Engagement & Learning

The year 2023 saw IMMA’s Engagement & Learning programme evolve with several notable advancements.

The SPICE Project

The SPICE project, supported by EU Horizon 2020, concluded its three-year run in April 2023. It was a concerted effort to engage in citizen curation, diversify audiences—especially from minority groups—and bolster community relations at IMMA. The project’s final workshops involved young artists from the Apollo art group and Uillinn, West Cork Arts Centre. Partners from Aalto University and Design Museum Helsinki showcased their VR work at IMMA during Easter. Another partner, Open University, conducted workshops. A culminating showcase event in April also coincided with the launch of the Unseeing Traces exhibition, allowing IMMA to express gratitude to coordinators, organizers, leaders, and participants from groups like Oberstown detention centre, Black & Irish, MASI, and ArtMulti, all of whom contributed to SPICE’s success. The European Commission’s project officer praised IMMA’s achievement in securing a permanent full-time EDI officer, ensuring the continuity and expansion of SPICE’s initiatives.

Unseeing Traces: Artefacts from the Kingdom of Kongo (15 April–11 June 2023) in collaboration with New Communities Partnership was a SPICE-inspired exhibition exploring displacement, colonialism, race, and representation. It featured an active programme of tours, workshops, and a film screening, engaging new audiences and communities, in line with IMMA’s vision of being a radically public space. Unseeing Traces received generous support from Ecclesiastical Insurance’s Movement for Good Awards, as part of the Benefact Group.

Schools & Families

In 2023, IMMA continued its Engagement and Learning partnerships with primary and secondary teacher education and children’s health organizations. Workshops and events were held for various groups, including the Junior Cycle for Teachers, the new Oide support service for teachers and school leaders, Helium Arts’ Youth Advisory Group, and Children’s Health Ireland. School visits and workshops returned to pre-2020 levels, and IMMA’s new Primary Teachers Advisory Group met regularly. Continuing Professional Development workshops for primary teachers were held in January and November. The TY Experience at IMMA for Transition Year students occurred in March and November. Family art workshops, such as Explorer, Mornings at the Museum, and Parent and Baby Hour, were popular and coincided with local and national festivals like St. Patrick’s Festival, Culture Date with Dublin 8, Cruinniú na nÓg, and National Heritage Week. IMMA also participated in Open House Junior 2023, teaching animation to children aged 8 to 13.

In December, IMMA hosted a workshop at the New Communities Partnership Intercultural Family Festival, led by artist Niki Collier, demonstrating solidarity with inner-city migrant communities, especially in the aftermath of the 2023 Dublin Riot.

IMMA Residency Programme

IMMA’s Residency Programme continued to thrive in 2023, welcoming a diverse array of artists who actively engage with and enrich the museum’s work. Notable participants included The Otolith Group with guests Susan Schuppli, Bahar Noorizadeh, and Eric Beltrán, as well as ANU Productions, the Seed Studio with Clodagh Emoe, Rachel Fallon, Household, and Art Nomads.

Ukrainian artist Sana Shahmuradova embarked on a three-month residency in partnership with EVA International, nominated by curator Sebastian Cichocki. Thaís Muniz of Dean Arts Studios led three workshops titled “Inner Space of a Future Memory” as part of IMMA Outdoors programming.

The Museum of Everyone (MOE) organised workshops led by artists such as Basil Al-Rawi, Pradeep Mahadeshwar, Sandrine Uwase Ndahiro, Ella Bertilsson, Istvan Laszlo, Alan Phelan, and Sarah Edmondson, with support from lead artist and curator Brendan Fox.

Navine G Dossos conducted a workshop, and research residencies were granted to Aram Han Sifuentes and Resolve Collective. IMMA’s fourth Fulbright scholar, Jasmine Burns, spent a significant part of the year onsite with their family.

The Dean Art Studio, a hub in Dublin City Centre, continued its partnership with IMMA, hosting Thaís Muniz, Brian Teeling, Salvatore Fullam, and Elayne Harrington in their studios.

A production residency with the Crawford Gallery featured Rita Duffy, who also exhibited work at IMMA.

The Self-Determination Commissions provided time and space for artists Iz Oztat, Minna Henriksson, and Array Collective to create new works inspired by the exhibition’s themes.

The residency was honoured to host curators Inti Guerrero (Sidney Biennale), and Miguel A. Lopez and Dominique Fontaine (Toronto Biennale) as part of Ireland Invites.

IMMA International Summer School 2023, Art & Politics, #5 Assembley

The IMMA International Summer School 2023 took place from 19-30 June 2023 with 45 participants from 25 countries. Addressing the theme of art and politics through a programme of online engagements, the focus of this year’s summer school was on the subject of ‘assembly’. Contributors to the programme included artists Sarah Pierce, Ahmet Öğüt and Eva Weinmayr among others.

Third Level Students

Over the course of 2023, there was strong representation of third level student groups at IMMA such as IADT’s first year Place Project which involved 45 first-year students working on site over a twelve-week period. Others included students from NCAD Professional Practice module; IADT Art Research Collaboration MA; MA Art Therapy Course at Crawford College of Art and Design, Cork; the MSc Art Psychotherapy in University of Ulster, Belfast; MPhil in Identities and Cultures of Europe; among others.

Between March and September, following an open call, eight participants worked with the artist Sarah Pierce in the activation of a selection of art works from the exhibition Sarah Pierce: Scene of the Myth.

As part of the Department of Xenogenesis, IMMA hosted Alien Embodiments, a body-based programme developed by Alice Feldman and Rajinder Singh in response to The Otolith Group: Xenogenesis. The project took place in IMMA’s studios and online over a nine-month period culminating in an event in May 2023.

Research & Publications

IRC Enterprise Postdoctoral Fellow, Dr John Wilkins, presented a talk on Critical Race Theory as part of IMMA’s What is_? programme and presented a paper on the work of W. E. Du Bois at IMMA’s international conference 100 Years of Self-Determination. In the lead up to the conference, IRC Enterprise Postdoctoral Fellow, Dr Stephen O’Neill, facilitated a reading group on the theme of Self-Determination and presented a paper on the foundation of Northern Ireland at the conference.

As part of the three-year Self-Determination research project and on the occasion of the exhibition Self-Determination: A Global Perspective, the Engagement & Learning Department produced Art and Self-Determination: A Reader, a publication comprising contributions from the research conference 100 Years of Self-Determination in 2022 and the IMMA International Summer School. The Engagement & Learning Department also generated a timeline and animated map for inclusion in the exhibition.

IMMA Talks

In 2023, IMMA’s vibrant Talks programme and events catered to diverse audiences, reinforcing the museum’s position as a hub for artistic exchange and community engagement. IMMA Talks brought together renowned artists and scholars, fostering dialogue on social contexts in art. Notable events included discussions on Irish Gothic, transness in the archive, and critical race theory. The Unseeing Traces exhibition, inspired by The SPICE Project, explored displacement and colonialism, engaging new audiences. The IMMA Outdoors 2023 programme expanded, offering inclusive outdoor activities, with over 7,400 participants. IMMA Nights continued, featuring diverse family-oriented events. The autumn-winter programme highlighted the Self-Determination exhibition, hosting talks, workshops, and artist discussions on global perspectives. These initiatives were made possible by the dedicated efforts of IMMA staff and supported by partners, contributing to IMMA’s mission as a dynamic and welcoming cultural institution.

IMMA Horizons

In June 2023, IMMA launched the Museum’s new art and wellness programme, IMMA Horizons.  The programme aims to contribute to new thinking on how creativity can positively impact health and wellbeing through programming and partnerships.

Extensive research has identified the role of the arts and creative engagement in the promotion of wellbeing across the life course.  Building on the strong history of arts and health in Ireland, IMMA Horizons contributes to new research and ongoing conversations in Ireland and globally, advocating for arts experiences to be recognised as an important part of a healthy life.

In 2023, IMMA Horizons provided free creative experiences and events for adults to meet and explore art together at a relaxed pace, in a sociable and supportive environment that encourages active participations by all at the Museum, online, and off site.  Programmes included ‘In the Moment’, ‘Slow Art’ and ‘Talking Art’ with partners including Global Brain Health Institute, Mercer Institute for Successful Aging, The Alzheimer’s Society of Ireland and Age and Opportunity.