Friday, May 9th - Jimmy Deenihan TD, Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht, will this morning open a major symposium on Arts in Education, hosted by his Department and the Department of Education and Skills, and taking place from 9am to 4.30pm at Croke Park, Dublin.
This symposium will examine ways in which engagement between the arts/cultural and higher education sectors in Ireland can be fostered and deepened, and will include three core sessions:
· Session 1: Arts in Higher Education: Why is it important?
· Session 2 - Arts in Higher Education: How does it happen? By sharing positive experiences, can we learn from each other?
· Session 3 - Arts in Higher Education: How can Ireland benefit from the Creative Europe 2014 - 2020 programme to deepen the engagement between the Higher Education and the Arts Sectors?
The symposium will be addressed by both national and international speakers, from both the arts
and education sectors. The symposium will examine the importance of greater engagement
between the arts and education sectors at third level as well as showcasing the benefit of the
engagement that is already taking place between the sectors.
Minister Jimmy Deenihan TD commented:
"Giving young people access to the arts is extremely important, both for their development and the artistic and cultural future of our country. This is the concept behind the Arts in Education Charter, agreed by myself and my colleague the Minister for Education. This important symposium now moves this conversation forward, and asks how we can foster greater engagement between the arts and the higher education sectors, an engagement that will be manifestly to the benefit of both."
Minister Ruairi Quinn TD commented:
“We are undergoing a transition towards a knowledge-based economy, which will create new and different demands on the labour force. Education and creativity are essential for growth, jobs and innovation, especially in these times of high unemployment and especially youth unemployment. Indeed, it has never been more important for us to invest in the talents of our people, especially our youth, in order to prepare them, and our country, for the future.”
Tom Boland, Chief Executive of the Higher Education Authority, said:
“The HEA has welcomed the opportunity to work with the Department of Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht to identify and showcase the significant breadth and depth of engagement by our higher education institutions with the arts sector. The symposium is an opportunity to showcase and share the enrichment of the arts by this engagement and also to look to how this can be further nurtured in order to maximise Ireland’s opportunity in Creative Europe 2014 – 2020 and Horizon 2020.”
Callum Lee, BOP Consulting, said:
"Ireland's cultural sector has an amazing global reputation, so it is well placed to take advantage of Creative Europe's funding for the arts sector and for higher education institutions. A strategic approach is required to accessing this funding to ensure that it makes a real difference to the sector."
Speakers and Session Chairs at the symposium will include:
· Ms Pireeni Sundaralingam, Associate Professor, Department of Writing, Consciousness and Creative Inquiry, California Institute of Integral Studies, California
· Professor John Coolahan, Professor Emeritus, NUIM & Chair of the Implementation Committee of the Arts in Education Charter
· Mr Michael Starrett, Chief Executive Officer, The Heritage Council & Chair of the Council of National Cultural Institutions (CNCI)
· Professor Mícheál O'Súilleabháin, Founding Director, Irish World Academy of Music and Dance, University of Limerick
· Professor Patrick Lonergan, Professor of Drama and Theatre Studies, School of Humanities, NUI Galway
· Dr John O'Flynn, Head of Music, St Patrick's College, Drumcondra
· Mr Darragh Morgan, Violinist, Fidelio Trio
· Ms Teresa McGrane, Irish Film Board
· Mr Callum Lee, BOP Consulting
· Mr Tom Boland, Chief Executive, HEA
· Ms Sheila Pratschke, Chair, Arts Council
· Ms Orlaith McBride, Director, The Arts Council
· Dr Annie Doona, President, IADT
· Dr Eucharia Meehan, Director, Irish Research Council