Visual Communication student designs website for St. James's Hospital GUIDE clinic

Ben McDonald produced this winning design for St. James's Hospital GUIDE clinic (Department of Genito-Urinary Medicine and Infectious Disease) as part of a 3rd year Visual Communication project earlier in 2005. This colourful website is designed to provide straightfoward information for the public about the clinic which specialises in the care of people with sexually transmitted infections, HIV and general infectious diseases. The site will be launched on World AIDS Day, on December 1st, 2005.

You can view the website at: http://www.guide2guide.ie

NCAD Students' Union Launches New Website

The NCAD Students' Union have launched a slick new website. The website (www.ncadsu.com) covers news, competitions, events, student welfare issues and accomodation for students at NCAD. The new site can be accessed by clicking here, or at any time by clicking the link in the top right hand corner of the NCAD website.

2005 Design Showcase

You can now browse through the work of graduates from the Industrial Design, Fashion, Textiles and Glass departments from the 2005 Degree Show. More student showcases will be added in the coming weeks.

Click here to go straight to the showcase...

Mike Birtchnell

Mike Birtchnell, head of the department of Fine Print, is participating in a show of drawings and prints at the Casino de Vina Del Mar, Chile throughout October, sponsored by the Corporation Cultural de Vina Del Mar. Mike will also have a solo exhibition of thirty works on paper at the El Farol gallery,Valparaiso, Chile in Nov 2005 and is also participating in the Gandhi group exhibition at the Museum of Modern Art, Santiago, Chile from June to August 2006.

NUI Higher Diploma in Community Arts Education, HDipCAEd - Application Deadline Extended

The deadline for applications to the Higher Diploma in Community Arts Education, HDipCAEd, has been extended to August 5th, 2005. Please contact Debbie Reddin for further information on 01 636 4203 or email reddind@ncad.ie

From the Liberties to Parramatta

24 artists from the Faculty of Fine Art at NCAD are to show work at the Female Orphanage School Gallery in Sydney Australia from July 2005 - March 2006 The show is curated by Mike Birtchnell, head of the NCAD Fine Print department.

Download: From the Liberties to Parramatta catalogue (PDF)

Press Release:

It is with great pleasure that the University hosts the traveling exhibition "From Liberties to Parramatta", which originated from the National College of Art and Design, within its two most recently established galleries, the Female Orphan School Gallery (Parramatta Campus) and the University of Western Sydney Art Gallery (Penrith Campus).

In October 2003, UWS formally opened the restored central wing of the Female Orphan School, which is the oldest three storey building in Australia. During its restoration, the ground floor of this building was developed into a dedicated gallery and exhibition space. UWS is committed to developing the Female Orphan School as a place that will be used by the wider community for cultural events and other public activities.

Throughout its first year of being re-opened to the public, this building has received numerous heritage and architecture awards, the most recent and notable being its "Honorable mention" in the UNESCO Asia - Pacific Heritage Awards.

In March 2005, the UWS Art Gallery was opened and its 2005 exhibition program launched. This gallery will be the central focal point of the University's newest building, now known as the Community and Administration Building on Penrith Campus. This building not only houses the Chancellery, but senior staff in the administration and management of the academic programs of UWS. It also houses outstanding conference and meeting facilities, which link visually and architecturally to the gallery spaces.

This exhibition is a wonderful example of the international partnerships, collaborations and alliances that are often formed between Universities, which in turn culturally engage and enrich the other and their respective regional communities.

The University would like to acknowledge all the artists who have participated in this project and would particularly like to thank the curator of this exhibition, Mike Birtchnell, who has been responsible for it from its first conception, through to the exhaustive task of co-ordinating it to its completion.

Monica McMahon
Art Curator
University of Western Sydney

The Female Orphan School, University of Western Sydney, Australia