21st Century Irish Craft (Exhibition now closed)

This exhibition is now closed

The origins of the National Museum of Ireland (NMI) date to the foundation of its forerunner the Dublin Science and Art Museum in 1877. At that time and up until the early twentieth century acquisition of contemporary applied arts, both national and international was an important aspect of collecting. This situation changed on Irish Independence in 1922, and from that decade on the collections policy of the museum turned almost exclusively to that of historical collecting of Irish decorative and applied arts.

Irish Contemporary Craft Collection

In recent years this situation has changed, and the NMI has again been in a position to acquire contemporary Irish material for the national collection. Outside of the National Museum’s own budget, there is a joint purchase fund with the Crafts Council of Ireland since 2004, which has significantly helped in establishing an Irish contemporary craft collection held at Collins Barracks.

A selection of objects acquired as a result of this fund are on display at the National Museum of Ireland – Decorative Arts & History, and include the best of Irish ceramics, glass, furniture, wood-turning, jewellery and metals.

2011, Year of Craft

This exhibition coincides with Ireland hosting the World Crafts Congress in Dublin Castle on 8th/9th June in 2011, designated as the 'Year of Craft' in Ireland.