Two important art launches: Triarc and Iris (Tuesday May 25 2004)

compiled by Susan Hunt

Launch of triarc (Trinity Irish Art Research Centre)

A symposium, Crossing Boundaries, took place in Trinity College, Dublin, to mark the official launch of Trinity's Irish Art Research Centre (triarc). Beginning with an introduction by Dr. Yvonne Scott, the director of the new Research Centre, the symposium continued throughout the day with talks given by a number of eminent individuals from the art-historical field. These included Prof. James Elkins of the Dept. of the History of Art, University College Cork, who spoke on the Globalisation of Art History, and Prof. Roger Stalley, Dept. of the History of Art, Trinity College Dublin (and the founder of the Irish Art Research Centre) who gave a talk on The Future of the Middle Ages. Others were Prof. Toby Barnard of the Dept. of Modern History, Hertford College,Oxford, Dr. Alyce Mahon, Dept. of the History of Art,Trinity College, Cambridge and Catherine Marshall, the Senior Curator of the Irish Museum of Modern Art.

Triarc was established in 2003 as a response to the substantial increase in interest in Irish art, at both a national and international level, which has taken place over the last hundred years and in particular the last number of decades. There is resultant need for highly qualified graduates, for a wide range of educational courses in this area of study, and for up-to-date research publications. Up until the introduction of this centre students were forced to travel to the US or Britain to study a specialised Irish-art course at undergraduate or postgraduate level. Now a broad variety of courses, which cover the themes of painting, sculpture, architecture and a number of other media dating from the Stone Age to the present day, are available in Ireland itself.

In addition to building on the existing expertise, facilities and courses of Trinity's own History of Art Department, triarc also holds the largest image archive of Irish art in the world. Currently formed from three main collections given to the centre when it was first established (the Crookshank-Glin archive, The Stalley archive and the Rae archive), the aim is to create a comprehensive collection of images which will in the future incorporate visuals from all areas and periods of Irish art. It is intended that the collection will eventually be widely available the web.

A programme of conferences and seminars covering a range of topics surrounding Irish art and architecture, which will include the presentation and discussion of current research in these areas, is also in the process of being developed and details on these will be available shortly.

More on triarc here.

New 'International Journal of the History of Art' announced

At the triarc symposium James. Elkins also announced the formation of a new International Journal of the History of Art which will be known as Iris. It will first apart in May 2005. According to the initial information sheet, Iris (pron. 'irrish' - the word is derived from the Irish 'iris leabhair', which translates as 'magazine') will be a showcase for material of a serious art-historical nature which makes reference to current directions in the art world and which deals with the importance of art-historical research for modern day society. Articles will focus not just on Irish art but on art in general.

Submissions are currently being requested for essays for the première issue. The topics which are specifically being encouraged include the exploration of art practices and discourses in different countries or responses to the development of art history. Articles which will be considered for publication can include the subjects of fine art, popular imagery and design. More information is available - or will be available - at www.imagehistory.org.

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For a full list of news items, click here.

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