people at the graduate school of creative arts and media

 

dr. mick wilson: dean

 

 

biographical details

 

Mick Wilson (BA, MA, MSc, PhD) is an artist, writer and educator. He is a graduate of the NCAD and Trinity College Dublin. He is Head of Fine Art at DIT, currently on secondment as the founder Dean of GradCAM (2008-2012). Formerly Head of Research at NCAD, he was recently appointed as an Adjunct in the School of Computer Science at TCD. He has lectured internationally on art research, public culture, creative education and urbanism and is the principal investigator for ‘SHARE (2010–2013)’, a major European research network for doctoral studies across the creative arts with participants from 29 different countries. He is also an active member of the European Arts Research Network (EARN) and led the Artist as Citizen EU policy grouping (2009-10). He has organized many conferences, exhibitions, summer schools and developed several new undergraduate and postgraduate programmes across creative arts theory and practice. Mick's research and professional interests are eclectic, ranging from the reputational economy of contemporary art to the rhetorical construction of knowledge conflict, and from the contested reconstruction of the contemporary university to the general arena of critical cultural pedagogies.

 

exhibitions and art projects: From the mid-1990s to 2000 he produced a series of one-person shows and projects including: Trains Made Mary Vague, Temple Bar Gallery & Studios (2000); The Tuileries Incident, Hugh Lane Gallery, Dublin (1999); The Medium’s Project, Temple Bar / various (1998); Athman Ben Salah: On Loss, Triskel, Cork (1997); The Bull/Ox Herding Series: Cruising Masculinity, Project Arts Centre, Dublin (1996); and Queerly Heteroclite, City Arts Centre, Dublin (1995). He returned to artmaking, after a break of several years, with his participation in the group exhibitions Float (2007) New York curated by Sara Reisman; and Blackboxing (2007) curated by Tessa Giblin at the Project Arts Centre, Dublin; and Coalesce: Happenstance (2009) curated by Paul O'Neill at SmartProject Space, Amsterdam. More recently he has exhibited in a two-person show with Isabel Nolan, Reach Out and Touch Faith (2009) curated by Vaari Claffey at Gallery For One, Dublin; and in the group show Something Else (2009) at Roth House, Kilkenny curated by Aisling Prior. Particpation in exhibitions and projects in 2011 include: We Are Grammar, Pratt Inst., New York; Portrait of a Space, Dublin, Ireland; and "Our Day Will Come", (Free School) Iteration Again, Hobart, Tasmania.

educational background: Mick's PhD was completed in 2006 on the topic Conflicted Faculties: Knowledge Conflict and the University at NCAD. He completed an M.Sc.through the Departments of Education and Computer Science at Trinity College Dublin (2001) with a research project on “The Discursive Curriculum: Developing a Software Tool for Curriculum Management.” He had earlier completed an M.A. in the History of Art & Design (1992) by research thesis on the topic “Refusing the Aesthetic: The Historical Context of Constructivist Discourse” and he completed a Joint Honours B.A. in Fine Art Sculpture and the History of Art & Design at NCAD (1990).

employment: Currently on secondment from his role as Head of Fine Art at DIT, having previously been Head of Research at NCAD (2005-2007). Before this he was director of MAVis and the BA visual arts practice programmes at IADT (1998-2004) and an associate lecturer at NCAD, CCAD, IADT and TCD (1991-1998).

recently published work includes:

  • "James Newitt ‘My Secession Party’ : Critical Response" Iteration: Again Tasmanaia, Australia.
  • "Understandings of Civil Society", CREATE News 11.
  • "Curatorial Research Methods & Conviviality", in Paul O'Neill & Claire Doherty (eds.) Locating the Producers: Durational Approaches to Public Art", Amsterdam: Valiz. (2011) pp. 297-312.
  • "Sex and the City: Another Urban Imaginary", in Frontiers: A Journal of Women Studies, Volume 31, Number 3. (2011)
  • "Retro-Spective: 'Places with a Past'” in Art and the Public Sphere, Vol. 1 No. 1. (2011)
  • "Curatorial counter-rhetorics and the educational turn" (with Paul O'Neill) in Journal of Visual arts Practice (JVAP), Special issue on 'Anti-Humanist' curating (2011)
  • “Fundamental Questions of Vision: Higher Arts Public Education, Research and Citizenship” in K. Corcoran, C.Delfos, and F. Solleleveld (eds.) Art Futures: Current issues in higher arts education, Amsterdam: ELIA. (2011)
  • “Wenden und Wendungen in der Kunstausbildung" ["Taking Turns in Art Education"] (with Paul O'Neill) in Tom Holert and Marion von Osten (eds.) Das Erziehungsbild: Zur visuellen Kultur das Padagogischen, Vienna: Schriften der Akademie der bildende Kunste Wien. (2010)
  • "Dear Reader: Of Private and Public Writing", ArtMonitor, SW. (2010)
  • "Cultural Research for New Urbanisms", Derive, AU. (2010)
  • Co-edited with Paul O'Neill, Curating and the Educational Turn De Appel/Open Editions, Amsterdam/London (2010).
  • 'The Event', in Claire Doherty and David Cross (eds.) One Day Sculpture Kerber (2009).
  • 'What is Conceptual Art?' IMMA (2009).
  • 'Four Theses Attempting to Revise the Terms of a Debate' in Elkins, James (ed.) Artists with PhDs: On the New Doctoral Degree in Studio Art, New Academia Publishing, LLC. (2009)
  • 'Emergence' (with Paul O'Neill) Nought to Sixty, ICA, London (2009) pp. 241-245.
  • 'You talkin' to me? Why art is turning to education?' (with Paul O'Neill) Nought to Sixty, ICA, London (2009) pp.147-154 (edited text of a public seminar at the ICA, London, July, 2008).
  • 'Emancipatory Tools, Fools & Frauds' (with Paul O'Neill) in Calypso: Artistic Learning Processes, Exhibition Catalogue, Sala Rekalde, Bilbao (2008).
  • 'Autonomy, Agonism, and Activist Art: An Interview with Grant Kester', Art Journal, v.66: n.3. (2007).
  • 'Curatorial Moments and Discursive Turns' in Paul O’Neill (ed.) Curating Subjects, De Appel/Open Editions, Amsterdam/London (2007).
  • 'Art School and the Old Grey Cardigan Test', VARIANT (2007).
  • 'Invasion of the Kiddyfiddlers' in Robert Atkins and Svetlana Mintcheva (eds.) Censoring Culture: Contemporary Threats to Free Expression, The New Press, New York, (2006).
  • 'Tricks of Trade and Terms of Art' in Third Text, Vol. 19, No. 5, (2005).

forthcoming publications include:

lectures, conference papers and symposium presentations.

Upcoming

  • Chair: "Making Things Public" Seminar at the Lab, Foley Street, Dublin [30/11/2011]

Previous

2011 2010
  • Speaker: "You Talkin' to me? Why are artists and curators turning to education? #2", e-flux space NY, US [11/12/10]
  • Paper: (with Tim Stott) "Those Footnote Types: The Text of Philosophy and the Matter of Type", 'ATypI - The Word', IE [10/9/10]
  • Paper: "It’s still more than the economy, stupid!': art research & public culture", ‘Creative Policies in Practice', DL, IE. [17/6/10]
  • Presentation: "A Time and a Place for Public Art", Arnolfini, Bristol, UK [11/6/10]
  • Keynote Presentation: "Research and Higher Arts Education", ELIA/Artesnet, Porto, PO. [7/5/10]
  • Presentation: (with Paul O'Neill) Deschooling Society, Southbank, (Hayward/Serpentine) UK. [30/4/10]
  • Introduction: "Artist as Citizen Project", Tables of Thought, FIFA, Helsinki, FI. [29/4/10]
  • Paper: "Cultural Research for New Urbanisms", Kunstraum Niederoesterreich, Vienna, AU.[11/3/10]
2009
  • Paper read: (with Kerstin Bergendal) "Urban Change: Cities On Speed", RDA, Copenhagen, DE.[14/11/09]
  • Paper: "Objekt and Verbal", B-Open, Bergen, NO.[30/10/09]
  • Paper read: (with Dr. Paul O'Neill UWE) Istanbul Biennale, TU.[30/10/09]
  • Keynote: "The Art Text: Writing In and Through the Arts", Gothenburg, SW. [9/10/09]
  • Speaker: European Culture Forum Brussels, BE.[30/9/09]
  • Paper: "Open Engagement: Art in The Public Realm", Stockholm, SW.[25/9/09]
  • Speaker: "Creating Connections", MIMA Middlesboro, UK.[14/9/09]
  • Speaker: "Out of the Blue", Amsterdam, NE.[4-8/8/09]
  • Speaker: "Becoming Bologna', Venice, IT. [6,7/6/09]
  • Speaker: "Of pedagogies, publics and academies", Venice, IT. [5/6/09]
  • Keynote: "More than An Island", KUVA, Gothenberg + Leeds Doctoral Symposium Helsink, FI. [15/5/09]
  • Lecture: "The position of art education in the public museum", MIMA Middlesboro, UK.[6/5/09]
  • Keynote: "Symposium on Art, Place and Time", Massey University, Wellington, NZ. [26-28/3/09]
  • Lecture: (with Dr. Paul O’Neill UWE) Rietveld Academy,Amsterdam, NE. [4/3/09]
  • Speaker: "Nameless Science" Symposium on Arts Research, Cooper Union, NY. [12/12/08]
2008
  • Lecture: Breda, NE. [19/11/08]
  • Speaker: "Art as a Public Issue", London, UK. [7/11/08]
  • Keynote: "On Quality: Instrumental Reason or Critical Pedagogies', ELIA Symposium, 'standards not standardisation', Gothenburg, SW. [31/10/08]
  • Speaker: "The Pedagogical Turn", ICA London, UK. [14/7/08]
  • Lecture: Royal Academy of Arts, The Hague, NE. [19/5/08]
  • Paper: "A Certain MA-ness", Amsterdam, NE. [8/3/08]

research students: primary supervisor:

co-supervisor input:

educational and research development: Mick has been working with a wide range of colleagues over the last few years to renew undergraduate arts education and to develop new postgraduate programmes, research seminars, and conferences.

programme development / enhancement: 2009-2011 Inter-institutional Structured PhD Programme Architecture, DIT, NCAD, IADT ; 2007 BA Fine Art, School of Art, Design & Printing, DIT ; 2006 MA Art in the Digital World, NCAD ; 2006 Doctoral Research Methods, NCAD ; 2005 MA Art in the Contemporary World, NCAD ; 2005 MA Design History and Material Culture, NCAD ; 2004 MA Visual Arts Practices, IADT ; 2003 BA Visual Arts Practice, IADT

quality assurance / enhancement: 2008 HETAC Working Group on Practice-based Research: Draft Guidelines ; 2007 NCAD Institutional Research Strategy 2007-2011 ; 2005 NCAD Research Policy ; 2005 NCAD Postgraduate Procedures ; 2005 NCAD Postgraduate Development Strategy

conference management: 2010 "arts research: publics and purposes"; 2008-2009 "speaking matters" symposium series; 2008 “Arts Research: the State of Play.” Project Arts Centre ; 2008 Conference Chair “Art in the Life World.” Ballymun Axis ; 2007 “Beyond the Studio” Hugh Lane Gallery & NCAD ; 2006 “Rethinking the Everyday (Material Culture)” NCAD ; 2006 “Crossover: Art, Design & Architecture.” National Gallery ; 2006 Design Research Conference: “What Does It Take?” NCAD ; 2006 Educational Studies Association of Ireland Conference IMMA ; 2004 "No Contest: A Symposium on Contemporary Art Criticism" TBGS ; 2002 European League of Institutes of Art (ELIA) "Reciprocity". IADT ; 2001 Conference Chair. "Darklight: On Intellectual Property". IFC

research development: Working as part of inter-institutional teams Mick has succeeded in attracting research funding for both large and small scale projects: 2008 Strand 1 “Testing the creative class proposition.” ; 2007 The Graduate School (PRTLI Cycle IV) ; 2007 HSIS - Post-Doctoral Funding in Visual Cultural Pedagogies ; 2007 Strand 1 “Art, Cultural Property and the Reputational Economy.” ; 2006 The National Digital Research Centre (Liberty Consortium) ; 2005 Strand 1 “Professional, Business and Critical Models in Curation." ;  

 

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For additional information on the collaborating institutions consult www.dit.ie, www.ncad.ie, www.iadt.ie and www.ulster.ac.uk.