Mission Statement

The School will teach drawing and painting to artists who have already achieved (a degree of/ considerable) competence in their work, and who wish to improve their technical skills and widen their understanding of drawing and painting. An atelier system will enable artists to learn from those with more experience, both from their peers and invited artists, who will teach by practical demonstration. The School will emphasise the primacy of drawing from observation. Studio work will be complemented by lectures on relevant subjects from the arts and sciences.

The development of the new RHA Studios and Atelier Programme

The redevelopment of the RHA building in 2008 provided wonderful new spaces which accommodate the new RHA School & Studios. This enabled the addition of a second larger drawing studio and four separate artist’s studios, alongside the existing large drawing studio which had been in use for a number of years. Once these were in place it allowed the beginning of a development towards the re-establishment of the RHA School, which ceased operation in the 1940’s.

Mick O’Dea RHA, the first School Principal between 2008 and 2011, set up a School Board consisting of artists and Honorary Members of the Academy. Until the School became fully operational, the plan was to develop an Atelier Programme of Activities based on the core beliefs of the RHA School. A programme grew organically, through a series of scheduled activities in response to interest and enquiries from many artists.

Invited artists completed residencies in the new artists’ studios on a continuous basis, for terms of up to three months. This arrangement is now replaced by the Emerging Artists’ Studio Award scheme offered to six successful applicants each year. Life drawing marathons and weekly drawing sessions were run on a frequent basis and a program of workshops was developed. In addition, a series of 22 lectures by Members of the Academy was presented on a weekly basis.

Current Programme (and continuing development)

The current programme is led by Joe Dunne RHA (elected Principal in October 2011) with Una Sealy ARHA as Assistant Principal and the School Management Committee (academy members and artists) who help to form the programme and facilitate the running of activities. A structured programme of lectures, workshops and drawing sessions has been developed in line with a three-term academic year (Sep-June) which will benefit artists hoping to expand and develop their own practice.

For further details on the current or up-coming programme, please follow the links for life drawing sessions, workshops, lectures and artists’ studios.

The foundations of this programme have developed from the School Mission Statement as devised by the School Board:

RHA SCHOOL: WORKSHOPS

Title	Workshop By	Dates
Autumn Workshop	TBC	December 04, 2013 - December 06, 2013
Winter Term Workshop	TBC	February 19, 2014 - February 21, 2014
Spring Term Masterclass	TBC	May 28, 2014 - May 30, 2014

RHA SCHOOL: LECTURES

Title	Lecturer	Date
Lunchtime Talk	Brett McEntagart RHA	June 20, 2013
Art Form Evening: Sculpture	Leo Higgins, Sculptor	June 26, 2013
Lunchtime Talk	Veronica Bolay RHA	June 27, 2013
Art Form Evening: Photography	Amelia Stein RHA	July 03, 2013
Lunchtime Talk	Donal Curtin & Anne Donohue	July 04, 2013
Lunchtime Talk	Ruth Carroll, RHA Curator	July 11, 2013
Lunchtime Talk	James English RHA	July 18, 2013
Lunchtime Talk	Joe Dunne RHA, RHA School Principal	July 25, 2013
Lunchtime Talk	Patrick T. Murphy, RHA Director	August 01, 2013
Lunchtime Talk	Dr Roisin Kennedy	August 08, 2013

RHA SCHOOL: LIFE DRAWING

Title	Dates
Self Directed Summer Life Drawing Sessions – 2013	June 20, 2013 - July 25, 2013
Autumn life drawing Marathon	October 21, 2013 - October 25, 2013
Spring Life Drawing Marathon	March 31, 2014 - April 04, 2014
Thursday Self Directed Sessions 2013/2014	September 18, 2013 - July 02, 2014
Tutored Life Drawing Sessions 2013/2014	September 18, 2013 - July 02, 2014