Art and Society Learning Programme
Students Eileen Malaniff, Bianca Kennedy and Gemma Browne from the Learning Development Programme. Practice and Power, June 2018. Photo: Joseph Carr.
Development of new ways of learning
In keeping with our strategic goal to be Ireland’s expert resource, network forum and research engine for cultural, cross-sectoral and international knowledge about collaborative arts practice, Create values and promotes the development of new ways of learning about collaborative practice in social and community contexts.
The question of artist formation is key and speaks to Create’s responsibility and commitment to advance learning and understanding about collaborative arts within the cultural sector. For the next generation of artists Create works to encourage, support and foster learning initiatives to expand and challenge thinking about ideas, processes and practices in the collaborative arts arena, as well as what constitutes a ‘community’. Working in partnership with a number of arts organisations and educational institutions, Create provides experiential learning opportunities for artists looking to develop skills to work collaboratively with communities of place and/or interest.
Art and Society Learning programme
Working with partners NCAD and the LAB Gallery, Create offers peer-to-peer learning opportunities that connect practitioners with emerging artists from the NCAD Studio+ programme for undergraduates. Through the Art and Society Learning programme, these practitioners and artists are connected with established artists, national and international, and community experts, to explore facets of collaborative and socially engaged practice as they relate to learning and professional development. This offers a crucial opportunity for programme participants to learn about the socio-political landscape in which they will come to practice.
In addition to brokering connections, Create will offer a series of talks to introduce our learners to civil society, and to thinkers, academics and activists working outside the arts. These talks will challenge emerging artists’ understanding of the diverse nature of society, with programme speakers representing Traveller groups, migrant rights advocacy groups, arts and Irish language networks, as well as perspectives from community development, and human rights and equality. Guest speakers will share insights about their work methods, successes and challenges, relationships with their communities, workspaces, collaborations and audiences. Speakers will address what matters most as artists, scholars, activists and global citizens, and explore how artists respond to urgent issues, as well as the role collaborative arts plays in effecting change through artistic research and practice.
