Education and Community > About the Programme

The Education and Community Programme aims to foster within society an increased awareness and understanding of the visual arts by creating innovative and inclusive opportunities for people to engage with the Museum’s exhibitions and programmes, both as audience members and participants. It also seeks to create opportunities for meaningful exchanges between artists and the public. The Museum’s Education and Community Programme is informed by models of practice which are designed to meet the needs of specific groups and to address targeted education needs. These models are documented and evaluated and their outcomes inform a boarder programme which can provide access to a wide range of people.

All projects and programmes are created in association with partners at both national and local level i.e. the Primary School Programme with teachers and the Department of Education and Science. These partnerships provide opportunities to develop capacity-building initiatives and to develop new audiences.

While the Museum caters for the needs of all groups interested in using the Museum as a resource, it has developed a number of programmes and projects intended to address the needs of specific groups, such as schools and colleges.

During the academic year, IMMA invites teachers and tutors from pre-primary, primary, secondary and third-level schools and colleges to bring their class groups to IMMA any time during opening hours. Teachers and tutors can also book a specialised tour and/or gallery talk and arrange for their class group to meet artists on the Artists’ Work Programme.

The Community Programme aims to develop opportunities for people to engage with contemporary visual arts, both as an audience and as practitioners. The Museum provides a range of options, including guided tours, workshops, talks, discussions and studio visits, all of which can be tailored to meet the needs of a particular group.

The programme is structured as an inquiry-based experience, providing a range of opportunities for people to look at artwork, meet the artists and make art in response to those experiences. Participants are invited to view and discuss the artworks on exhibition and meet artists to discuss the conceptual basis of their work. In the workshop sessions, they can also explore art materials, tools, techniques, values, interests, experiences and their own ideas. Each element provides a different perspective from which to view and engage with artworks and the context in which artworks are made.

IMMA has a range of resources to support its programmes. The Response Room and the Process Room provide opportunities for reflection and response to the Museum’s exhibitions and programmes. There are also several studios available for workshops. The Mediator Team, based in the galleries, lead gallery tours and are available to discuss work in the galleries. They also provide input into the Education and Community Programmes and the National Programme.

The Museum’s Artists’ Panel comprises a number of freelance artists who facilitate and provide input into many of the Education and Community Programmes. Museum publications and catalogues are available through the Museum bookshop and information about Education and Community Department projects is available on request from the Education and Community Archive.

To contact the Education & Community Department please tel: +353-1-612 9900 or email: accessinfo@imma.ie