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Arts Office, NUI Galway: Theatre & the Arts group Policy Document

Table of Contents

• Introduction
• General Principles 
• Literature
• Theatre
• Music
• Dance
• Painting and Sculpture
• Architecture and Design
• Film
• Theatre and the Arts Sub-Committee Membership 

Cover of policy document features detail from a Kenneth Webb painting (Untitled) - (part of the NUI Galway art collection)

Introduction

NUI Galway is committed to an active arts environment, and to the development of its role as an arts resource for the wider community. To this end, the University appointed a full-time Arts Officer in December 1999. The role of the Arts Officer is to implement the University's policy on theatre and the arts and to develop links with regional, national and international arts organisers and practitioners.

The Committee for Theatre and the Arts was established in October 1999 and is a sub-committee of the Physical Resources Committee.  It is chaired by the Vice-President for Physical and Human Resources and has a membership that includes representatives of the University's students and staff as well as representatives of Galway's arts community. It includes the Arts Officer as an ex-officio member. This policy document is a product of the committee's two working groups: on literature and the performing arts, and on the visual arts.

The sub-headings listed below, 'recommendations' and 'specific action(s)', indicate a distinction between recommended broadly-based institutional initiatives and recommended immediate actions to be implemented by the Arts Officer. This distinction does not reflect any pre-determined set of priorities. To coincide with the Arts Officer's three-year term of appointment, this policy document will be reviewed triennially.

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  1.0 General Principles

The future development of the arts at NUI Galway will take place within the context of the following general principles:

• a commitment to the promotion, presentation and development of the educational, recreational, and cultural dimensions of the arts in life of its students  and staff, and as a contribution to the wider community.
• a development of future policy that will, as far as possible, seek to combine the academic, recreational, scholarly and creative elements of the arts
• a commitment to foster the arts in the University's two main spoken languages, Irish and English
• a commitment to an awareness of architecture and of architectural appreciation
• a firm endeavour to provide disabled access to arts events, and to remove all physical barriers to such events
• the fostering of links between the University and its graduates in relation to arts activities
• the provision of a positive climate for staff and students who wish to embark on specific arts projects
• the development of arts opportunities for minority groups, and the promotion of diversity and experiment in arts events
• the development of artists-in-residence and other schemes
• the documentation of arts events in cooperation with the Library Archivist
• the fostering of links with the arts community in Galway.

1.1 Specific Actions

• the University will host an annual arts festival that will showcase arts activity on campus as well as facilitate visits from a mixture of local  national and international artists
• the University will establish a dedicated library fund to support interest, criticism and appreciation of the arts.

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2.0 Literature

2.1 Description of Resources

There are seven literature-based academic departments in the University (English, Gaeilge, French, German, Italian, Spanish, Ancient Classics), two writer-in-residence schemes (one in English and one in Irish), and several student literary societies (English Soc., German Soc., Italian Soc., French Soc.) dedicated to the study, critical appreciation, practice and enjoyment of various aspects of literature. There are also extra-mural courses in creative writing, structured workshops and readings by writers in residence, an annual ad hoc schedule of occasional visiting lecturers, and the Aran Islands International Poetry and Prose Festival.

 2.2 Recommendations

• The University will develop a coordinated approach towards the promotion of literature and literary events that will include the following:
• the further development of the University as a venue for visiting writers and writing workshops throughout the year
• the promotion of literature-related events in conjunction with academic departments and student groups as well as with the Galway County Arts Officer, An Chomhairle Ealaíon / the Arts Council, and other universities, institutes of higher education, and relevant bodies
• the promotion of the University's central involvement in local poetry and literature festivals.

2.3 Specific Action

The University will organize literature-related events as part of its annual arts festival and throughout the year.

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3.0 Theatre

3.1 Description of Resources

The University possesses the following performing facilities:

1. Bank of Ireland Theatre (Capacity: 100)
2. Aula Maxima (2 floors) [upstairs not wheel-chair accessible]  (Capacity: 240 upstairs, 150 downstairs)
3. Sports Hall in Áras na Mac Léinn (Capacity: 1500)
4. Amharchlann, Áras na Gaeilge (Capacity: 106)
5. Siobhán McKenna Theatre (Capacity: 100)

In addition, temporary rehearsal spaces and temporary facilities for costume and property storage are available on request from the Buildings Office.

The main student theatre societies at NUI Galway are Dramsoc and An Cumann Drámaíochta. Dramsoc activities are based in the Bank of Ireland Theatre and An Cumann Drámaíochta activities are based in the theatre in Áras na Gaeilge. There is also a vibrant German Society Theatre Group that stages at least one production per year.  The Department of English offers some undergraduate courses in practical theatre, as well as a one-year taught M.A. in Drama and Theatre Studies. All performance-based courses take place in the Bank of Ireland Theatre.

The Bank of Ireland Theatre is a facility designed to enhance students' engagement with theatre through performance and improvisation, academic programmes in drama, participation in curricular and extra-curricular productions, and through the availability of programmes or workshops by professionals in different aspects of theatre.  

The maximization and full utilisation of the Bank of Ireland Theatre and other performance spaces on campus is the responsibility of the Buildings Office working in cooperation with the Arts Officer and the Committee for Theatre and the Arts. Every reasonable measure will be taken to ensure that students and performance-based theatre courses will have priority access during term time, but exceptions may be made in the context of visiting theatre groups deemed to be of special benefit to student audiences.

3.2 Recommendations

The University will promote and develop an awareness, proficiency and appreciation of theatre at NUI Galway by means of the following:

• the provision of timetables and reasonable access to all theatre spaces for rehearsal and performance for the different University user groups
• the implementation of a coordinated and consensual approach in relation to access, timetabling and utilisation of the Bank of Ireland Theatre by means of regular meetings of the Theatre and Arts Committee or of a designated working group
• an agreed code of practice that will be circulated to all theatre user-groups and will be clearly posted in the Bank of Ireland Theatre.
• the encouragement of improved standards in student production and the provision of developmental workshops
• the establishment of an efficient liaison between the physical theatre facilities and the University's academic theatre programmes
• the promotion of the Bank of Ireland Theatre as an efficient and well-run venue within the University and wider area
• the requirement that, where possible, visiting theatre groups and professionals, conduct student-oriented workshops.

3.3 Specific Actions

• the University will establish an honorary board of advisors so as to enhance the prestige of Bank of Ireland Theatre and so as to provide a bridge between students and professional theatre practitioners and theatre academics
• the University will encourage local playwrights as well as national and international professionals to offer workshops and courses in  theatre. 

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4.0 Music

4.1 Description of Resources

Music activities on campus are widely supported, chiefly in terms of the University's energetic Music and Choral Societies. At present, the development of music-related activities at NUI Galway is handicapped by the lack of a dedicated rehearsal or practice room. Spaces that are currently used for rehearsal and teaching include the Special Needs Room at the back of the student common room, dressing rooms in the Bank of Ireland Theatre, and the squash courts.

4.2 Recommendations

• the University will encourage and support a diversity of music activities on campus
• an academic music programme will be established at the University
• the University will reintroduce a musician-in-residence scheme
• a sound-proofed rehearsal-room for piano and bands will be constructed on campus
• the University will develop its relationship with Music for Galway as well as encourage visiting music groups to provide lunch-time concerts. Links with other Galway-based music groups such as the Galway School of Traditional Music, the Galway Baroque Singers, the Early Music Festival and the Galway Concert Orchestra will also be encouraged.

4.3 Specific Actions

• the University will host a series of concerts during the academic year
• a library of sheet and taped music will be established in conjunction with the James Hardiman Library
• the University will support the formation of a University Orchestra.

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5.0 Dance

5.1 Description of Resources

The University has a recognised Modern Dance Society, which is involved in the teaching of popular dance courses at Áras na Mac Léinn including contemporary dance, stretch n' tone, and salsa dance.

5.2 Recommendations

The University recognises the need for a dedicated teaching and performance area that is warm, quiet, mirrored and, preferably, fitted with a sprung floor.

5.3 Specific Action

The University will monitor the level of student dance activities and will respond positively so as to ensure the provision of suitable support and facilities.

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6.0 Painting and Sculpture

6.1 Description of Resources

NUI Galway possesses a considerable collection of paintings, sculpture and tapestries. The collection includes works by Walter Osborne, Nathaniel Hone, George Russell (AE), Evie Hone, Mainie Jellett, Charles Lamb, Major Robert Gregory, and Gerard Dillon. These are housed mostly in administrative offices in the quadrangle, in the Presidential quarters, and in the Old Boardroom.

6.2 Recommendations

The University will:

• maximise public access to its art collection, and fully utilise the Art Gallery as an exhibition space
• develop its art collection through an active policy of acquisition (incorporating donations, purchases, and bequests)
• develop a dynamic exhibitions policy so as to raise the profile of the University campus as an exciting and imaginative venue for visual arts events
• seek expert opinion on the establishment of a specific theme or themes for future development of the University art collection
• promote occasional lectures on art themes
• collaborate with local and national agencies and institutions associated with the visual arts such as the National Gallery, the National Museum, and the cultural divisions of embassies
•  give consideration on a continuing basis to the provision of additional display spaces and, in particular, during the planning of new buildings and refurbishment of older buildings
• give consideration to the provision of a new art gallery, in a location more accessible to the public and more conducive to the enjoyment of art works
• encourage and facilitate University departments to prepare material for exhibition (many departments possess material of interest, but lack awareness of its general interest and the expertise to prepare it for exhibition)
• establish a policy of art exchange with other art galleries in the region such as the Hunt Museum, Limerick, the Sligo Art Gallery, and the Glebe Gallery, Churchill, Co. Donegal
• seek to implement Government policy on purchase of art objects in association with new building works
• offer occasional commissions in the visual arts so as to mark particular events.

6.3 Specific Actions

The University will:

•  arrange a comprehensive inventory of its art collection 
•  appoint a panel of advisors so as to advise and assist in the purchase of art work
•  organise a well-publicised exhibition of the more important works in its art collection along with a high quality colour-printed catalogue (consideration will be given to making this catalogue available in digital video format in the James Hardiman Library, and on a University Intranet) 
• arrange for the regular display of works from its collection in selected locations on campus
•  arrange a survey of public spaces on campus in order to determine a range of locations suitable for art display and exhibition
•  award an annual Visual Arts prize to the department or section which has mounted the most visually interesting display of its material in the previous year (the prize will be presented at the annual arts festival).

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7.0  Architecture and Design

7.1 Description of Resources

NUI Galway occupies a singularly attractive site along the banks of the River Corrib, in easy relationship with the city of Galway. The University's stock of buildings has grown over almost two centuries.

• pre-1840s Anatomy Building (part visible), Irish Centre for Human Rights
• 1840s  Quadrangle Buildings
• 1910s  Civil Engineering Building
• 1930s  Arts (Education) Building; St. Anthony's
• 1950s  Árus de Brún, Terrapin buildings, Anatomy Building
• 1970s  Master Plan, Arts & Sciences Concourse, Library building
• 1980s  Library extension
• 1990s  Revised Master Plan 1997, Library extension, IT extension, Martin Ryan Institute for Marine Sciences, Clinical Sciences Building, Áras na Gaeilge
• 2000  Arts Millennium Building; Science & Technology Building, Crêche, IT Building.

These buildings present a considerable range in terms of quality of design and construction and many were conceived and financed under more straitened economic conditions than exist at present. In their several ways, however, they represent the University's changing circumstances and sense of itself.

7.2 Recommendations

Architecture is the most practical of the visual arts. Increasing awareness of its symbolic and cultural significance is reflected in the various national policies on architecture which have emerged in recent years. These include two documents issued by the Irish Government in 1996: one on Architectural Heritage, the other outlining National Policy on Architecture. Design quality in Higher Education buildings was also the subject of a 1995 Royal Fine Arts Commission seminar and report. The experience of good design is humanizing, life-enhancing, and educational.

The aim of the University's policy on architecture is the creation of a campus which, in terms of its built and its natural environment, is a pleasure to work in and to visit. The University's commitment to quality of design has the potential to inform the sensibility of generations of users, to enhance the image of NUI Galway nationally and internationally, and to provide an important statement of value to the local region. In the following section, the Government's recommendations are proposed, without alteration, as NUI Galway's policy on architecture.

In pursuing its policy on architecture, the University will:

1. Promote high standards of design and construction in building works for which it is responsible and support the pursuit of high standards in building.

In this regard, the University will:

• continue its current policy of selecting design teams on the basis of quality of work, and of financing projects to a sufficiently high level to permit attainment of high standards of design
• select procurement procedures which aid achievement of these design standards--recognising, for example, the limitations of design and build
• avail of the opportunity provided by programmes of refurbishment to enhance the design quality of the University's building stock. Refurbishment will be entrusted to architects and accorded equivalent design attention to the creation of new buildings
• accord attention to design quality and visual consistency in relation to details (paths, street furniture etc.) by recognising that quality of detail makes a major contribution to overall design quality
• develop in a creative and sympathetic way the University's natural environment through landscaping and planting, in accordance with the recent landscaping study.

2. Develop an organisational framework which facilitates the application of knowledge and skill concerning the built environment.

3. Ensure that the architectural heritage is conserved and maintained to a high standard.

In this regard, the University will pursue an active inspection and maintenance policy in relation to all buildings.

4. Foster the demand for high quality architecture in the community as a whole.

The University will provide example through a sustained commitment to the creation of a built environment of the highest quality which is enjoyable to use. 

5. Promote concept of sustainable development

The University will have regard to whole-life cost in the commissioning of buildings, review the performance of existing buildings in relation to energy, and investigate 'green' issues (e.g. passive heating/cooling) in relation to all new buildings.

6. Encourage innovation in architecture

The University will consider as a flagship project the design of a new Art Gallery. 

This may be the subject of a design competition, or, alternatively, the commission may be given to an architectural firm with a record of work of the highest imaginative and design quality.

7.3 Specific Actions

The University will:

• implement the recommendations of the recent landscaping study
• give consideration to the exhibition of drawings and documents relating to the older buildings, and the production of a short architectural history of them so as to foster knowledge / interest / appreciation of architecture
• support an exhibition in the James Hardiman Library of books on architecture
• organise, at least annually, a public lecture on architecture/planning, in collaboration with the Royal Institution of Architects of Ireland / Architectural Association of Ireland / Western Group of Architects
• select, on occasion, an architectural theme for its de Brún lecture, with a high profile architect such as Richard Rogers or Sir Norman Foster
• source architectural material for exhibition from cultural institutes (e.g. recent Otto Wagner exhibition), and research material of Galway interest in the Irish Architectural Archive
• seek to host the annual RIAI award-winners exhibition
• organise a series of evening lectures on the history of art and architecture improve library holdings on architecture and on the visual arts.

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8.0 Film

8.1 Description of Resources

Film activity at NUI Galway encompasses academic, cultural recreational and commercial aspects. In harmony with the proposals of the Film Industry Strategic Review Group, the University has under consideration a proposal for a joint course on film with GMIT (see item 7). In addition the University possesses the following facilities:

• An Fiontarlann, based in Árus Uí Chadhain, An Cheathrú Rua, is a commercial audio-visual studio, equipped with AVID non-linear editing equipment for digital video.  An Fiontarlann has a successful record of film training for An Ard-Dioplóm i gCumarsáid Fheidhmeach, in film production for TG4 and RTE, as well as corporate and advertising commissions.  It is also involved in sound editing for multi-media productions
• the Audio-Visual and Central Services Unit (CSU) has Betamax, VHS and S-VHS editing facilities which are used by students of journalism, Cumarsáid Feidhmeach and Women on Air.  For loan purposes, they have several VHS and one mini-DV video camera, in addition to two digital stills cameras which are much used for student presentations. CSU also has various items of equipment for 35mm photography
• CSU records and stores significant amounts of video material for academic use, mostly in VHS format.  It also records University events such as graduations for archival and commercial purposes.  Until recently this was carried out on S-VHS, but the transition to digital video is underway, although editing may continue to be carried out in analogue format
• the James Hardiman Library also houses substantial quantities of video material, used primarily in connection with language and film teaching
• several of the language departments provide, or have provided, courses on cinema
• several student societies arrange the showing of  films in French, German,  Spanish and Italian, as well as in English and Irish
• there is a film society on campus which organises lectures on aspects of film making and, on occasion, shoots film

8.2 Recommendations

The University will:

• advance the proposals of the Galway Film Project with regard to film education and training facilitate the acquisition of photographic and video skills by staff and students
• encourage creativity in the use of these media
• foster interdisciplinary collaboration between film-making groups and other groupings involved in the performing arts
• with regard to the developing audio-visual expertise on campus, take steps to maximise benefits in regard to teaching technology.

Specific Actions

The University will:

• support the Photographic Society and make provision for a dark room and necessary equipment
• make available relevant equipment, including equipment for digital video editing, to staff and students, under structures to be agreed between the CSU, the Arts Officer, the Administrative Officer (Student Services) and the Photographic Society and Film Society. This equipment should include additional equipment for digital filming, equipment for digital video editing such as a highly specified PC with digital analogue video card and necessary storage and output devices, and equipment for the transfer of teaching material on 35mm colour transparencies to high quality digital format
• facilitate the student Film Society in the arrangement of lectures on film topics by prominent figures in the film industry
• foster collaboration with Galway Film Fleadh, through provision of venues and arrangement of lectures and workshops on film during the period of the Fleadh
• encourage video activities of staff and students by arranging screenings of  their work during the NUI Galway Arts Festival
• encourage photographic activities of staff and students by arranging an exhibition of their work during the NUI Galway Arts Festival
• continue to exhibit the annual Irish Times Photographic Awards.

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Theatre and Arts Group:

Membership

• Mr. Keith Warnock (Chair)
• Mr. Eamonn Cannon
• Mr. Brian Clancy
• Mrs. Claire Cuddy
• Mr. Cormac Donoghue
• Ms. Ros Dixon
• Mr. John Gibney
• Ms. Michelle MacLeod
• Ms. Nicola Murphy
• Mr. Oliver McAnena
• Ms. Pauline Nic Chonaonaigh
• Dr. Niall Ó Ciosáin
• Mr. Pádraig Ó Duinnín
• Dr. Lionel Pilkington
• Ms. Martina Callanan

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