Art and Design

Art and design is an exceptionally broad field encompassing a wide range of creative disciplines and potential career paths. As with many industries the current financial turmoil is creating a deal of uncertainty but also providing the impetus to seek out the extra qualification and skills required to distinguish oneself within a competitive jobs market.

‘To be honest the number one issue at the moment is survival,’ states Barry Sheehan, the vice chairman of Design Ireland. ‘In this climate the strong will survive and to be strong you need to upskill. It’s an employers market out there and the more you can do to improve your competitive advantage and add value to a company the better.’

Design Ireland Skillnet, the training arm of Design Ireland, has developed two postgraduate courses tailored towards the needs of practicing design professionals. The Certificate in Sustainable Design Innovation is offered in conjunction with IT Carlow and the MA in Professional Design Practice with DIT, both of which aim at developing the management skills critical to success in the industry amongst other learning outcomes.

Kieran Corcoran, the Course Coordinator of the collaborative MA programme at DIT, highlights this point. ‘The MA is part of our strategy to support the design industry in Ireland, providing the skills required by companies to take their business to the next level. We help students develop their overall business skills in order to take up leadership roles within the industry.’

The Dun Laoghaire Institute of Art, Design & Technology (IADT) offers various options for candidates with second degree honours or better in a cognate field at undergraduate level, although candidates who can demonstrate honours degree equivalence through professional experience or prior learning may also be considered. IADT’s courses in this field include an MA in Visual Art Practices, offered full-time over one year or two years part time, and an MA/MSc in Digital Media, a two year part-time course.

‘Postgraduate studies teach students to look creatively at opportunities in industries where careers don’t follow straight lines,’ explains Liam Doona, Head of Department at the School of Creative Arts, IADT. ‘In creative arts you shape your own career and graduates tend to be ambitious and nimble, moving around and creating their own opportunities. What is important in our courses is that they are very professionally centered; conditioning students to see what their field is becoming and how to progress professionally within it.’

University of Limerick offers intriguing courses such as the MA in History of Art and Architecture. A full-time course, the MA equips graduates for careers in education, research, museum and art gallery curatorship and consultancy, publishing and journalism. A first class or an upper second class honours primary degree or substantial relevant professional experience is required for admission.

Also in the Treaty County is the Limerick Institute of Technology, which offers Higher Diplomas, Masters Degrees and PhDs in art and design. The Higher Diploma in Art for Art & Design Teachers is primarily for those considering a career in teaching but can also act as a springboard into MA programmes. Proposals are considered for MAs & PhDs by research in numerous fields including fine art, printmaking, fashion, ceramic or digital design, as well as art and design education.

Bob Baker, Head of Department of Fine Art, explains the benefits of pursuing postgraduate studies at LIT: ‘The record of the successful achievements of our graduates, winning national and international competitions and in professional life as artists and designers and many related areas is one of the main factors that make us a leader in the field. This is often based not only on our graduates’ technical or professional abilities, but also on their commitment, energy and motivation. The valued contribution and capacity for innovation and the commitment of our teaching staff is also of great importance.’
The National College of Art and Design (NCAD) also offers MA and PhD research options. Research takes place at their various departments including Ceramics, Glass & Metals; Fashion & Textiles; Industrial Design and Visual Communication in addition to the MA through practice in Design. Siún Hanrahan, Head of Research and Postgraduate Development at NCAD, explains the advantages of these avenues of research: ‘Postgraduate studies by research allows students to develop their specialisation within their area of the art and design industry, deepening critical understanding in relation to contemporary practice and situating existing knowledge within wider issues. NCAD’s courses are quite unique and of the moment, constantly being updated to stay so.’

NCAD is also participating in the recently founded Graduate School of Creative Arts and Media (GradCAM), a collaborative island-wide initiative between several third level institutions. The school is focused on PhD training and research but achieves much more than this, as Dr. Hanrahan elaborates. ‘GradCAM is a collaborative space between colleges offering structured PhD programmes for a range of disciplines. Students receive intensive support but also the benefits of an active and engaged peer community. GradCAM offers the possibility of exciting collaboration between artists within different institutions united by a shared agenda in a minority sector.’

Such innovative projects equip graduates to face the rigours of the contemporary job market. Although the economy may be in recession the cutting edge nature of the art and design field means that new opportunities are continually opening for those with the capacity to exploit them. Colin Hanley, Director of Dublin-based Swerve Design, highlights one of the many potential areas of growth within the field of graphic design: ‘One development which will become evident in Ireland is digital advertising. It's starting to crop up around Dublin but is already commonplace in London, New York etc. Design Agencies are now beginning to offer a digital advertising service as their clients want to take advantage of it, but they need people with the requisite skills.’