Irish Design 2015

Irish Design 2015
Name	Irish Design 2015
Genre	Design festival
Location	Dublin, Cork, Belfast, Galway, Limerick
Date	2015
Organiser	Design & Crafts Council of Ireland, Department of Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht, Enterprise Ireland
Participants	Irish designers, international studios, cultural institutions

Irish Design 2015 Irish Design 2015 was a year-long national programme celebrating Irish art, Irish craft, product design, architecture, and fashion across Ireland. Launched by the Taoiseach and coordinated by the Design & Crafts Council of Ireland, the initiative linked municipal venues such as National Museum of Ireland, Irish Museum of Modern Art, Crawford Art Gallery, and Belfast City Hall with commercial partners including Galway International Arts Festival and Dublin Fringe Festival. The programme aimed to place Irish creative practice in dialogue with international platforms like London Design Festival, Milan Triennale, Salone del Mobile, and Venice Biennale.

Background and Origins

The programme grew from policy frameworks such as the Culture 2025 discussions and recommendations by bodies including Creative Ireland and the Arts Council of Ireland. Key stakeholders included the Department of Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht, Enterprise Ireland, and local authorities in Dublin City Council, Cork County Council, Galway County Council, and Belfast City Council. Influences traced to initiatives like Design 2005 and the international programmes of the British Council and Creative Scotland, while advisers referenced precedents set by DesignSingapore Council and the Swedish Arts Council. Funding models combined state grants, private sponsorship from companies like Guinness and Bank of Ireland, and partnerships with trade organisations such as IDA Ireland and Chambers Ireland.

Festival Programme and Events

Events spanned a calendar of commissions, lectures, fairs, and pop-ups across venues including Trinity College Dublin, University College Cork, National College of Art and Design, and Limerick School of Art and Design. Highlights included curated commissions presented at Dublin Castle, a touring showcase in collaboration with Irish Rail and municipal galleries, and participation by craft producers from the Dingle Peninsula, Donegal textile studios, and Kilkenny craft clusters. The programme featured talks with practitioners tied to institutions such as Royal Institute of British Architects, The Crafts Council (UK), Victoria and Albert Museum, and Metropolitan Museum of Art, alongside workshops run by studios associated with Raymond McGrath, Eileen Gray, and contemporary makers who trained at National College of Art and Design.

Exhibitions and Participating Designers

Exhibitions presented work by practitioners ranging from established figures to emergent studios. Featured designers and makers included names linked to Irish design history and contemporary practice associated with institutions like Harcourt Street Studios, The Chocolate Factory, and Bord Bia initiatives. Participating designers came from sectors represented by bodies such as Fashion Council of Ireland and included graduates of Central Saint Martins who returned to exhibit alongside alumni of Royal College of Art and Dublin Institute of Technology. The programme showcased collaborations between design firms and manufacturers, including partnerships reminiscent of Waterford Crystal and contemporary glassmakers from Clare County, textile workshops from Clare, furniture makers from Kilkenny Craft Hub, and jewellers who trained under tutors from The Irish School of Jewellery.

Public Engagement and Educational Initiatives

Public engagement strategies involved school programmes linked with the National Gallery of Ireland and outreach with community partners like Noel Browne Foundation and municipal arts offices in Cork City Council and Galway City Council. Educational initiatives partnered with higher-education institutions—University College Dublin, Technological University Dublin, and Munster Technological University—to deliver masterclasses, mentorships, and incubator residencies similar to models used by Design Council (UK) and Nesta. Workshops and maker-spaces were activated in libraries run by Dublin City Libraries and in social hubs such as Project Arts Centre, while trade-focused seminars engaged buyers from Brown Thomas, Arnotts, and international buyers linked to Taste of London and European retail networks.

Critical Reception and Impact

Critics and commentators from publications and organisations including The Irish Times, RTE, The Sunday Business Post, and international outlets compared the programme to showcases at Milan Furniture Fair and the Stockholm Design Week. Reviews noted successful market connections with exporters supported by Enterprise Ireland and praised cross-sector collaborations akin to earlier initiatives by Culture Ireland and Failte Ireland. Some commentary—drawing on perspectives from curators at Irish Museum of Modern Art and academics at Trinity College Dublin—criticised uneven geographic distribution and raised questions familiar to debates in Arts Council of Ireland grantmaking and heritage policy.

Legacy and Influence on Irish Design

The programme influenced subsequent policy and institutional practice, informing strategy documents produced by Creative Ireland and shaping funding priorities at the Arts Council of Ireland and Design & Crafts Council of Ireland. It catalysed networks that persisted through events like Dublin Design Week and international trade missions organised by Enterprise Ireland, and contributed to career trajectories for alumni of National College of Art and Design and Limerick School of Art and Design. Institutional legacies included strengthened partnerships between municipal galleries—IMMA, Crawford Art Gallery—and commercial stakeholders such as Bord Bia and Fáilte Ireland, while designers entered programmes and residencies offered by international bodies like British Council and Creative Europe.

Category:Design festivals in Ireland