities since the project negan in October 2010. 

The artists have lead the pupils through varying task-based exercises, increasing the challenge according to the pupils ability.  With creative ability soaring, the pupils gained the confidence to develop unique dance movements to accompany that which they learned directly from the artists choreographed lessons. 

December witnessed a private performance for their peer group within the school.  Under the supervision of their teacher, Colm, the pupils designed two beautiful large workbooks themed on their experience working with Junk Ensemble throughout the 8 month process.  These contain drawings and explainations on: who Junk Ensemble are, what a Dance project with Junk Ensemble consists of, how this impacted on the pupils learning of contemporary dance and how they now feel about Dance as an art form and an outlet for creative expression.

The school, pupils and artists now look forward to presenting a creative dance performance to their family, friends and Fingal Arts Office to mark the finish of the project. 

Imprint - Exhibition

Fingal County Council welcomed one and all to an exhibition of work by students from Blakestown Community School, Dublin 15, hosted in The Cowshed Theatre Space, Farmleigh.  The exhibition, titled, Imprint, has been described by visitors as ‘refreshing and honest’, ‘well made’ and ‘fun’.  The work is the result of Fingal County Council’s Artist in Residence programme which supports teachers and students engaging with visual arts education in schools.

Alan, a Dublin based visual artist, led the students through the initial phase of the project which involved taster workshops in a variety of media.  A field trip to the National Gallery of Ireland to view the extensive collection of traditional prints, painting and sculptures was scheduled early on in the year.  

 
During thematic studies the students focused on the figure and developed their life-drawing, life-casting and clay-modelling skills. Intrigued by the figure, the concept of creating life size versions of them was borne.  Ambitious in their design, the figures were created using wire mesh and castings of the student’s faces and hands.  Dressed to impress, styled in clothing unique to the student, they command any space they occupy. 

The journey which began in September 2009, will leave a positive memory in the minds of the participants, who now have the confidence and skills needed to create a body of work, curate an exhibition and work with a professional artist with great ease and intelligence. 

Visitors to the Imprint exhibition can expect to see the imagination of the students now preserved through drawings, prints, and life size sculptures in this body of work.  The work is engaging, entertaining and accessible for all. 

The exhibition is open to the public from 12noon to 3pm Thursday through to Sunday, until November 21st 2010.  An official celebration, officiated by Cllr Ken Farrell, Mayor of Fingal will take place on Tuesday 16th at 1pm in The Cowshed Theatre Space, all welcome. 
 
Fingal Arts Office wish to thank artist Alan Mongey, the now third year students, Aisling Oakes, Lauren Sherwin, Sean Connorton,  Evan Flynn, Shannon Moran, Zainab Hassan, Joanna Groecka, Phylisha Doyle,  Aaron O’Brien, Jamie McCord and their art teacher Eileen O’Mahony, Blakestown Community School, and all the staff at Farmleigh. 

For further information on this education programme please contact: Julie Clarke, Youth & Education Officer: julie.clarke@fingalcoco.ie   www.fingalarts.ie

Justine Doswell Professional Dance Artist began a year long residency with St. Adrew's National School Malahide in September 2009.

Justine Doswell trained at a central school of Ballet in the UK.  She has toured nationally and internationally with Rex Levitates Dance Company, Dance Theatre of Ireland, Coise Ceim Dance Company, Opera Ireland and new Balance Dance Company to name a few.  In addition to performing, Justine teaches various forms of Dance.  Her most recent teaching work includes facilitating Contemporary Dance projects with Young People.

Visual artist Laragh Pittman
Castaheany Educate Together National School
Title: Ongar World
Duration 12 weeks
Having recently moved to a new school building and the new surroundings of Ongar in Dublin 15, the students wished to explore the local history and contribute to their new environment.  Artist Laragh Pittman’s was invited to guide the young group through this creative voyage of discovery.  Learning that Ongar was farmland until recent times, the third class began researching how the locality would have looked in the past.  They uncovered maps of rural Ireland and aerial photographs of the landscape which later informed their field paintings, created using thick paint mixed with gesso.  Through the medium of photography, the participants explored the school, residential area and Ongar Village.  Divided into teams, each group had a mission to explore some aspect of their environment.  Green team were responsible for gathering information of a natural source while the Red team searched for man made materials.  The end product was a large window piece, depicting a large scale map of the school and local area, constructed using small photographs and line drawings.  Accompanied by map map drawings, painting, prints and 3D sculpture, the piece was the focus point of an exhibition titled ‘Ongar World’ which was opened with an official ceremony by the New Mayor of Fingal, Cllr Ciaran Byrne in Blanchardstown Library.  The work highlights Ongar as a place of fun and opportunity and will continue its life in a prominent space in the new school building.   

Laragh Pittman has studied Fine Art in Nottingham and Reading Universities and Arts Education in Maynooth, specialising in mixed media Fine Art.  She has worked extensively with youth groups and in schools working across the curriculum, integrating with the sciences and the arts. 

Visual Artist Brigid Corcoran
Santa Sabina Secondary School
Title: Art for All
Duration 8 weeks
Ambitious students in Santa Sabina Secondary School envisaged an outdoor sculpture piece for the school grounds as the focus of their residency.  After initial discussion with the artist, the students decided to divide the project into two phases.  Phase one would see the transition year students introduced to a variety of public art practices, exposed to different art forms, visit national cultural institutions and begin talks for an art project that would take place following the residency.  Brigid Corcoran’s practice incorporates sculptural design, and the students were interested in her work.  Following on from a presentation and talk given by Brigid, their first assignment was to research types of sculpture – ephemeral, installation, monumental and environmental, identify an artist that best demonstrates the particular practice, and present their findings to their peers.  Interested with land art, the students worked with natural materials on the local beach.  A visit to The Hugh Lane Gallery, Dublin proved quite fruitful as a new experience for most of the students, who had never attended an exhibition before.  The students observed the exhibiting artist’s work, and kept a visual journal to respond to what they had seen.  Stimulated by their trip, and with a new found awareness of different artistic methods, the participants engaged their teacher and Brigid in debates surrounding the artist’s choice of media and themes explored in some of the work they saw.  Class teacher, Sandra Pederson, said the students are now equipped with the knowledge needed to further develop their plans for phase two their personal school project.   

Visual Artist Alan Mongey
Balbriggan Community College
Title: Carz
Duration Academic Year
Visual Artist Alan Mongey’s practice includes sculpture, installation and painting, was invited to work with 2nd year students from Balbriggan Community College for the duration of their school year.  Following an introduction to life drawing, monoprinting and design, the students developed ideas for customizing remote controlled toy cars.  The students began with researching car designs and through three dimensional drawings, they created designs for their own unique cars.  The project entailed casting blocks of plaster paris, carving in designs and most intricate wiring for car lights.  Each student delivered a unique body for their own vehicle.  Using plastic sheets, Alan took the group through the process of vacforming the new car bodies.  Class teacher said the project had a positive effect on the students other school work, improving their ability to follow things through from start to finish.  The residency finale brought the students together to race their ‘Carz’ in an outdoor exhibition of skill, the entire school in attendance cheering them on.

Visual Artist John O’Connell
St. Joseph’s Secondary School
Title: Open Site
Duration: Academic Year
6th year students worked with artist John O’Connell, who specialises in drawing, painting, installation and film.  Interested in an outdoor installation piece to enhance the school environs, began working with John to design 3D sculptural work.  Each student created a free standing piece, decorated in mosaic, and taking the form of an animal.  The art work will be installed in the school courtyard for students and teachers to enjoy for years to come. 

Dramatist: Aoife Maguire
Rolestown National School
Title: Nursery Rhymes with a Twist
Duration: 12 Weeks
Aoife Maguire, currently working on a piece that will be performed in this years Dublin Fringe Festival, worked with three class groups bringing fresh ideas and a new approach to drama in the classroom.  The school witnessed the outstanding progress of these class groups when they performed live in front of family and friends in the school.  Inspired by the enthusiasm and talent, Aoife is interested in the feasibility of facilitating a youth theatre group in the locality.

Dance Artist Justine Doswell
St. Mary’s National School
Title: Bodies
Duration: Academic Year
Justine Doswell is a freelance contemporary dancer who has toured nationally and internationally with Dance Theatre of Ireland, Irish Modern Dance Company and CoisCeim Dance Theatre to name a few. Ms Caitriona Murphy’s 4th class enthralled their audience in Garristown Community Hall with a performance of work showcasing their contemporary dance moves and techniques learned from intensive workshops with Justine.  The school benefited most when the parents board got together to add funding to the project and involved every class in the school in the workshops. 

Dance Artist Lisa McLoughlin
Balbriggan Educate Together National School
Title: No Boundaries
Duration: Academic Year
Contemporary Dance artist Lisa McLoughlin, member of Dance Ireland, has worked with dance companies such as Rex Levitites Dance Company and Dance Theatre of Ireland, to name a few.  Having workshoped with Lisa for a period of twelve weeks, the senior infant participants performed outdoors in the school grounds for their peers and teachers.  Teacher Pascal O’Sullivan noticed improved self esteem and confidence in his students, he said,’ the children have been discussing the dances and practicing at home.’