Spreag by Deirdre Frost, 2022

In June 2022, 13 DCU staff were brought together via an open call and nomination process to work collaboratively to acquire a new artwork for the DCU Art Collection. Participants represented the five faculties and five units across the University including; the library, HR, Communications, Finance and Estates. This project sought to provide participants with acquisition knowledge and curatorial tools to facilitate an informed choice of new work. Discussion focused on individual taste and public audiences, as well as the acquisition considerations and practicalities of choosing work for a permanent collection.

Facilitator and artist Helen Barry engaged to introduce the group to artworks in the collection through Visual Thinking Strategies, a facilitation method to creative inclusive conversations, to build confidence in speaking about art and to support critical thinking. The group visited different types of art exhibitions, galleries and went behind the scenes to visit professional artists’ studios to learn about diverse artistic practices.

Over a period of 10 weeks, the group explored the work of an exciting range of artists and visited a series of gallery locations including; IMMA, the Hugh Lane Gallery, the RHA, the Temple Bar Gallery and Hang Tough Gallery.

The group also met with the Ben Mulligan, Manager of the Arts Council Collection; Jacquie Moore, Head of Art Management at the Office of Public Works and Adam Stoneman, a Researcher on the SPICE Project at IMMA to learn about various collections and their acquisition policies. 

While considering the suitability of Deirdre’s work for this brief, the following terms were expressed by the group as part of the discussion; uplifting, potential, future, an open narrative, growth, urban/rural, youth and open to interpretation. Deirdre’s considerations of the built environment, the local co-existing in a rich biodiverse world especially appealed. The scope, vibrancy and challenges present in her previous artworks including (but not limited to) Crosaire na mBocht, Cézanne’s Doubt, Comhluadar, Cúl an Tí, and Baile, we feel would make for a wonderful pairing.

The artwork entitled Spreag was installed in DCU's main reception, on Glasnevin campus.

The buildings in this work were chosen from across the three campuses of Dublin City University - Glasnevin, St Patrick’s, and All Hallows, with consideration being given to their use by people from across the spectrum of the university’s many areas of study. The selected buildings form the basis of this artwork, and they are treated in a playful manner, brought back to their essential shapes and opened up, reminiscent of architectural models.  This chosen treatment is intended to highlight the fact that they are man-made conceptions, and it is intended that the viewer be put in the creative mind of the designer, empowered to have a view that they themselves can manipulate these staged model-like buildings, and what happens within. 

The formal structure of the buildings echo the formal structure of coursework in academia, yet this structure functions as a framework, or stage-set,  ready for action, enabling a variety of new connections, unexpected discoveries, and narratives to unfold within this. Glimpses within the buildings show lush growth and greenery bursting through in places, exploratory vines, the tree-lined sports grounds which are as equally enjoyed by members of the public as university members, and vibrant artichokes thriving in the foreground, a nod to the farming past of the university, and it’s care of the all that grows.