Stories of Art:
Selected works from the UCC Art Collection
Aideen Barry, Katherine Beug, Kathi Burke, Joe Caslin, Carol Anne Connolly, Barrie Cooke, Colin Crotty, Cecilia Danell, Peter Donnelly, Stephen Doyle, Brian Fay, Deirdre Frost, Martin Gale, Joy Gerrard, Roisín Hahessy, Sean Hanrahan, Chris Haughton, Patrick Hennessy, Elaine Hoey, Chris Judge, Mark Kent, Roseanne Lynch, Alice Maher, Samir Mahmood, Colin Martin, Julie Merriman, Dara McGrath, Leanne McDonagh, Suzanne Mooney, Mary Murphy, Peter Nash, Sarah O’Brien, Shane O’Driscoll, Emma O’Hara, Tony O’Malley, Inma Pavon, Richard Proffitt, Ciara Roche, Niamh Sharkey, S.H.E.W., Sonia Shiel, Rajinder Singh, Padraig Spillane, Amelia Stein
The University College Cork art collection emerged out of an initiative in 1975 to secure some examples of modern Irish art for display in university buildings. The selection of works was guided by Dr. James White, Director of the National Gallery at the time. In 1985, UCC’s Governing Body formally established a Visual Arts Committee to provide greater access to the visual arts and the collection was developed in a more formal way.
The opening of a dedicated university art gallery in 2004 brought further curatorial focus to the ways in which visual art was acquired and presented on campus. In 2013, the Glucksman was the first art museum in Munster to achieve full accreditation on the Museum Standards Programme for Ireland which recognises the professional care of collections in Irish museums and galleries.
As the Glucksman celebrates its 20th anniversary in October 2024, the selection of works in this exhibition invites you to consider the diversity of Irish art practice that exists in the UCC Art Collection from some of the earliest accessioned works to the most recent acquisitions.
A range of displays in the exhibition feature artworks that have been acquired through our project commissions. The Glucksman regularly partners with artists, academics and communities to enable the creation of new contemporary artworks. Sometimes the original projects are site-specific presentations situated beyond the museum walls, sometimes they are community commissions that reflect the lived experience of the participants.
The project displays highlight the pioneering methodologies developed by the Glucksman. We hope this will give viewers some insight into the imaginative co-creation that informs our commissioning process and our responsibility as a civic institution to explore societal issues, reflect diverse stories and empower through art.
Stories of Art is supported by The Arts Council Ireland, University College Cork and private philanthropy through Cork University Foundation.
