Professional Diploma in Art & Ecology

Are you interested in the intersections of contemporary art with ecology? Do you want to develop your creative making and critical thinking skills in a meaningful and tangible way? If so, the Professional Diploma in Art and Ecology at NCAD may be just what you’re looking for.

 

Duration- 4 Months

NFQ Level- 9
 

The programme works directly with an urban embedded novel ecology of the NCAD FIELD site, which acts as an outdoor classroom, a site for nature connection, 'commoning', and a testing site for multi-species futures.

By connecting to the site and its seasonal activity, learners can explore and enact nature/culture connections, expanding their research, creative making, and critical thinking skills in meaningful and liveable ways. The course also explores the social, political, economic, and historical issues that frame the ecology of the surroundings. Practitioners will expand, develop, and question their practices using the NCAD FIELD as a testing site and shared learning space.

If you’re interested in pursuing a career in contemporary art with a focus on ecology or are simply passionate about exploring the intersections of these fields, this programme is a great place to start. Apply now to gain a deep understanding of the relationship between art and ecology and develop the skills necessary to create meaningful and impactful works in this exciting field.

What to expect?

This Professional Diploma in Art and Ecology programme introduces learners to the contemporary and historical field of art and expanded ecologies through situated environmental learning. 

This 20 credit programme consists of four 5 credit modules: Creative Principles (Professional Certificate), Creative Collaborations, Creative Practices, Creative Capstone.

Using and responding to NCAD’s physical inner city location learners will connect with inspiring ecological practices, environmental justice community projects and artists spearheading this emerging field.

With our current Earth crises we need to urgently develop new and necessary Nature/ Culture futures.  The historical, cultural and professional contexts of how artists operate and work with ecological themes and the current earth crisis will be explored in rich and varied ways. 

Utilising Eco creative principles students will explore a diversity of practices and approaches and become attuned to ways to practise in this territory.

Student testimonials (June-July 2023): 

  • “I've been searching for a way to integrate my love and interest in the environment with my art practice beyond the traditional approach of direct visual representational art. This course really helped me to push my practice beyond that while staying true to my own working methods and creative process. As well as that, a collaborative and supportive environment was nurtured and encouraged throughout the course”
  • “The course exceeded my expectations and I feel that what we covered is just the tip of the iceberg. I can't wait to explore everything we discussed and discovered together further”. 
  • “The lecturers' enthusiasm, commitment and belief in this course was obvious and they made it a fruitful, diverse place of learning”

The programme works directly with an urban embedded novel ecology of the NCAD FIELD site.  This taskscape acts as an outdoor classroom, a site for nature connection, commoning and a testing site for multi-species futures.

Connecting to the site and its seasonal activity, nature/culture connections are explored and enacted allowing learners to expand their research, creative making and critical thinking skills in meaningful and liveable ways.

A grounding in the social, political, economic and historical issues that frame ecologies of the surroundings site are explored.  Through the Diploma Programme practitioners will expand, develop and question their practices using the NCAD FIELD as a testing site and shared learning space.

The programme supports a range of creative approaches and interdisciplinary art and design practitioners that wish to connect and work in the space of critical ecologies and expanded environments. 

Learners aiming to evolve as artists, curators, activists, designers and cultural producers will be supported, giving them the tools, networks and knowledge to confidently work in this interdisciplinary field.

The three successive modules following from Professional Certificate (1st Creative Principles) will focus on:

  • 2nd Creative Collaborations (October - November 2024): working closely with local sites and investigating a range of symbiotic relationships, material and bio-informed strategies and how these might be incorporated into a practice.
  • 3rd Creative Practices (Spring 2025): exploring genealogies of environmental art and activism, transdisciplinary collaborations, “more than human worlds” and nature-culture intersections
  • 4th Creative Capstone (Summer 2025): undertaking a project that demonstrates learners' knowledge of creative ecological practices and theories.

Who Should Apply?

Established and emergent artists, curators, activists, designers, makers, cultural producers, ecologists, scientists, architects, landscape architects, social workers, policy makers, biodiversity and sustainability officers, educators, horticulturalists, active citizenship, citizen scientists, lifelong learning.

Educational Standard

All applicants are expected to present an approved Bachelor degree at minimum level of 2nd class honours (2.2)

Applicants who do not meet the minimum academic entry requirements may be considered on the basis of prior work or learning experience (RPEL). Candidates may be required to pass a qualifying examination set by the relevant department before being accepted to a Masters degree programme. Attendance at selected undergraduate lecture courses at NCAD, together with related written work may be prescribed. 

You may apply for the programme if you are currently completing your Undergraduate Degree. NCAD will review the rest of your application If necessary, we can make you a Conditional Offer. When your degree is completed and you send us final transcripts we will upgrade this to a Full Offer. 

Essential Supporting Documents

·       A statement framing your reasons for applying to the programme, i.e. how attending the above selected course will benefit you and your practice  (500 words)

·       A recent CV

·       Certified transcripts of previous programmes followed

·       Certified copies of degree/ certificates and/or other appropriate third level qualifications bearing the official stamp of the institution.

Document Description

When uploading documents please make sure you clearly label them using the Description Box like in the example below 

Applications are now Open for the September programme 

As part of a suite of programmes that make up the Creative Futures offer at NCAD, the Professional Diploma in Art and Ecology seeks to provide a scholarly framework for students who wish to study specific, connected aspects of creative disciplines and themes within a leading art and design college setting. 

Many aspects of the suite of programmes will be delivered in collaboration with partners from the Creative Sector and in addition, a number of programme sessions will have a public dimension, allowing us to invite other interested parties from the fields of contemporary creative practice and scholarship to join our conversations and creative activities.

Micro-Credentials Learner Fee Subsidy

The Professional Diploma course is eligible for €1760 funding through the Micro-Credentials Learner Fee Subsidy under the Human Capital Initiative, Pillar 3.  Check if you meet the criteria by clicking here.

Fees

Creative Futures Academy has been awarded a total of €315,640 from the Human Capital Initiative HCI Pillar 3 Micro-Credentials Subsidy funding. Subsidies will range from 50 - 80% of the total course costs for eligible learners.

This course is eligible for CFA subsidy funding. Full details can be found here. 

It is free to apply. 

CFA Scholarship Opportunity

 A Creative Futures Academy scholarship encourages the participation of learners from sections of society that are significantly under-represented in higher education by offering one free place on all CFA short courses. 

There will be one scholarship available for the Professional Certificate in Art and Ecology. 

The application form for Scholarships is available here. 

Applications open soon

Apply- 

Step 1: Click on Apply Now link below  | Step 2: Fill in your details

Step 3: Upload your Supporting Documents

·       You can also submit your application even before you upload the necessary documents. 

·       You can not add new documents after you have submitted. 

·       Additional documents can be sent to postgraduate@ncad.ie and we will upload them on your behalf. 

Step 4: Submit your application to NCAD

The coursework is intended to evolve and shift working and life practice across a wide range of professional, personal and educational contexts. As every level of society tries to integrate the UN Sustainable Development Goals into their everyday operations, and we move towards a Circular Economy the need to work creatively and responsively in an embedded and sustained location are critical and urgently needed skills

Progession Opportunities

Prof Cert in Art and Ecology (constituting the initial Creative Principles module of a greater, 20 credit award) can be followed on by successive modules in Creative Collaborations, Creative Practices and a Creative Capstone upon completion of which a Diploma is awarded. 

Creative Collaborations are due to start on the 9th of October and run over four successive weeks. 

Creative Practices and Creative Capstone will be delivered in Term 2 and Term 3. 

This diploma lays the foundation for further study at Masters and Phd level.

Programme Faculty

Seoidin O’Sullivan: osullivans@staff.ncad.ie

Seoidín O’Sullivan is a contemporary artist with a socially engaged practice who lectures in Art and Creative Ecologies and First Year Studies at National College of Art and Design. Her art projects are collaborative and focus on bringing people together in action to protect or develop an aspect of their Ecological Commons.

Seoidín works in the area of 'Critical Ecologies' connecting multidisciplinary teams and partnerships using creative participatory art methodologies to reveal, find solutions and work towards creating just multi-species futures and collective imaginaries at a time of climate crisis. Creative out-put includes drawings, installations, video, publications, walks and pedagogical exchange.

Recent exhibitions include  crex, crex, crex, looking at the migration of the corncrake connecting to her own biographical history growing up in Zambia  for EVA 2023. Holdings, a group exhibition at Solstice Arts Centre looked at the soil ecology and the quadrat to unpack how land is valued and measured. She was part of Mapping Green Dublin, a research project  and community mapping project that mapped the tree canopy of Dublin with UCD Geography and Common Ground.


Mark Clare: clarem@staff.ncad.ie
Gareth Kennedy

Admissions Contact 

Camille Rocca: postgraduate@ncad.ie

01 636 4200