The National College of Art and Design (NCAD) is Ireland's oldest art institution, offering the largest range of art and design degrees at undergraduate and postgraduate level in the country. Originating as a drawing school in 1746, many of the most important Irish artists, designers and art educators have studied or taught in the college. NCAD has always been located in central Dublin, and in 1980 it relocated to the historic Liberties area. The College has around 950 full-time students and a further 600 pursuing part-time courses, and NCAD's students come from more than forty countries. NCAD is a Recognised College of University College Dublin. It is also a member of the European League of Institutes of the Arts.
History Overview The National College of Art and Design can trace its origins in an unbroken line back to the drawing school set up by Robert West in George's Lane, in 1746, and then sponsored by the Dublin Society. The institution has been influenced in turn by the French Enlightenment, the Victorian schools of design, including industrial design, the Arts and Crafts movement, the search for Irish national identity and innovations in British art education in the 1960s. The school has also played a role in Irish social and cultural developments - it had a significant influence on the eighteenth century Irish school of painting and sculpture and it also affected the standard of applied ornament in architecture and crafts. Most Irish artists of importance have spent some time in the college, and in the twentieth century the teaching staff has included Sir William Orpen, Oliver Sheppard, Oswald Reeves, Harry Clarke, Seán Keating, Maurice MacGonigal, Laurence Campbell and Bernardus Romein.
The opening up of Irish culture in the 1960s had a profound effect on the college, resulting in years of student disturbances and closures by the government. Central to this was the debate about Modernism versus traditional discipline and the control exercised by the Department of Education and its predecessors. There was also the pressure for industrial design reform in face of the new economic future of an independent Ireland, and again within the Common Market. The consequence of all this revolution was a statute of 1971 which re-established the college, granting it freedom to run its own affairs academically. The college was further restructured in 1975 and a wide range of degree courses developed.
Following its relocation to Thomas Street in the early 1980s, the college expanded its offer of undergraduate courses and introduced a range of postgraduate courses and research based options up to PhD level.
Timeline The early years 1746: The Dublin Society (subsequently the Royal Dublin Society) decided to subsidise Robert West's Drawing School in George's Lane (later Georges Street) by means of student premiums. 1750: the Dublin Society set aside rooms for a drawing school at their premises in Shaw's Court off Dame Street - the stables there were converted into drawing schools. West was the Master of the Figure School and James Marrin was the Master of the Landscape and Ornamental School. Later Thomas Ivory was Master of the Architectural School. Throughout the 18th century, the Dublin Parliament gave an annual grant to the Dublin Society, which included support for the school. In fact this was the only state supported school in Great Britain and Ireland. The Society awarded prizes and medals to the best students annually, as well as to the Irish artistic community at large. 1767: the Society moved to a new building in Grafton Street, to which the Drawing Schools were moved later from Shaw's Court. 1796: The Society and its Schools were established in Hawkins Street.
After the Act of Union 1800: From this year the State subsidy began to come from the United Kingdom parliament at Westminster. This led to a great deal of ongoing friction with the Treasury and other branches of government in London, as the Westminster establishment was much less sympathetic to the Society and its work and sought to centralise direct control from London. 1811: A fourth school — in addition to Figure Drawing, Landscape & Ornamental Drawing, and Architectural Drawing — was added: the School of Modelling, to which the eminent Irish sculptor Edward Smyth was appointed as Head. All Schools, with the exception of the School of Modelling, offered only drawing — no painting. The method of teaching was by means of drawing the nude model, the antique, copying prints and drawings. The training in drawing ornamental patterns was a key element, becoming the chief element after 1854. 1815: The Society moved to Leinster House on Kildare Street and shortly afterwards converted stables for use as a drawing school. The stables were on a site later used by the National Library. 1820: The Dublin Society became the Royal Dublin Society. 1827: Permanent drawing schools were built beside Leinster House together with the gallery overhead which was used to exhibit the Society's teaching collection of sculpture and works of art generally. The schools were below, in the basement.
London oversight 1849: The Board of Trade in London took control of the School as a school of design (for industry) and gave it a direct vote of funding, which was managed by the Royal Dublin Society. 1854: Control of the School now passed to the newly established Department of Science and ArtDe Breffny, pg. 164. based in South Kensington, London. The School was made to conform to the new London syllabus emphasising design education. Fine art education in the later 19th century in Ireland was the province of the Royal Hibernian Academy.
State institution 1877: The School was bought out from the Royal Dublin Society by the British Government and becomes the Dublin Metropolitan School of Art, a school wholly centrally supported through the Department of Science and Art, dealing locally with the Director of Science and Art in Dublin, who was also responsible for the Library and Museum and certain other institutions. During the late 19th century design for lace was promoted in the School as well as throughout Ireland.
Dublin oversight 1900: Control passed to the newly established Department of Agriculture and Technical Instruction for Ireland, established by Horace Plunkett and based on Merrion Street, albeit with the funding vote still coming from the Treasury in London. Major reforms were introduced before the Great War, notably the development of craft classes, particularly in stained glass (students included Harry Clarke, Michael Healy and Wilhelmina Geddes), enamels and metalwork, as well as life classes taught by William Orpen. 1914: From this date onward the school experienced difficulties in terms of resources, which subsequent political instability only increased. 1924: The Department of Education of the independent Irish state took over the control of the Metropolitan School of Art.
National College of Art 1936: The Metropolitan School of Art became the National College of Art, with professorships of Design, Painting, and Sculpture. Weaving and Ceramics departments were subsequently added. 1969: After a series of adverse reports asking for reform at the College, a crisis situation developed leading to periodic closures of the School by the Government.
National College of Art and Design 1971: The National College of Art and Design Act was passed by the Oireachtas - it was to be governed by a board (An Bord) appointed by the Minister for Education. 1972: May 1 was the establishment day of the National College of Art and Design (Coláiste Náisiúnta Elaíne is Deartha). 1974: Jonah Jones was appointed Director. 1975: The Faculty structure was adopted: Faculty of Fine Art (with departments of Painting, Printmaking, Sculpture); Faculty of Design (with departments of Craft, Fashion and Textiles, Industrial Design, Visual Communications); Faculty of History of Art and Design and Complementary Studies; Faculty of Education and Extra Mural Studies; Department of Pre-Diploma Studies (First year common course). 1976: NCAD received designation under the Higher Education Authority.
Thomas Street 1980: Noel Sheridan was appointed Director. Purchase of Powers Distillery premises at Thomas Street. Department of Visual Communication moved into the new buildings, with other departments moving to the campus over subsequent years. Degrees awarded for the first time. 1984: Degree courses in Visual Communication and Industrial Design validated by the National Council for Education Awards with the designation Bachelor of Design (B Des). 1985: Degree courses in Fine Art, and in History of Art with Fine Art validated by the NCEA with the designation of BA. 1988: First MA Degree awarded. First Honorary ANCAD awarded. 1989: Noel Sheridan took a sabbatical to work in Australia, and for stability, a full Director was appointed, Professor John Turpin. 1994: Noel Sheridan returned as Director. 1995: December: Commencement of celebrations to mark NCAD's 250th anniversary, with an ecumenical service in Christ Church Cathedral attended by President Mary Robinson. 1996: NCAD 250 celebrations continued with the publication of Professor John Turpin’s History of the College and exhibitions of graduate work at a variety of city venues including the RHA Gallagher Gallery. The College became a Recognised College of the National University of Ireland. 1998: The College vacated the Leinster Lane premises, which it had occupied since 1827, and acquired the old Thomas Street Fire Station, renamed Harry Clarke House and now with lecturing and staff facilities. The new School of Design for Industry was completed and ready (dedicated Design For Industry Building commissioned). The College awarded its first PhD.
NUI College 1999: First intake of students under the NUI validation of courses. 2000: Formal signing ceremony of the College’s association with the National University of Ireland in January 2000 attended by An Taoiseach, Mr Bertie Ahern, T.D., the Chancellor of the National University of Ireland, Dr Garret FitzGerald, members of the NUI Senate, the Department of Education and Science, Higher Education Authority and National Council for Educational Awards. 2001: New courses approved by the NUI: NUI Certificate in Drawing and Visual Investigation; NUI Higher Diploma in Community Arts Education; NUI Diploma in Art Teaching; MA in History of Art and Applied Arts; MA in Virtual Realities. 2006: Three taught Masters introduced: MA Design History and Material Culture; MA Art in the Digital World; MA Art in the Contemporary World. 2009: An Bord endorsed the academic council’s decision to move to a 3-year undergraduate degree structure with a progression of continuation to a two-year master's and beyond, a further three-year doctoral/PhD process. 2009: Opening of NCAD Gallery (with staff room and studio space overhead). 2010: NCAD entered into dialogue with both TCD and UCD regarding validation of the college’s awards, and on critical connections that could be developed between each of the institutions. In June 2010 An Bord took the strategic decision to pursue discussions only with UCD with a view to forming a strategic alliance with that university.
UCD College 2011: NCAD changed from being a Recognised College of NUI to being a Recognised College of UCD, and NCAD degrees are since then validated by UCD. 2015: The Director of the college, Declan McGonagle, resigned after "intense pressure from students, alumni and staff over controversial college practices." 2018: January: Sarah Glennie, former director of IMMA, assumed the Directorship of NCAD
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