Meeting point: Main Reception
Free, booking required. Book here

Join us for a workshop in mapping in response to different artworks and the historic landscape within the IMMA site through drawing and walking.    

This workshop will be facilitated by Barry Kehoe and Aidan O’Sullivan from IMMA’s Visitor Engagement Team, who will focus on artworks currently on display in IMMA that use mapping techniques in their execution and will engage with the mapping of the site of IMMA through the centuries.   

As part of the workshop will be held outdoors, appropriate dress and footwear is advised.   

All levels of creative experience are welcome. Places for this workshop are free but limited.  All materials provided.   

Location: Matheson Creativity Hub
Free, booking required. Book here.

Inspired by the exhibitions Art As Agency and Sam Gilliam: Sewing Fields, this three-day workshop invites participants to engage with an expanded approach to painting through hands-on processes, critical reflection, and collaborative discussion.  

Facilitated by artists Eleanor McCaughey and Domnick Sorace, The workshop will begin with an exploration of selected works from IMMA’s current exhibitions. Participants will examine key visual elements such as composition, line, tone, silhouette, spatial relationships, and colour palette. Through the processes of reappropriation, interpretation, and experimentation, participants will be encouraged to develop their own visual language using paper and paint.  

In the second and third sessions, participants will build upon their two-dimensional works, extracting and translating visual elements into three-dimensional forms. These sculptural pieces will be created using plaster and other materials, offering a dynamic expansion of the initial painting practice. 

This workshop is open to participants of all levels of creative experience. Attendance is free, but places are limited and must be reserved in advance. Please Note: This is a hands-on workshop and materials may be messy. Participants are advised to wear protective clothing (e.g, an apron) and to bring a camera phone to document their process. 

Location: Studio 10 and IMMA grounds
Free, booking required. Book here.

An introduction to how tuning in to nature can help us design productive urban spaces. 

Through attention and observation, we will discover natural patterns and the principles of Permaculture and begin to creatively apply these around the IMMA campus/grounds. 

This workshop is a focused introduction to designing for small urban spaces outdoors – small gardens, urban corners, balconies and tiny plots and pots – using a Permaculture approach.  

Permaculture is a design process used to design human habitats that produce food, medicine, materials, and energy, and contribute to biodiversity, water, soil and air quality. It is rooted in observation of natural systems and three ethics of: Earth care, People care and Fairshare 

Biography:
Hannah Mole is a Permaculture design consultant and educator based in County Roscommon. Hannah designs and teaches in community projects, for private individuals and public organisations. Her teaching style is experimental, practical and always in relationship with the surrounding landscape. More details.

Location: People’s Pavillion
Free, drop in.

Sarau Sessions is a live gathering rooted in the desire to share the raw, unfolding journey of artistic creation. Since 2022, it has connected transcultural multidisciplinary artists who live and make art in transit. Set in a cozy atmosphere, the event invites audiences into a space of open process, spontaneous exchange, and living dialogue — where the act of making is as vital as the finished artwork.

Workshop: 11-12.30pm
Tour of The Model Plot: 12:30- 1:30pm
Location: Studio 10 and Garden Terrace
Free, booking required. Book here

Seed Sovereignty and Seasonal Eating

This workshop examines seed sovereignty as a framework for ecological resilience, food justice and urban sustainability. Focusing on heritage seeds and seasonal foodways – the cultural practises tied to growing, preparing and eating food in rhythm with the seasons – we’ll explore how seed saving offers practical, accessible methods for plant reproduction beyond industrial systems, while supporting autonomy, biodiversity and a more regenerative future. 

The workshop is facilitated by Jean Walker and will be followed by a tour of “The Model Plot” a participatory artwork by Deirdre O Mahony located in the grounds of IMMA, where participants will have the chance to engage directly with the piece, becoming active contributors rather than passive viewers 

Biography:
Jean Wallace is a Horticulturist and educator whose work is grounded in organic growing, community and ecological care. Based in Dublin 8 she teaches Horticulture with the City of Dublin ETB advocating for regenerative methods that reconnect people to place and promote more just and resilient social and environmental ecologies.

Join us at three special edition IMMA Explorer, where three artists participating in the Engagement Hub: Art in Action programme will deliver their workshops for families.  

Location: Matheson Creativity Hub
Drop-in, no booking required.

IMMA’s Flower Garden – Sun 27 July
Workshop by Scheider Gwei
Join us for this fibre arts programme designed for children aged 4–13, hosted in the inspiring environment of IMMA and the flowers found in the Grounds and the Formal Gardens. Drawing on crochet as a contemporary medium, children will explore texture, shape, colour, and pattern by designing and crocheting floral-inspired fibre sculptures. 

Kith & Kin The Quilts of Gee’s Bend – Sun 10 August
Workshop by Clodagh Boyce
In this workshop, participants will learn about the work of Gee’s Bend, explore their identity and heritage, within their relationship with their accompanying adult(s). They will use collage and assemblage with recycled fabrics to create a mini quilt exemplifying how identity is formed through community making. Join us as we explore questions such as how can we be resourceful and build something beautiful that resembles where we come from and who we are as a community? 

This programme is a partnership between Superprojects, Angelica Network and us, to empower racialised and ethnic diverse artists to participate in arts education for children and young people. The programme is funded through the Ireland against Racism Fund 2024 by the Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth.

Location: Studio 10 and IMMA grounds
Free, booking required. Book here.

Urban foraging is about identifying edible and medicinal plants in urban settings. In this session we will learn about the benefits of wild plants and their contribution to biodiversity.  

You will also be introduced to new, nutritious flavours you can add to your diet while learning about our deep connection and heritage to our surrounding ecologies including traditional medicinal and herbal remedies that can be made with local, wild plants.  

We will discuss important issues like why we should reduce reliance on pesticides and what action we can take to enhance our local environment. 

The session aims to give you an engaging, fun and informative insight into wild plants and how to foster a deeper connection between people and the surrounding environment 

Jean Wallace, founder of Green Goes Wild is a Horticulturist, educator and passionate advocate for sustainable living and biodiversity – whose work is grounded in organic growing, community and ecological care. She has a life-time connection with the natural world and the continual wisdom and insights it brings, and she loves to share these with anyone who will listen!  

Based in Dublin 8 she also teaches Horticulture with the City of Dublin ETB advocating for regenerative methods that reconnect people to place and promote more just and resilient social and environmental ecologies. 

Location: Studio 10
Free, booking required. Book here.

Artist Brigid McClean will facilitate a two-hour workshop on the art of Shibori dyeing. Shibori is a Japanese resist dyeing process practiced in Japan since the Edo period (1603-1868). 

In this workshop participants will be introduced to traditional Japanese Shibori techniques and make their own unique pieces of shibori. The techniques involve different methods of binding, stitching, twisting, folding and clamping fabric to create unique patterns. 

Shibori is known as a resist dyeing method. When the prepared stitched, clamped or folded fabric is dipped into your indigo vat, the covered hidden areas will not receive the dye. The beautiful pattern appears when you remove the fabric from the vat and open the ties. 

Bring an apron or old shirt to protect your clothes. 

Location: Studio 8
Free, booking required. Book here.

In this workshop participants will delve into the zine archive of artist Sarah Bracken Soper, who will then guide them through the history of the zine as an object and its many themes and subcultures. Participants will create a collaborative zine exploring the theme of feminism in Ireland, using monoprint and bookbinding techniques learned during the workshop. 

Biography:
Sarah Bracken Soper is a multidisciplinary visual artist, her work explores themes of feminism, Irish identity and social justice. Bracken is best know for her large scale mural work and her embroidered portraits of influential Irish women. Bracken has been making zines since 2006, it is a medium she is always passionate about and one she always returns to. She was the founder and organiser of the Dublin Zine Fair and loves exploring the format of the zine and how it can enhance the experience of the object and reinforce the subject matter.  

Location: House Galleries
Free, booking required. Book here.

“Poetry is a special mode of thinking – to be precise, a mode of thinking in images.” 
– Viktor Shklovsky ‘Art as Device’ (1929)

Join visual artist and researcher Renata Pękowska for this drawing-to-poetry session for adults which aims to explore Viktor Shklovsky’s concept of poetry as a mode of thinking in images, and to engage with poems through generating visual responses. The session aims to generate unexpected understandings arising through non-verbal responses to poems, which in turn may lead to emergent linguistic experimentations.

Please choose and bring with you your own poem or a poem you love, to read out to others who will respond by drawing in an illustrative, expressive, mood descriptive or impressionistic way. The session will be led with prompts and suggestions for drawing.

Special thanks to Poetry Ireland for funding this event as part of their Partnership Scheme. 1 hour event, suitable for all levels, no skills or previous experience necessary. Drawing materials will be provided. Participants are asked to bring with them a poem and read it to others during the session. 

Meeting Point: Main Reception
Free, drop in. More details here.

Over the school holidays, make a family visit to IMMA and enjoy some creative time during the summer break. Children and grown-ups can enjoy artworks in the galleries and participate together in an art workshop led by our Visitor Engagement Team.

Location: Studio 10
Free, booking required. Book here.

Artist Brigid McClean will facilitate a two-hour workshop on creating oak gall ink, bringing participants on a journey back in time to explore the origins and early uses of the ink. Due to its permanence and water resistance, it was widely used in manuscripts, including the Book of Kells, the Magna Carta, and by Leonardo da Vinci to make his drawings. 

Oak galls are found in oak trees, where tiny gall wasps lay their eggs in the tree buds. The gall forms around them for protection and nourishment. It’s the high levels of tannins in the gall that makes it perfect for ink making. 

In this workshop you will be guided through the process of making your own oak gall ink. 

Brigid will also demonstrate how to create ink from other tannin rich elements found in nature. A variety of papers and beautiful drawing implements fashioned from found objects, will be provided for you to try out your ink. 

Bring an apron or old shirt to protect your clothes. 

Location: Matheson Creativity Hub
Free, All welcome, Drop In

Visit IMMA on Sunday afternoons and enjoy some creative time with your family. Based on artworks from IMMA’s exhibitions, families can discover their inner artist while having fun and creating amazing masterpieces. Led by our Visitor Engagement Team, this is a wonderful family experience. Art materials are provided by IMMA.

These workshops will take place in our Project Spaces. Upon arrival, please ask a member of our staff at reception in the Main Building for directions to the workshop.

Our Explorer at Home activities are also available for you to discover, there are lots of creative activities for families to do at home.

To get the latest updates about any upcoming Explorer events, follow our social media channels and join our mailing list for families.