Visual Arts
Introduction
The Visual Arts Education Department at Coláiste Mhuire, MIE is considered to be both vibrant and progressive. Visual arts education is a compulsory course in both the Bachelor of Education and Higher Diploma courses. Visual art permeates college life of students in a very real and tangible manner. The grounds, buildings and virtual Blackboard exhibit permanent and temporary exhibits of art, craft and design created by students themselves or commissioned by various artists.
Visual arts Education team
The Visual Arts Department comprises of three lecturers. Each lecturer has their own area of expertise and special interest. Clodagh Mac Donagh and Niamh Synnott have their own arts practice. 
Clodagh works with fabric and fibre, while Niamh has a ceramics practice. Michael Flannery’s area of interest is collograph print making and his research interest concerns the strand unit Looking and responding as practiced in primary schools. The lecturing team has vast and varied teaching experiences between them both at primary level, in community arts practice and continued professional development. Administrative support is provided by Denise Linden who also has her photography practice. The visual arts team has adopted a carousel approach, whereby we rotate between year groups, thus providing variety for students and opportunities for them to experience different teaching and learning approaches. Our students’ training experience is further enriched by visiting artists, community artists and art historians during the year.
Services
As well as the Visual arts Education curriculum and methodology courses, the department facilitates Elective Options in World Creative Textiles, Craft and design in the classroom and Puppetry and performance. It provides summer face to face and on line courses at MIE, in collaboration with the INTO and with other Teacher Education Centres. It plans and delivers school links programmes with local primary schools and contributes to the organisation of key ACE (Arts Culture and Education) events at MIE each year.
Resources
The department has a well resourced designated art room which enables students to engage first hand with a variety of media. The art room is fully equipped with interactive whiteboard and access to the World Wide Web which enables class groups to visit virtual galleries and engage with and appraise works of art, craft or design by other visual artists together. The creative processes, works in progress and finished collaborative or individual works are digitally documented as a resource for students and lecturers alike. The library has acquired a store teacher and children’s books and prints which students can avail of and use on teaching practice.
Course overview
There are two distinct but interrelated dimensions to the Visual Arts Education course.
Section A: Practical workshop and studio time
In this part of the course students will further explore the visual and tactile world and the world of visual arts by practical means. They will explore concepts and acquire skills through practice with different media and materials geared towards the senior primary curriculum. They will develop a personal portfolio of art work and engage in collaborative art making projects, triggered by a variety of starting points. They will have opportunities to look with openness at and respond to different genres of art from various times and places. Through talk and discussion and active learning they will make informed appraisals of works of art. They will apply this knowledge and practical experience appropriately to classroom situations during teaching practice and special needs placement.
Section B: Curriculum and pedagogy
This part of the course will focus on key issues pertaining to the senior curriculum, the draft curriculum for children with general learning disabilities and the intercultural visual art exemplars. It will further students’ knowledge of the meaning, purpose and direction of visual arts education in the senior classes. Students will examine how to plan innovative schemes and integrated units of work which contain relevant content, embrace recommended methodologies and incorporate appropriate differentiation. Through independent reading and process folio tasks, students will extend their knowledge of teaching and learning visual art and will demonstrate these insights and skills appropriately in classroom situations during teaching practice and special needs placement.
Key aims of department
- To develop or deepen aesthetic awareness to the visual and tactile world and enhance appreciation and knowledge of art, craft and design
- To explore and debate the nature and evolution of visual art, its role in society and its value in primary education
- To emphasize the creative process, the developmental levels in children’s art and the application of the art elements through all six strands
- To inculcate a positive and open disposition towards visual art from all eras and cultures
- To develop a knowledge of art history and subject language to inform appreciation and class teaching
- To experience and create using a wide and appropriate range of media and materials
- To develop confidence and competence in looking at and responding to art, craft and design in a fair and informed manner
- To present teaching knowledge and techniques which foster and support inclusiveness and individual creativity in one’s teaching
- To explore possibilities for meaningful integration which respects visual art as another way of knowing
- To foster a sense of professionalism with respect to planning, delivery and assessment
- To identify resources such as world wide web which genuine educational merit
Links with other departments
The visual arts department fosters very close ties with the other arts departments through integrated collaborative projects. Students are provided the opportunity to explore relationships between the visual art, music and drama elements. Themes are explored which integrate meaningfully with other subject areas such Social Environmental and Scientific Education, Religious Education and Inclusive Education. Students see how the visual arts curriculum develops skills such as visual perception, discrimination and literacy skills, oral language and critical skills which are of value and use other subject areas.
Staff Profiles/Contact
Michael Flannery