Minister for Education and Skills and Minister for Arts Heritage and the Gaeltacht launch Ireland’s Arts in Education Portal
The Minister for Education and Skills, Jan O’Sullivan TD, and the Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht, Heather Humphreys TD, welcomed the launch of the Arts in Education Portal in Dublin Castle.
Developed by both Departments, the Arts in Education Charter was launched in 2012. The Charter plays a pivotal role in promoting both Arts Education and Arts in Education through a collaborative approach across Government Departments, education agencies and arts organisations.
The Portal, which is supported by both Departments, will provide an unprecedented opportunity for young people and all other interested groups to engage productively with the arts in education in Ireland. It will allow good collaborative practice in the arts-in-education and arts education to be developed, supported and enhanced. Submissions for the Portal will be invited on an ongoing basis. The portal is available at www.artsineducation.ie
Speaking at the launch, Minister O’Sullivan said: “Arts in Education practice enriches the lives of all those involved, from children and young people to artists and teachers. The arts are particularly powerful in nurturing and developing our minds and imaginations. I am delighted to support today’s launch. The Portal will be the key national digital resource for arts and education practice in Ireland.”
Minister Heather Humphreys said: “The development of this portal is underpinned by the strong belief that being involved in the arts can have a hugely positive impact on schoolchildren. Children who are active in the arts have been shown to perform better academically and can go on to lead fuller, more creative lives. The Portal will reflect best current practice taking place here in Ireland. Its vision is to establish a structure through which the arts and education community can be developed, and so the Portal’s launch represents an exciting beginning.”
Speaking at the launch, Professor John Coolahan, Chairperson of the Charter Implementation Group, said "The Charter is a landmark attempt at co-operative policy endeavour for the arts-in-education. The Portal demonstrates the key principles of good collaborative practice and provides an unprecedented opportunity for young people throughout the country to engage productively with arts-in-education."
Approximately 400 people attended today’s launch, comprising current and former Ministers, policy makers, school managers and leaders, teachers, artists, arts organisations, local authority arts officers, curriculum specialists and academics.
Portal Website: www.artsineducation.ie
Students featured in the photos:
Orla Doolin, 6th year, Manor House School, Raheny;
Grace Doolan, 6th year, Manor House School, Raheny;
Grace McKibben, 5th year, Portmarnock Community School, Portmarnock.
Pádraig Ó Foghlú, 3rd year, Gaelcholáiste Reachrann, Donaghmede.
Donnchadh Mac Aodha, 3rd year, St. Fintan's High School, Sutton.
Darragh Keogh, 4th year, Ardscoil Rís, Marino.
Notes for Editors:
Background
A High-Level Implementation Group was established in January 2013 to provide a strategic and ongoing point of contact with the Minister for Arts Heritage and the Gaeltacht and Minister for Education and Skills to ensure the delivery of the Arts in Education Charter’s objectives.
Members of the Implementation Group
- Chairperson – Professor John Coolahan, Professor Emeritus, NUI Maynooth
- Orlaith Mc Bride – Director of the Arts Council
- Dr. Katie Sweeney - National Director for the Integration of the Arts, Department of Education and Skills (DES)
- Feargal Ó’Coigligh, Assistant Secretary General, Department of Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht (DAHG)
- Dr. Michael Finneran – Senior Lecturer in Drama, Mary Immaculate College, University of Limerick
The following definitions from the Charter help to give an understanding of the nature of Arts-in-Education practice:
"While much arts-in-education interaction occurs within school time, not all of it takes place on the school premises. There are two strands to arts-in-education practice: one involving interventions by the arts world into the domain of formal education, and the other involving students engaging with the arts in the public domain, usually in publicly-funded arts venues, whether local or national.
“Arts-in-education practice involves skilled, professional artists of all disciplines working for and with schools in the making, receiving and interpreting of a wide range of arts experiences. Arts-in-education practice can happen within or outside the school. It ranges from once-off visits, through more extended programmes, to intensive, collaborative projects.
“Artists, arts organisations, pupils, teachers, and sometimes, primary carers, work together to create arts experiences that enrich the curriculum and support the core educational mission of the school. Arts-in-education practice enriches the lives of all involved, particularly in nurturing the developing the minds and imaginations of the pupils.”
Arts in Education Portal
Vision
- To be the key national digital resource of arts and education practice in Ireland.
Mission
- Provide a platform through which good collaborative practice in arts-in-education and arts education will be supported, developed & enhanced.
Aims
- Advocate for children and young people with respect to their rights to access good quality arts experiences
- Promote the importance of arts-in-education and arts education to the development of individual capabilities;
- Bring about innovation in arts-in-education and arts education practice
- Enable users to access arts-in-education both in Ireland and internationally
- Be a virtual access point connecting a cross-section of professionals across the arts and education
Governance
The governance of the Arts-in-Education Portal is overseen by an Editorial Committee, comprising representatives of the stakeholder groups that the Portal serves.
The current committee members are:
- Dr. Katie Sweeney (Chair) – National Director for the Integration of the Arts in Education (Department of Education and Skills)
- Helen O’Donoghue – Head of Education & Community Programmes, IMMA (Representing the Council of National Cultural Institutions)
- Phil Kingston – Education & Outreach Manager, The Abbey Theatre (Representing the Council of National Cultural Institutions)
- Emelie Fitzgibbon – Director, Graffiti Theatre Company (representing the Arts Council)
- Dermot Carney – Arts Officer, National Association of Principals & Deputy Principals
- Joe Cunningham – Laois Offaly Education & Training Board
- Caitríona Ni Chullota – Director, The Education Centre, Tralee (Representing the Association of Teacher Education Centres in Ireland)
- Lucina Russell – Arts Officer, Kildare County Council (representing the Arts Council)
- Seán Gallagher – Deputy Director, Professional Development Service for Teachers Technology in Education
- Patrick Coffey – PDST Technology in Education/Scoilnet
- Deirdre Behan – Head of ICT, The Arts Council
Portal Editors:
- Orla Kenny – Director, Kids’ Own Publishing Partnership Ltd (content managers)
- Jo Holmwood – Kids’ Own Publishing Partnership