National Museum of Ireland’s Geologist, Patrick Roycroft, Collaborates with artist Kathryn Maguire on ‘Material Acts’ Exhibition

The natural history collections of the National Museum of Ireland are available for artists as well as scientists.
Artistic collaborations are most welcome, and staff enjoy working with all types of artists.

Over the course of a year, geology curator Patrick Roycroft has been facilitating access to the geology collections for, and having many discussions with, artist Kathryn Maguire (https://www.kathrynmaguire.net/ ), who produces photographs, sculptures, and installations on such themes as renewable energy, the circular economy, while at the same time exploring the cultural (ritual and even magical) aspects of Ireland’s mineral heritage and its landscapes.

Kathryn’s exhibition ‘Material Acts’ (https://pallasprojects.org/projects/kathryn-maguire-material-acts1 ) appeared at Pallas Studios (Dublin) during September 2025 and one of the featured events was Patrick Roycroft giving a talk on Culture Night based on ‘Material Acts’ while further exploring the conceptual aspects inherent in the talk’s title “Rare Earth – An Exploration of Ireland’s Minerals”.