Village in the City: Collaborating on National Photographic Archive exhibitions

Elizabeth M Kirwan

Curator / ManagerNLI’s National Photographic Archive

CONUL 2016, 2nd June 2016, AthloneGoing Further Together: Collaboration in Irish Academic and Research Libraries

National Photographic Archive (NPA)

• Text

NPA leased from DCC by OPW

• Signed 1997 (expires 2035); opened 1998

• Document and preserve Ireland’s photographic heritage

• Develop, and make the collections available

• Provide for exhibitions, as practicable• Receptive to cooperative projects,

Temple Bar

35 year leas

e

NPA CollectionNPA collection NPA exhibitions

NLI’s photographic collection: 5.2m photos

1840s to present; the Irish experience

Irish photojournalism: ca 4.5m items

Most formats; most topics imaginable

Collection gaps

NPA Exhibitions

Free to visit

Physically, virtually, ‘travelling’

>65k annual ‘on foot’ gallery visitors

Mostly international visitors

Eur5m to local economy annually

New partnerships; new audiences; www.google.com/culturalinstitute/#!home

Recession, and reconsidering (N-1)

Closure of NPA, 2010-11

Budgetary deficits, reduced staff numbers• Increase focus on NPA

Donations • Development of existing

exhibitions partnerships• Explore new partnerships • Reconsider gallery use

NPA exhibition partnerships 2010-15DIT School of Photography

Grad Show

PhotoIreland Festival (2010-2013)

Gerry Andrews, and Hunt Museum (2014)

BeLongG To Youth Services (2014)

Cucuart / Pamela de Brí (2015)

Jeanette Lowe / DCC (2013)

Jeanette Lowe, Beach Boys

A proposal

NPA Reading Room

Jeanette Lowe PhotoIreland exhibition, The Flats

NPA exhibition proposal

Living Archive photo Donations

Dual location exhibition

The Gathering / Heritage Week / Culture Night

NPA matchPhotography,

Marketing, and Creative Digital

MediaThe Flats:

People’s Choice Award, 2012

Grandmother, Pearse House flats resident,

1930sNational Cultural

Institutions Committee,

Mansion House

Temple Bar Cultural Trust,

DCC

NPA, indirect contribution to local economy

Corporation green

Installation

Heritage grey

• Text

Living memory

Culture Night 2013

Official opening

8th August - 6th October 2013

Unique collaboration

NPA, DCC and Artist

17,019 ‘on foot’ NPA visitors

Boosting local pride

www.facebook.com/Pearsehouse

/

DCC dual location walking

tours

Supporting local

business

Reviews

Writing on the Wall

Moving beyond didacticism

Daring to dream, collaboratively, delivering

inclusiveness

Dynamic, experiential, connectedCollecting

beyond the

NPA/NLI.