21 June 2013: Minister opens Primary School Access Project, NCAD

On Friday 21 June 2013 Jimmy Deenihan TD Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht opened the ‘Primary School Access Project – 1913 Tapestry Project’ in the National College of Art and Design, Thomas Street, Dublin. The aim of the project is to introduce young children from the local community to the possibilities of studying art and design as options at third level. The primary school access project has been developed as a module within the BA (Hons) Art and Design Education Degree. NCAD has links with 15 primary schools located in Dublin 8 and Dublin 12. This particular project has worked with 7 schools located in the Dublin 8 area.

The 1913 Tapestry Project is a collaboration between NCAD and SIPTU and is an ambitious large-scale, visual arts project to commemorate the Dublin Lockout of 1913. Opening the exhibition this morning, Minister Deenihan said ‘I am very happy to open this showcase of children’s artwork on the 1913 Lockout. The Lockout has been the inspiration for many works of art, from painting to prose, poetry and song, from performance art through James Plunkett’s Strumpet City – the Dublin One City One Book for 2013 – and on to Robert Ballagh and Cathy Henderson’s magnificent vision for a collaborative tapestry, which has been brought forward in conjunction with the NCAD. I am proud to have supported that project, and which I am very much looking forward to seeing completed this autumn’.

From History Ireland: The Lockout tapestry.

To watch the RTE report on the Lockout Tapestry from Century Ireland, click here.