IMMA opens a dynamic new community space ‘The Matheson Creativity Hub in Memory of Tim Scanlon’

Today IMMA (Irish Museum of Modern Art) and Matheson LLP, are excited to announce the opening of a new community space created by Studio Makkink & Bey, The Matheson Creativity Hub in Memory of Tim Scanlon.  

Designed by internationally-renowned design practice, Studio Makkink & Bey, who were selected as the winning designers by a panel of judges in March 2023 after an invited architectural competition, the Matheson Creativity Hub at IMMA combines exceptional architecture and design to provide a welcoming and inclusive space that inspires creative engagement and fosters social connectivity for audiences of all ages. IMMA have been delighted to partner with Matheson to realise this new space. 

Michael Jackson, Managing Partner, Matheson, said: “We are proud to partner with IMMA to bring this innovative and inclusive space to life. The Matheson Creativity Hub is a tribute to Tim’s legacy and a symbol of our enduring partnership with the Museum, furthering our shared dedication to making a meaningful impact within our community. Delivered as part of the arts pillar of Matheson’s Impactful Business Programme, this project underlines our commitment to diversity and inclusion, and providing access to the arts for people of all ages and backgrounds. I would like to thank the volunteers of Matheson’s Arts Committee and the team at IMMA who gave their time and expertise to this initiative, as well as the designers, Studio Makkink & Bey, for creating a welcoming and engaging new space. We hope that the Matheson Creativity Hub will empower individuals of all walks of life to access and participate in the arts.” 

Sheena Barrett, Head of Research & Learning, IMMA said: “The Matheson Creativity Hub in Memory of Tim Scanlon is an exciting new addition to IMMA and supports our vision, to be the most dynamic and welcoming cultural destination in Ireland. At IMMA, we believe in the power of artistic practice to imagine and shape a different world—a world where every voice is heard, where communities thrive, and where unexpected experiences spark inspiration and change. The Matheson Creativity Hub in Memory of Tim Scanlon provides a bespoke space to drop-in, draw, make and enjoy taking time to invest in your creative self. Through a mixture of programmed events, workshops, performances and more casual drop-in times, these new spaces are inviting and radically public. Studio Makkink & Bey have designed the space to be flexible to accommodate our family Explorer and Schools programmes for families and children, our IMMA Horizons programmes for the lifelong curious, reading groups and seminars, silent disco drawing workshops, performances and more while also being open to visitors who’d like to spend some time delving into the boxes of art materials on offer to create responses to the exhibitions they’ve seen. The space is both playful and luxurious and invites visitors to spend time, be curious and explore their own creativity and foster imaginations.”  

Commenting on the new space, Studio Makkink & Bey said: “The design of the Matheson Creativity Hub provides endless possibilities to host diverse activities for an inclusive community. It acts as a place to inspire and be inspired by, while providing attributes to activate participation around modern art and artistic expression. Here, visitors indulge in experiencing the embodiment of diverse artistic practices. With and without programming, the space offers a soft invitation to participate.”  

Makkink & Bey is an internationally renowned design practice with over  20 years of experience in the spatial and artistic field. At the heart lies their  methodology to oversee the greater landscape of a project, reaching from social  and historical to material and environmental aspects.

Matheson has made a significant contribution to the cultural landscape in Ireland and has worked with IMMA since 2015, supporting over 50 artists through new commissions and major international exhibitions. Both partnerships – New Art at IMMA (2015 – 2018) and Irish Art at IMMA (2018 – 2019) were championed by Tim Scanlon (1965 -2020). As former Chairperson of Matheson and IMMA Board Member (2016 – 2020),Tim was an important influence on IMMA’s thinking. Tim encouraged progressive programming and change-making conversations that placed community engagement and inclusivity at the heart of the Museum’s activities.          

– ENDS – 

Contact: For further information and images please contact
Monica Cullinane, IMMA, E: [email protected]
Patrice Molloy, IMMA, E: [email protected]
Heather Yates, Matheson LLP, E: [email protected]
David Kinch, MKC Communications, E: [email protected]   

Additional Notes for Editors 

About Matheson 

– Matheson’s clients include the majority of the Fortune 100 companies and it advises 7 of the top 10 global technology brands, 7 of the world’s 10 largest asset managers, and over half of the world’s 50 largest banks.

-Matheson is headquartered in Dublin and also has offices in Cork, London, New York, San Francisco and Palo Alto.  The firm employs over 860 people across its six offices, including 122 partners and tax principals, and over 560 legal, tax and digital services professionals.

-Matheson was named Ireland Transfer Pricing Firm of the Year at the International Tax Review (ITR) EMEA Tax Awards 2023 in September 2023.

-In September 2023, Matheson was awarded the Best Energy Achievement in Financial & Professional Services award at the Business Energy Achievement Awards 2023.  Partner, Garret Farrelly received the Energy Leader Award, which recognises and honours outstanding leaders, at the same event.

-Also in September 2023, Matheson’s collaborative initiative to support Ukrainian refugees won the Partnership with Charity / Volunteering award at the Chambers Ireland Sustainable Business Awards 2023.

-Matheson won the Pro Bono: Outstanding Firm award at the Chambers Europe Awards 2023 in Milan in May 2023.

-Also in May 2023, Matheson was named Irish Firm of the Year at the IFLR Europe Awards.

-In April 2023, the firm was awarded the Net Zero Carbon Award at the Business & Finance ESG Awards 2023 for our innovative energy tracking app, CarbonCal.

-Also in April 2023, Matheson was awarded the Sustainability in Early Talent Recruitment Award and the Highly Commended Award in the Diversity Recruitment Award category at the gradIreland Graduate Recruitment Awards 2023.

-In February 2023 Matheson was ranked as Ireland’s Leading Funds Practice by assets under management for the twelfth consecutive year by the Monterey Insight Ireland Fund Report.

-Matheson was named Diversity and Inclusion Law Firm of the Year at the Irish Law Awards 2021 and 2022.  In November 2023, the firm’s female / male partner gender ratio was ranked the sixth most gender-diverse in Europe by The Lawyer in its European 100 report 2023.

-In 2019, Matheson became the first organisation in Ireland to receive the Investors in Diversity Gold Standard Award from the Irish Centre for Diversity in recognition of the firm’s development and implementation of a series of people-focussed D&I initiatives.  In March 2022, Matheson succeeded in retaining the Gold Standard.  Matheson is the only law firm in Ireland to achieve the Gold Standard.

-In 2021 Matheson became one of the first Irish law firms to establish a dedicated cross-sectoral and partner-led Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) Advisory Group which assists companies in navigating and responding to the rapidly evolving ESG landscape.  Matheson clients have access to an online ESG resource hub of knowledge and insights.

-In 2020, Matheson became the first Irish-headquartered law firm to sign up to the Mindful Business Charter, a collaboration between financial services businesses and law firms in Ireland and the UK promoting healthy and effective ways of working.  In 2021, Matheson became a signatory to the Law Society of Ireland’s Professional Wellbeing Charter, which champions behaviours, skills and practices to promote and enable professional wellbeing in the workplace.

About IMMA
Founded in 1991, IMMA is Ireland’s National Cultural Institution for Modern and Contemporary Art located in the Royal Hospital Kilmainham. Its vibrant, bold, and diverse programme comprises exhibitions, commissions and event-based projects by leading Irish and international artists, as well as a rich engagement and learning programme which together provides audiences of all ages the opportunity to connect with contemporary art and unlock their creativity. IMMA is also the home of the National Collection of Modern and Contemporary Art of nearly 4,000 artworks by Irish and international artists. IMMA makes this national resource available through exhibitions at IMMA and other venues nationally and internationally, engagement and learning programmes and digital resources. 

About Studio Makkink & Bey
Studio Makkink & Bey is led by designer-architect Rianne Makkink and designer Jurgen Bey. The studio works in various domains of applied art and includes public space projects, product design, architecture, exhibition design and applied arts. Supported by a design team, they have been operating their design practice since 2002. 

The ambition of Studio Makkink & Bey is to see the role of the designer expanded to the most strategic function possible. To this end, their design team includes professionals from many different fields of knowledge; forming alliances with other designers, architects and experts. Their past projects include work with the Theatre Kunstmin 2014, the Rotterdam 2015, and their self-initiated project, the WaterSchool. studiomakkinkbey.nl