TU Dublin Lecturers Showcase Innovative Art Education at PARADOX 2026
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Lecturers from TU Dublin School of Art and Design represented the university at the PARADOX European Fine Art Forum 2026, held March 31–April 1 at the National College of Art and Design (NCAD), Dublin. The 10th PARADOX conference brought together artists, educators, and researchers from across Europe and beyond to explore the role of art and Fine Art education in civic life, critical thinking, and sustainable futures.
TU Dublin’s Dr Aija Freimane and Benjamin Readman presented "Interdependent Landscapes: Co-Creating Myth Across European Art and Design Education," highlighting the Erasmus+ Blended Intensive Programme (BIP) Design & Cities 2025: Autumnal Myth. The project, a collaboration with Riga Technical University and Brno University of Technology, engaged students in exploring Irish autumnal mythology through printmaking, collaborative storytelling, and transnational artistic collaboration.
Lecturer Amy Walsh shared her dual perspective as a campaign activist with Termination for Medical Reasons (TFMR Ireland) and researcher-artist, critiquing the "outsider" gaze and advocating a methodology of "making with" that emphasised ethics of care and collaborative art-making in photography and video.
The PARADOX programme also included workshops, participatory sessions, and case studies covering art’s intersection with mental health, youth work, ecological practice, and community-building. Contributors explored multisensory and place-based learning, from fieldwork in Turku, Finland, to international residencies addressing environmental change.
Key institutions involved included NCAD, Turku University of Applied Sciences, Burren College of Art, and Arts University Bournemouth. PARADOX 2026 offered a dynamic platform for reflection, dialogue, and collaboration on the future of art education.