A New Era at TU Dublin School of Creative Arts
A tour of Technological University Dublin’s (TU Dublin) brand-new East Quad building on Grangegorman Campus. A New Era of Third-Level Art education.
After many years of planning and development, the TU Dublin School of Creative Arts has arrived at its new home at East Quad. Located on the Grangegorman campus, the East Quad building is a state-of-the-art facility that will bring together the University’s creative and cultural schools in a single environment. The massive scale of TU Dublin’s Grangegorman campus redevelopment is “the largest investment in Higher Education in Europe.” Just a glimpse of the building, it’s clear to see that no expense was spared in creating a world-class hub of further education.
The East Quad building has the capacity to host up to 3,500 students and 160 staff under its roof, and this will include the School of Media, Social Sciences, Creative Arts, and Music & Drama. Our tour of East Quad brings us into a stylish maze of different rooms and new creative studios for respective courses. There is a sheer number of impressive new features; a new print and 3D workshop, modern MA studios and student spaces, a Black Box theatre, a Recital Hall, a café and an impressive 400-seat concert hall, ready to put on shows and welcome visitors when they can.
The result has a Wonka’s factory effect, where every new room delivers something new. In addition, there is custom-built contemporary landscaping and architecture, which boasts breathtaking views over Dublin’s North West Inner city, and offers luxurious rooftop pavilions for students and staff.
“When you put two to three thousand creatives under one roof, the energy they’ll generate will be undeniable.”
While speaking with Keiran Corcoran, Head of Creative Arts of TU Dublin, he stresses that the faculty hopes to foster “collaborative hybrid practices,” where students from different courses can work together, inspire each other, or simply talk out fresh creative ideas. For instance, Fine Art students employing performance art may work with Drama students. Design students might exchange ideas and equipment with media or music students. There will be limitless potential for those in the School of Creative Arts and bringing them all together is truly an exciting prospect. As Kieran says, “When you put two to three thousand creatives under one roof, the energy they’ll generate will be undeniable.” It’s been a long wait, but there’s a sense that TU Dublin is on the edge of a long, sustained payoff.
This approach offers a dynamic alternative to other art colleges like National College of Art and Design (NCAD) and Dun Laoghaire Institute of Art, Design and Technology (IADT). TU Dublin School of Creative Arts is set to be a major player in the field of Third-Level Art Education. With the amalgamation of Dublin Institute of Technology, Institute of Blanchardstown and Institute of Tallaght, TU Dublin has become the second largest institution in Ireland with over 28,500 students and 3,000 staff – just behind University College Dublin. In addition, just recently TU Dublin has been invited into the Irish University Association, making official its status as an internationally recognised university.
It isn’t just students of TU Dublin that will benefit from this extraordinary new campus. According to Keiran, they also worked with “a duty to reach out to the larger community.” Throughout the redevelopment, there has been an emphasis on contributing to the surrounding city. The grounds are open to the public where it offers a wonderful space for outdoor activities, and it will welcome solace from the hustle and bustle of the Dublin city centre. The new theatre and concert hall will also provide many events for the public to enjoy in the future, boosting the tourism and cultural impact of the greater Smithfield area. He also mentions that they’re just getting started with providing outdoor amenities for students and Dubliners alike. Large-scale works of public art have already been commissioned through the Grangegorman Development Agency (GGDA) Public Art Working Group to be made by artists Garret Phelan and Alexander Carr, and will be installed in the near future. Every summer, TU supports a limited selection of Irish artists by providing free studio space when the facilities are not being used by students.
Keiran mentions that they’re just getting started with providing outdoor amenities for students and Dubliners alike. Large-scale works of public art have already been commissioned to be made by artists Garret Phelan and Alexander Carr, and will be installed in the near future. From March 2021, the campus has seen students work in the new workshops, music and drama students have settled in, and the School of Creative Arts recently staged their Final Year Exhibition in East Quad.
TU Dublin School of Creative Arts is set to be a major player in the field of Third-Level Art Education. Just recently, TU Dublin has been invited into the Irish University Association, making official its status as an internationally-recognized university. However, university teaching is impacted in a post-covid world, one truth remains clear. When it comes to an education in creative arts, there is no substitute for collaborations and studio work. As Keiran puts it, “working in the studio is essential. that will still always be the core, the educational method of delivery.” Prospective students would be lucky to work in such an eminent place. When colleges reopen fully, there is no reason to believe that the East Quad building will truly flourish in September’s new term.
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