Professor Sarah Glennie ∙ Director

NCAD WORKS 2024 provides a portal to the full breadth of work by our extraordinary graduates from across our four schools of Fine Art, Design, Education, and Visual Culture and encompasses students graduating from our broad range of undergraduate, postgraduate, and CEAD programmes. 

Collectively, our graduates represent Ireland’s creative future, and they each hold great potential to play a dynamic and impactful role in the Ireland we face right now. As you will see from this work, our students want to fuel change in a creative and productive way, from how we design our public services to the way we see each other. 

They are emerging into their professional careers at an exciting time as new opportunities emerge in Ireland for creative graduates. The creative sector is one of the fastest growing in the global economy. Ireland’s creative graduates drive our creative and cultural sectors, which currently contribute 3.7% of Gross Added Value to the economy, with room to grow even more.

Our students are fully engaged with the world beyond the NCAD campus, and they continue to demonstrate their ambition and commitment to make work that has impact and meaning to us all in many different ways. The big challenges that face society can be traced across our graduates' work as they apply their creativity to bringing new solutions, critical thinking, and reflection onto issues including sustainability, gender identity and equality, wellbeing, new technologies, and our digital and material futures.  

An education at NCAD is the starting point for generations of bold and curious minds that have made an enormous contribution to society in many different ways. We are confident that this generation is set to continue this extraordinary legacy as they leave us equipped with the imagination, creativity, and critical thinking that will ensure that they make an impact in whatever path they follow. 

So, on behalf of An Bord and all my colleagues at NCAD – congratulations to all our graduating students; we are extremely proud of all that you have achieved, and we look forward to following your creative journeys in the future.

Thomas St Campus

100 Thomas Street
Directions

7–15 June

Fri 7 June 10am–8pm
Sat 8 June 10am–5pm
Sun 9 June 10am–5pm
Mon 10 June 10am–8pm
Tue 11 June 10am–8pm
Wed 12 June 10am–8pm
Thu 13 June 10am–8pm
Fri 14 June 10am–8pm
Sat 15 June 10am–5pm

Courses on show:

BA Fashion
BA Jewellery & Objects
BA Textile & Surface Design
Joint (Hons) Education Design or Fine Art
BA Graphic Design
BA Illustration
BA Moving Image Design
BA Interaction Design
BA Product Design
Applied Materials
Media
Painting
Print
Sculpture & Expanded Practice
MA Design for Body & Environment
MA Communication Design
MA Interaction Design
MSC Medical Device Design
Prof Dip Service Design
BA Visual Culture

The Annex

102–3 James’ Street
Directions

7–15 June

Fri 7 June 10am–8pm
Sat 8 June 10am–5pm
Sun 9 June 10am–5pm
Mon 10 June 10am–8pm
Tue 11 June 10am–8pm
Wed 12 June 10am–8pm
Thu 13 June 10am–8pm
Fri 14 June 10am–8pm
Sat 15 June 10am–5pm

Courses on show:

MFA in Fine Art
MFA Art in the Contemporary World

Grace Gifford House

John St W
Directions

7–15 June

Fri 7 June 10am–8pm
Sat 8 June 10am–5pm
Sun 9 June 10am–5pm
Mon 10 June 10am–8pm
Tue 11 June 10am–8pm
Wed 12 June 10am–8pm
Thu 13 June 10am–8pm
Fri 14 June 10am–8pm
Sat 15 June 10am–5pm

Courses on show:

Media

Maria Patriarca

she/her

Dear Friend

My collection honours the forgotten heroes of our past and present, drawing inspiration from war carrier pigeons used during WWI and WWII. This collection fuses the unique attributes of the pigeon with vintage army wear, aiming to blend a distinctive combination of femininity, durability, and movement.

Throughout my making process, I chose to use plant based materials as the forefront and dominating factor for my designs. Inspired by old-fashioned techniques and slow methods, my collection prioritises durability and detail, with a focus on women's ready-to-wear. I aim to create pieces that not only last a lifetime but can also be passed on to loved ones.

I chose the pigeon as the central motif of my work due to my observations on travels in and out of Dublin City, where I often noticed the same colonies of pigeons in certain areas. A curiosity about their presence led me to discover their significant role in history as message carriers during the World Wars. Despite their crucial contributions, they remain the unseen creatures of our cities. My collection seeks to highlight their sacrifices, bravery, and ability to love.

Research