Ireland gets creative for Drawing Day with National Gallery of Ireland and hubs across the country

People from across the country are invited to grab a pencil and paper on Saturday 21 May 2022 to join with the National Gallery of Ireland in National Drawing Day. Now in its eighteenth year, the annual event will see the Gallery joined by over 70 arts centres, galleries, museums and libraries across the country to celebrate drawing.

For National Drawing Day, the National Gallery of Ireland is collaborating with 77 venues and arts groups in 23 counties, including Butler Gallery, Kilkenny; Solstice Arts Centre, Navan; Uillinn West Cork Arts Centre; Centre for Contemporary Art Derry-Londonderry; Galway City Museum; glór, Ennis; Monaghan County Museum; Lismore Castle House; and Riverbank Arts Centre, Kildare.

At the National Gallery of Ireland, visitors can enjoy a packed day of events, including A Wonderful World of Illustration Seminar as part of International Literature Festival Dublin. A dynamic panel of three celebrated artists and illustrators – author and picture book writer Olivia Hope, illustrator and storyteller Ashwin Chacko, and picture book illustrators and artists Shona Shirley Macdonald and Lauren O’Hara – discuss the creative possibilities of drawing and illustration. Artist Eileen O’Sullivan leads a free sensory-friendly drawing workshop, suitable for children of all ages. In the Gallery’s Shaw Room, artist Fintan Mahon will lead a free life-drawing session for adults. And the Gallery's collection and architecture can be explored on a free sketching tour. No artistic ability required, just a willingness to get creative! 

People of all ages and abilities are encouraged to find the joy in drawing on 21 May 2022, with something for everyone, experts and beginners alike.  

Sinéad Rice, Head of Education at the National Gallery of Ireland, said: “National Drawing Day is a highlight of our year here at the National Gallery of Ireland, and we’re thrilled to be celebrating for the eighteenth time in 2022. With partners across the length and breadth of Ireland, wherever you are on 21 May 2022, you’ll find something near you. National Drawing Day is for everyone – not just artists! – so we hope that members of the public of all abilities will find inspiration in drawing with us this month.”

A list of participating venues, the schedule for the day at the National Gallery of Ireland, and drawing activities and resources can be found on a dedicated National Drawing Day hub at nationalgallery.ie.
National Drawing Day is supported by the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media.

Media contact:

Kate O’Leary, Communications, National Gallery of Ireland / [email protected] / 087 334 1587

Notes to editors

Participating venues:

Artnet DLR (DLR Artists Network) \ Backwater Artists Group \ The Braid: Museum & Arts Centre \ Butler Gallery \ Castletown  House \ Centre for Contemporary Art Derry-Londonderry \ Chester Beatty \ Crawford Art Gallery \ Creative Spark \ The Dock \ Draíocht \ Dublin City Gallery the Hugh Lane \ Dublin City Public Libraries \ Dublinia \ Enniskillen Castle/Fermanagh County Museum \ F.E. McWilliam Gallery and Studio \ Fota House, Arboretum and Garden \ Galway City Museum \ Garter Lane Arts Centre \ Glebe House and Gallery \ Glór \ The Glucksman \ Highlanes Gallery \ IMMA \ International Literature Festival Dublin \ Junior Cycle Graphics Exhibition \ Kerry County Museum \ Limerick City Gallery of Art \ Lismore Castle Arts \ Little Museum of Dublin \ The Luan Gallery \ The Model \ Monaghan County Museum \ Muckross Traditional Farms \ National Library of Ireland \ National Museum of Ireland, Archaeology, Kildare Street \ National Museum of Ireland, Decorative Arts and History, Collins Barracks \ National Print Museum \ Naughton Gallery at Queens \ Northern Ireland War Memorial \ Oughterard Courthouse Arts Programme \ The Pearse Museum \ Rathfarnham Castle \ Richmond Barracks \ Riverbank Arts Centre \ Russborough House \ Schoolhouse For Art \ Solstice Arts Centre, Navan \ Tin Jug Studio \ Tipperary Museum of Hidden History \ Uillinn West Cork Arts Centre \ Ulster Museum \ United Arts Club \ VISUAL – Centre for Contemporary Art \ White Doodle Art

About National Drawing Day

National Drawing Day began at the National Gallery of Ireland in 2005. Now in its eighteenth year, the initiative has blossomed, with thousands of people taking part each year all over Ireland. National Drawing Day is supported by the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media. Events, whether onsite, offsite or online, encourage and support access to the arts for all, regardless of age, ability or social circumstances. 

About the National Gallery of Ireland

The National Gallery of Ireland is one of the country’s most popular visitor attractions housing the nation’s collection of European and Irish art from about 1300 to the present day, and an extensive Library & Archive. Entry to the collection is free for all to enjoy, learn and be inspired.