Applications have opened for the position of art manager in order to coordinate the art installations around the creche area of campus that will begin at the end of November as part of the Art for Health initiative.
The new manager will collaborate with the children and staff of the nursery and playschool, student parents, staff parents, the wider student population and societies on campus to design the installations. They will also take part in their creation, such as painting or making art pieces. The installation project is set to be completed by early April.
Speaking to The University Times, Carly Bailey, second-year law and politics student and Student Parent Officer of Trinity College Dublin Students’ Union (TCDSU), said that the project “will communicate that there is a wider diversity on campus than we think”.
The art manager will develop themes with this group and be responsible for the designing of the installation, the sourcing of materials and the installation’s setup, while also overseeing the collaboration between the college community. Desired criteria for the position include experience in the early years sector or health education, but it is open to a wide range of people with a variety of experiences.
€3,950 in funding from the Higher Education Authority (HEA) fund has been allocated to the project following a motion passed at a meeting of TCDSU Council in April. The HEA fund was created after an incident in 2012 when the HEA fined Trinity for improper stipends for tutors and it can only be used for one-off costs.
Bailey explained that €2,200 from this fund will be allocated to the salary of a hired art manager. However, this allocation remains a suggestion, and TCDSU are open to changing the figure. A further €1,500 will be allocated as the budget for the installation itself, and the rest will be set aside for a contingency fund.
The project hopes to consist of bright, visually appealing installations, possibly including murals on the ground and walls along with other pieces aimed at highlighting that the area is safe and child-friendly. Bailey added that “this has the capacity to be a really cool thing”.
It is also hoped that the installations will encourage positive behaviour by making it more obvious that the space is frequently occupied by children. Bailey explained that negative behaviour has been noticed in the area, such as cigarette butts and broken glass, but that by simply making it obvious that children are in the area, the art should discourage this behaviour.
On July 1st, the area around the creche and the Health Centre become one of three smoke-free zones introduced on campus. The zones came as a result of concerns from students and staff about second-hand smoke, with a motion passed at a TCDSU council meeting in December 2015 to “support the introduction of smoke-free zones in identified problem areas on campus”.
On February 24th, the Tobacco Free Trinity Committee received approval from the College Board to create these zones, and the committee will be expected to report back to the Board on the status of these zones in September 2017. The area around the Sports Centre is also a smoke-free zone, as is the area from the Nassau St entrance into Trinity, through the Arts Block and to the end of Fellows’ Square.
