Wednesday 25th May 2022, the Minister of Education launched the opening of the 2022 Arts-in-Education BLAST Residency Programme.
Please use the following link to view the Press Release.
See links below to Blast 2022 videos which were also issued on social media and the Department of Education’s website yesterday.
https://youtu.be/W8nXUMetsrk
https://youtu.be/aopuimx2fe4 (Irish)
For more information please click here
Le haghaidh tuilleadh eolais cliceáil anseo le do thoil
The BLAST programme is now open for applications with a closing date of 30th September 2022.
To download the application form please click here
Chun an fhoirm iarratais a íoslódáil cliceáil anseo le do thoil
Please see information below regarding the upcoming Portal Documentation Award 2022.
Please see the link below to the Arts in Education website:
https://artsineducation.ie/en/2021/12/21/opportunity-portal-documentation-award-2022/
Please note if you have any queries, contact Éilís at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Opportunity: Portal Documentation Award 2022
Deadline: 26 February 2022
The Arts in Education Portal editorial team are pleased to invite applications for a documentation award. Through the award, successful applicants will receive services to the value of €5,000 that will support them in the documentation of a current or upcoming project and a €500 stipend.
The purpose of the award is to support the development of documented outcomes from Arts in Education initiatives in Ireland, which can be shared with the arts in education community and give insights into different processes of engagement. This is part of the Arts in Education Portal Editorial Committee’s commitment to supporting and recognising the value of documentation and reflection as a key component within arts in education initiatives.
Two awards will be offered through this opportunity.
Outcomes of the documentation process will include: a project video, a project feature to be showcased on the Portal’s Projects/Partnerships, and the option of a critical essay, with a view to also presenting the work as part of the Arts in Education Portal National Day in 2022.
The process will involve meetings with the Portal Team and a schedule of up to 3 visits over the course of the project to capture video and photographic documentation and support reflective processes among participants. These visits and meetings can be conducted virtually if required. The portal team will work closely with the recipients to ensure all restrictions and protocols in terms of COVID 19 are adhered to during the process to ensure safety for all involved.
The portal team will edit and produce a project video, and will liaise closely with the project partners to develop the content for the project feature. The critical essay would be sited in the Portal’s Reading Room, and is optional. The author and focus of the essay can be decided by the project organisers in collaboration with the Portal Team.
Criteria
To be considered for this opportunity, projects must:
Have started in autumn 2021 and continuing into 2022, or taking place in 2022 (flexibility will be given for project start dates due to current school closures).
Have a minimum duration of 8 weeks.
Involve a professional artist working collaboratively within an educational setting (early years, primary or post-primary).
Be underpinned by a strong ethos of collaboration and a commitment to excellence. Focus on the creative process, with children having an active and collaborative role
Additional criteria
Successful applicants will be asked to ensure that relevant permissions/consent have been sought for documentation of participants.
Please ensure your application has been approved by all project partners prior to submission.
How to make a submission:
Background on who you are; your professional practice and your ethos or approach towards Arts in Education.
An overview of the project – who is involved, how did the collaboration come about, what processes or approaches will take place, what is the aim or focus of the process?
A statement of interest, explaining why documentation support would be of value to this project.
Please send your submission to: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. by 5pm, Friday 26 February 2022.
Arts in Education Residency Initiative in Primary and Post-primary Schools
The Department of Education has developed a new innovative Arts-in-Education BLAST Residency Programme in 2021, which will enable up to 400 new Arts-in-Education Residencies in schools each year.
This initiative aims to support the integration of the principles and key skills outlined in the Arts in Education Charter and the Creative Ireland Programme (2017-2022), Pillar 1 - Creative Youth.
- The aim of this scheme is to give pupils in schools all over the country the opportunity to work with a professional artist on unique projects to be originated and planned between the artist, the teacher and the school under the coordination of the Education Support Centres Ireland ESCI network of 21 full-time education centres.
- This initiative supports children and young people for the future, where skills like the ability to connect and collaborate with others, engage in creative and critical thinking and practice inclusivity at every level will be paramount to peace, stability, sustainable economic growth and equality. What is proposed is a unique streamlined process whereby schools apply for an artist on the Online Register of Approved Artists who are already trained for the new BLAST Arts-in-Education Residency Programme managed by the local education centre. The Education Centre will also pay the artist which will further remove the administrative burden on teachers and schools.
- How will this BLAST Residency initiative work? The Education Centre: While the programme will be nationally coordinated by the Arts in Education administrative base located at the Education Centre Tralee, Schools will apply for a BLAST Arts-in-Education Residency to the full-time education centre in their area, based on the Online Register of Approved Artists.
- The Register of Approved Artists in each education centre will be arranged by:
- artist and discipline
- include relevant required and approved training experience
- examples of previous work
- examples of relevant or related experience in an educational and community context.
- In excess of 300 artists are currently trained and registered on the Online Register of Approved Artists managed by the Education Centre network nationally. All artists will have submitted their Child Safeguarding Best Practice Policy (to include Child Safeguarding Statement) and their Certificate of completion of the Children First Training module to the Education Centre.
- What is proposed is a unique streamlined process when schools apply for an artist under the new BLAST Arts-in-Education Residency Programme.
- The Education Centre will:
- arrange for payment of the artist, which will further remove the administrative burden on teachers and schools.
- in collaboration with successful artists and schools, organise Garda vetting.
- Schools may separately (if they wish) request the artist to apply for Garda vetting specifically to work in their school.
- The Artists:
- Artists from any artistic discipline who have been trained in partnership working with schools will be registered with each of the 21 full-time ESCI centres. Artistic disciplines include visual arts, crafts, music, dance, drama, literature and film.
- Creative disciplines will be expanded as the residency programme develops over the next number of years. The artists on the Register of Approved Artists will have been previously trained and have engaged in school residencies under the Teacher-Artist Partnership CPD and Residency initiative or the Arts in Junior Cycle Programme which are both approved and led by the Department of Education.
- The School:
- The schools must be in the catchment of the local full-time education centre.
- Schools may submit only one application.
- Schools should make their own selection of artists on the Approved Register, based on CVs/examples of recent work, training and recommendations.
- Inclusion of artists on the Approved Register is based on training in the education centre (TAP) in addition to suitability/artistic qualification etc. and has taken place in advance to ensure the selected artist satisfies school policies in relation to engagement of external personnel. Once a school is approved for the scheme, the school has a commitment to the artist, who will have earmarked that time for the project and could potentially turn down other work at the times scheduled to work with the school.
- This initiative encourages:
- Schools, primary and post-primary, that have not recently had an opportunity to participate in such creative initiatives.
- Schools supporting inclusion and enhanced arts-in-education engagement with students from disadvantaged backgrounds and students with special educational needs.
- Schools that have a track record in teacher-artist partnership working in the classroom and school.
- A whole-school commitment to the project, but it is not a requirement that all classes work with the artist.
- Projects should have regard to the relevant school curricula where appropriate and have a focus on process.
- BLAST Arts-in-Education Residency funding: The artist’s fee is €1,000 per residency. This is funded by the Department of Education via each Education Centre. The Education Centre will pay the artist in accordance with agreed guidelines after the artist and teacher/school evaluations have been submitted and received.
- In certain instances, this may include the payment of two instalments of €500 with agreement. The artist will be funded for 20 contact hours, including 6 hours planning/development/review time.
- Participating schools must pay for:
- materials associated with the project
- documentation of the project through photographs etc.
- any other costs involved including insurance costs.
- Funded residencies can be delivered throughout the academic year commencing in September in the year the residency was approved. Schools must acknowledge the Department of Education and the local Education Centre in all publicity relating to the project.
- Successful applications:
- Successful schools will be required to sign a short contract with their local Education Centre accepting the terms of the BLAST Arts-in-Education Residency Programme prior to the commencement of the residency. Successful residencies should not be started until official written notification to proceed has been received from the Education Centre and once Garda vetting has been completed and this has been communicated to the school. It is a specific condition of this residency programme that a teacher works closely and collaborates with the artist to plan the learning experience and is present at all times with the artist while working with students in the school and to enhance further teacher-artist partnership.
- Schools will be responsible for: ensuring the residency complies with Public Health advice relevant at the time of the project.
- Evaluation: The Education Centre will put in place the necessary evaluation for Arts-in-Education Residencies. This will include:
- a school visit
- completion and return of the Teacher/School Feedback Form and the Artist Feedback Form.
- The second instalment of the artist fee will be paid following the submission of the final reports. Any images submitted by the school either in reports or on completing the project may be used to promote the scheme through print and other media including social media. It is therefore important that the schools have permission for the use of such images, noting in the consent forms that they will be used for this purpose, and only send images to the Education Centre once parental consent has been obtained.
- Guidelines for Application: A note on COVID-19 related Public Health Guidance: Schools should base proposals on the best public health advice and guidance available at the time of application. Completed applications must include:
- 1. A completed application form
- 2. A written proposal for the project indicating:
- the aims of the project
- the theme
- materials
- processes
- anticipated outcomes
- deliverability
- number of contact hours
- number of classes and pupils that will participate in the project
- Please also indicate the planned time-frame schedule and planned method of documentation for the project. The proposal should demonstrate a whole school commitment to the project. (This does not mean that all children must participate in the project rather that the whole school should be supportive and flexible in facilitating the project)
- Applications will open on 4 June 2021. The closing date is 30 September 2021.
- This initiative will be supported by the ESCI Education Centre Network, Teacher Artist Partnership CPD programme, Arts in Junior Cycle, NAPD Creative Engagement Programme and the Arts in Education Portal.
- Link to downloadable application Form below.
- https://www.gov.ie/en/form/012fe-blast-arts-in-education-application-form/
Please see the list of schools and artists taking part in 2021/2022 blast project
|
School
|
Principal
|
Lead Teacher
|
Artist
|
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Scoil Naomh Abbáin,
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Claire Kickham
|
Claire Kickham
|
Oonagh Latchford
|
|
Scoil Chroí Ró Naofa, Ballymurn
|
Emer O Gorman
|
Aoife Morrisey
|
John Busher
|
|
Bunscoil Loreto
|
Aileen Kennedy
|
Paula Quinn
|
Colum Kavanagh
|
|
Sacred Heart NS
|
Grid Kennedy Jones
|
Emily Casey
|
Joe Brennan
|
|
Scoil Phadraig Naofa
|
Helen Molloy
|
Chris Townsend
|
Sarah Bowie
|
|
Ballon NS
|
Mary Carroll
|
Una Murphy
|
Colum Kavanagh
|
|
St Fintans NS
|
Geraldine Doyle
|
Paula Gondard
|
Caroline Busher
|
|
Tara Hill NS
|
Patricia Sadler
|
Eadaoin Ni Liondain
|
Lani O' Hanlon
|
|
Bunscoil Ris
|
Gerry Moran
|
Ann Brazil
|
Lani O' Hanlon
|
|
Star of the Sea NS
|
Martina Prendergast
|
Helen McLoughlin
|
John Busher
|
|
Scoil Moling Glynn
|
Caitriona Kelly
|
Caitriona Kelly
|
Joe Brennan
|
|
East Glendalough School
|
Craig Petrie
|
Frances Cody
|
Colum Kavanagh
|
|
Gorey Educate Together Secondary School
|
Conor Berry
|
Liz Whelan
|
Sarah Bowie
|
|
Colaiste Eamonn Ris, CBS Wexford
|
Michael McMahon
|
Erin Whelan
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Sarah Bowie
|
|
Colaiste Eoin
|
Alan Costello
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LIz Farrell and Geraldine Dalton.
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Joe Brennan
|
|
Bunclody Vocational College
|
James Murphy
|
Orla Doyle
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John Busher
|
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Colaiste Abbain
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John Nolan
|
Rosaline Power
|
Colum Kavanagh
|
List of Teacher Artist Partnership (TAP) trained Artist below.
