Working with a professional artist
Tipperary Artist in Primary School Scheme
The Arts Office of Tipperary County Council celebrates 25 years of the Artist in Primary School scheme with a presentation by Cathaoirleach of Tipperary County Council Cllr John Carroll at Boher National School.
The Artist in Primary School Scheme aims to give pupils in schools all over the county the opportunity to work with a professional artist. The school and artist get together to develop a one-off unique project, encouraging creativity and artistic innovation between artist, teachers and children. Pioneering the Artist in Primary School Scheme in Ireland for over 25 years the Tipperary Arts Office has coordinated an impressive 216 artistic projects between artists and primary schools, engaging with thousands of children to date.
The scheme is open to applications from all primary schools in Tipperary and invites projects in all art forms i.e. visual arts, music, drama, dance, literature, film, photography, architecture and new media. Furthermore, schools in the Decarbonising Zone were invited in recent years to develop specific projects that celebrate their natural surroundings in support of sustainable rural development in Tipperary.
Through a variety of art projects, pupils in primary schools are introduced to new art forms and develop key skills and competencies that include collaboration, critical thinking and problem-solving. Often, the new creations form the basis of a school exhibition or performance for (grand)parents, family and the community to enjoy. At the same time, the scheme supports Tipperary’s professional artists with opportunities to work locally in an educational setting.
To mark the 25th year of the scheme and celebrate the arts in schools, Cathaoirleach of Tipperary County Council, Cllr John Carroll, presented Boher NS with a certificate of participation. The cathaoirleach welcomed this “new element of the scheme which recognises the school’s work and commitment to the development of creativity and the arts in their school”. The beautiful certificate was designed by Tipperary artist Sophie Quin and will be presented to all participating schools.
Applications for the Artist in Primary School scheme 2026 will be published by the end of December on the website of the Tipperary County Council’s Arts Office: www.tipperarycoco.ie/arts-and-culture.
Brian McKeogh of Boher NS said: “If any other school would ask me if it is worth applying for, I would say 100%.”
Schools and artists are encouraged to already think about a project, find a school or artist to work with via www.tipperaryarts.ie (artist category ‘Arts in Education’) and prepare for a funding application.