Education Programmes - Photo Museum Ireland

Education Programmes – Discover, Learn and Engage

We offer opportunities for everyone to engage with great photography, connecting artists with diverse audiences to consider the role of photography in society.

Our Education programmes offer a broad range of free activities, from exhibition tours, printed and online resources, talks, workshops, events and awards to community-based workshops and in-depth artist-led projects. Learning from those who take part directly informs the development of new programmes.

We work with artists and organisations across all our programmes to build and share knowledge with wide and diverse audiences individuals and communities.

You can access our programmes in our galleries, and online through our education resources and online photography collection.

Photo Museum Ireland has developed an ambitious 3-year Education programme. Year 1 of this programme is supported by the Heritage Council of Ireland

Darkroom Tutorials for School Groups

Step into the fascinating world of analog photography with our engaging Darkroom Tutorials for school groups! These hands-on sessions provide students with a unique opportunity to explore the art and science of traditional photo development, guided by our skilled Darkroom & Education Manager, Darragh Shanahan.

How It Works:

Due to the intimate nature of our darkroom, groups are divided into smaller sets of 4 students per session. While one group works in the darkroom, others can explore our current exhibition for inspiration.
Students will learn essential darkroom techniques, including developing negatives, creating prints, and understanding the magic of light and chemistry.

What You Need to Know:

Materials Fee: €10 per student, covering the cost of chemicals and photographic paper.
Preparation: We can discuss in advance what to bring—such as negatives or prints—to make the session as personalised as possible.
Expert Guidance: Darragh Shanahan will ensure each student gets hands-on experience and a deep understanding of the process.

For further details or to tailor the workshop to your group’s needs, reach out to Darragh at darragh@photomuseumireland.ie. Let’s make your visit an unforgettable creative experience!

Programmes & Resources for Children & Young People

Our education programmes offering a range of activities for children and young people and include:

Free exhibitions with accessible texts for self-guided tours.
Education and accessible resources for each exhibition, co-designed with input from our Student Council are available in-house and online.
Free tours and artist-led talks for each exhibition.
Regular public talks by leading photo experts.
Artist-led workshops for young people and children’s summer camps

Building Access for All

Our new accessibility initiatives offer more opportunities people to engage with our programmes and include:

Quiet hours are specifically designed to welcome people who will benefit from a quieter visit environment, including people with an Autism Spectrum Condition, sensory and communication disorders, or a learning disability.
Online Sensory Maps and communication cards.
in-house Sensory Borrow Bags and
Advice on ‘quiet times’ for visiting
Hearing Loop in reception
Blind and low vision visitors can borrow visual aids at the front desk. We offer Carson Magnifiers and an Opcticron Gallery scope: We also offer large font downloadable exhibition guides.

PMI Student Council

Our 2024 Student Council convened for a week-long intensive workshop led by our Education Curator and Education facilitator. The Council members read-tested our exhibition Education Resources. Learning were incorporated into the re-design of our new online and in-house resources.

PMI X Fighting Words Young People Project

Photo Museum Ireland and Fighting Words are excited to announce a dynamic series of youth workshops designed to ignite creativity and foster community engagement among young creatives. These workshops, running on selected Saturdays from July to September 2024, will be presented as a series of four online sessions, led by Photo Museum Ireland’s Education Team.

Get Connected - join our Education database

To receive updates on new exhibitions, talks, tours and events our to contribute to our Education advisory panel click here.

Young Photographer of the Year Awards

The Young Photographer of the Year Awards programme is a highlight of our education programme. This annual event includes both online and in-person workshops, encouraging young photographers to develop their skills and creativity. Finalists are part of a professionally produced exhibition at Photo Museum Ireland and a public art installation at Carrickmines.

Outreach & Artist-in-the Community Projects

Our artist-led community engagement projects in 2024 include:

‘Points of Encounter ‘ year long project with women from Latin America led by Silvina Sisterna & The Nepantla Collective
Artist-in -the-Community x Dublin City Council commission: Baryalai Khoshhal’s ‘Citizens of Dublin – Portrait of a City’ exploring experiences of diverse citizens through photography – exhibition touring to DCC offices.
Hands-on Outreach workshops for people with intellectual disability developed by DEI specialist Darragh Shanahan and delivered on-site with DEI groups.
Shared Histories artist-led project with border communities.
Regular Culture Club events and talks

PMI After Hours Club

PMI After Hours Club is a new after-hours platform for creatives to meet and share art and ideas

Event 1: After Houses x Lesbian Art Circle – Thursday 27 June from 19.00 – 21.00.
To celebrate Pride month Lesbian Art Circle hosted a night at the museum. Lesbian Art Circle is an interdisciplinary publication and event, with a focus on showcasing the work of queer women and marginalised genders. This evening gave attendees the opportunity to hear from a curated line up of talented queer photographers and filmmakers. Hosted by Meredith Davis and Ava Chapman, guests will hear from Jilly McGrath, Eleanor Rogers, Donal Talbot, Sydney McCourt, and Anna Heisterkamp.

Courses and Workshops

Our wide range of artist-led part-time evening and weekend courses and workshops are perfect for anyone wanting to improve their photography skills. Ranging from short courses through to 4-week night classes our courses can take you to the next level.