About NIVAL
How does an artist succeed in growing their career? How has the funding landscape changed over time? How was a particular artist’s first exhibition received, or how did they make the artwork to begin with? How will you be remembered as an artist?
The National Irish Visual Arts Library (NIVAL) was formally established in 1997 as a partnership project between the National College of Art & Design (Coláiste Náisiúnta Ealaíne is Deartha) in Dublin and the Arts Council of Ireland (An Chomhairle Ealaíon). With these key funding sources, we collect these stories of the development of art across the whole island of Ireland from 1900 to the present.
Pioneered by its founder, Edward Murphy, NIVAL collects, stores and makes accessible for research an unparalleled collection of material about Irish art in all media. It has become the foremost centre for the documentation of contemporary art and design in Ireland, providing access to over 150 special collections and archives and thousands of files, and facilitating more than 1,500 research queries each year.
NIVAL’s collection policy includes Irish visual art and design from the whole island as well as Irish art abroad and non-Irish artists and designers working in Ireland. Information is also acquired on galleries, arts organisations, institutions and other related subjects. We actively collect documentary material in all formats including books, artists’ books, catalogues, videos, slides, artists’ papers and ephemera in print and digital format and any material that gives insight into the development of art practice in Ireland. Much of the material, amassed over the last three decades, is unavailable elsewhere.
NIVAL works to the benefit of artists by providing a secure and permanent place for the deposit of visual and textual information related to their work. We serve a wide range of researchers at every level of inquiry including authors of books and articles, creative practitioners, curators, scholars and students, as well as the general public interested in current, historical or biographical information on the visual arts in Ireland.
We are open to the public with free access to all of our materials. NIVAL is for you, whoever you are – there is something here for everyone, and we hope you come by.
Our Mission
NIVAL is the internationally recognised and trusted custodian of Ireland’s record of art and design from 1900 to the present day. NIVAL sustains its collections through active collaboration with artists, designers and cultural organisations. NIVAL is committed to making our collections accessible to everyone for exploration, education and research.
Our Vision
To serve the needs of artists, designers and the arts community in the collection, preservation and provision of public access to visual arts documentation for the benefit of all. Our mission is sustained by these strategic priorities:
- Promoting the value of arts documentation as a key resource in the building of cultural memory;
- Developing the collection by forging relationships with depositors of material through outreach, dialogue and collaboration;
- Encouraging investigation into Ireland’s art, design and craft history for the development of knowledge and innovative scholarship;
- Growing our community of users at home and internationally through diverse means of engagement with the collection;
- Strengthening relationships with funders and policy makers to secure the infrastructure necessary to sustain best standards for the care of collections.
Financial Support
In addition to revenue funding from the National College of Art and Design and annual support from the Arts Council of Ireland under the Strategic Funding programme, NIVAL has also been grant-aided by the Heritage Council, the Department of Tourism, Culture, and Sport, the Arts Council of Northern Ireland, the Higher Education Authority, the Design History Society, UK, and through the generosity of private funders.