National Irish Visual Arts Library

Scope and Content

The collection contains an extensive insight into the Art Teachers’ Association from its foundation to the early 21st century. Material includes policy documents, publications and various documents relating to membership of the association.
Also, includes official correspondence including a correspondence file from former association presidents Helen Comiskey (ATAI/MEM/005) and Maureen Roche (ATAI/MEM/021).
Foremost in the collection are the minutes from their A.G.M.s, General Meetings and Regional Meetings. These meetings contain information relating to the administrative working of the association as well as committee elections. The meetings also contain recurring topics such as the state examinations in Art (Leaving Cert, Intermediate Cert and Junior Cert). The minutes of these meetings have been digitally imaged and the agendas are indexed (see appendix).

The Art Teachers' Association of Ireland is one of the longest established Subject Associations in Ireland. It was set up in 1950 by Patrick Heney. It is run on a voluntary basis by and for qualified Art Teachers and have representatives on various educational committees NCCA, SARG, InSEA.
From its beginnings in a living room in Clontarf in 1950, where discussions that centred on the promotion of Art, Craft & Design Education and the improvement of the positions of Art Teachers, the ATAI has evolved into a national force.
Permission was granted from the then Director of the National College of Art & Design, to place a notice in the hall of the College. This note was for the attention of all qualified art teachers (and teachers in training) of a proposal to form an Art Teachers Association. In addition, a letter was printed in the morning and evening newspapers explaining points in support of the formation of an association, and inviting art teachers interested to attend an inaugural meeting to he held on Saturday 27 Sep 1952 in Jury's Hotel, Dame Street, Dublin.
An extract from the minutes of this inaugural meeting reads as follows:
“It was decided that the purpose of the Association should be, to foster art teaching in all schools, to work for improved conditions of teaching and equipment, and to co-ordinate the working of art classes in general”

Arrangement