Education and Community > WHAT IS_? Programme

WHAT IS_? Programme

WHAT IS_? is an information programme comprising talks, information booklets and web resources. The purpose of this programme is to introduce key concepts and themes in contemporary art to the general public. Series 1 comprises seven topics supported by a talk, booklet and resource material available to download

An additional series focusing on the ‘Materials & Methodologies’ of modern and contemporary art is being developed to complement Series 1 and to provide supplementary information to IMMA’s collections and exhibitions programmes. What is Photography? is the first in this series of ‘Materials and Methodologies’.

Previous talks in the series and booklets to download

To download the booklets from the talks series please click on the following links:

What is Modern Art and What is Contemporary Art? November 2009
Francis Halsall and Declan Long, Department of Visual Culture, National College of Art and Design.
What is Modern and Contemporary Art? (Adobe Acrobat Reader 6.0 pdf - 455KB)
Please note new booklet will be available to download next week.

What is Conceptual Art? November 2009
Mick Wilson, Dean of the Graduate School of Creative Arts and Media (GradCAM)
What is Conceptual Art? (Adobe Acrobat Reader 6.0 pdf - 483KB)

What is (New) Media Art? January 2010
Maeve Connolly, Department of Film and Media, Dun Laoghaire Institute of Art, Design and Technology.
What is (New) Media Art? (Adobe Acrobat Reader 6.0 pdf - 440KB)

What is Participatory and Relational Art? April 2010
Brian Hand, artist, writer and lecturer
 What is Participatory and Relational Art? (Adobe Acrobat Reader 6.0 pdf - 525KB)

What is Installation Art? June 2010
Niamh Ann Kelly, lecturer, Dublin Institute of Technology.
What is Installation Art? (Adobe Acrobat Reader 6.0 pdf - 401KB)

What is Public Art? December 2010
Clíodhna Shaffrey, curator and writer.
What is Public Art? (Adobe Acrobat Reader 6.0 pdf - 584KB)

What is Performance Art? Saturday 1 October 2011
Amanda Coogan, artist and PhD Student, University of Ulster and GradCAM.
What is Performance Art? (Adobe Acrobat Reader 6.0 pdf - 614KB)

What is_ New?
What is Modern and Contemporary Art? at the Highlanes Gallery, Drogheda
In association with the Irish Museum of Modern Art, the Highlanes Gallery hosted a talk by Francis Halsall and Declan Long on modern and contemporary art on Saturday 29 January 2011 at 12:00noon.

Materials and Methodologies

What is Photography? Saturday 23 July 2011
Fiona Loughnane, art historian and lecturer
What is Photography? (Adobe Acrobat Reader 9.3pdf - 677KB)

Glossary of Art Terms 
The following are a select number of terms relating to the subjects of Modern and Contemporary Art. This glossary is not comprehensive or exhaustive and is intended to be informative rather than definitive.
 Glossary (107KB)

For further information, please contact Lisa Moran, Curator: Education and Community Programmes, Tel: 01-612 9912, Email lisa.moran@imma.ie or Sophie Byrne, Assistant Curator: Talks and Lectures Programme, Tel: 01-612 9914, Email: sophie.byrne@imma.ie