Art in the Contemporary World Presents TENDER
Donation protected
TENDER: a module and project of the MA/MFA Art in the Contemporary World 2022
Between January and April 2022, students on the MA/MFA Art in the Contemporary World (ACW) undertook a module – organised and convened in collaboration with the National Gallery of Ireland – focused on museum metabolisms. Taking cues from thinkers like Clementine Deliss, Laura Raicovich, and Aruna D’Souza, and considering the activism and artistic interventions that are reshaping museum practice worldwide, we explored aspects of the Gallery’s collection, its history, its architecture, and its contexts (particularly the original historic site, now the Dargan Wing), with a view to producing a publication in response. This investigation was supported and enriched by the generosity of the Gallery’s staff, guide panel and Jennie Taylor.
While the module was underway, it was announced that the National Gallery of Ireland had awarded its lucrative three-year café contract (worth €7.5 million) to Aramark, a multinational corporation who provide catering services to three Direct Provision centres in Ireland as well as being one of the largest providers of catering for the American prison system. Given the focus of the module, it was decided to pivot our attention to examine the ethical ramifications of this decision by a national cultural institution. TENDER is the result of our research. When early drafts were presented for approval, the Gallery made the decision to step back from the collaboration on this occasion. The budget allocated for the project, amounting to €2900, was held back. The students requested that this money be used to make a donation to the Movement of Asylum Seekers in Ireland (MASI) instead. This request was also declined.
Given these circumstances, the students of ACW are now planning a crowdfunding campaign to support the publication and launch of our work. TENDER will comprise a set of 20 postcards, designed collectively, that interrogate the Gallery and Aramark. Readers are encouraged to use the postcards to disseminate ideas by mail, generating a network of circulating voices.
We are aware the National Gallery is not the only organisation in this position; companies like Aramark are regularly awarded catering contracts across the Irish public sector. However, we hope that the particular position, history, and role of the Gallery – as a public museum and a national cultural institution – allows it to become the site for a critical conversation about the ethics and politics of procurement law.
Our aim is that TENDER will contribute to and stimulate this conversation.
The €1500 funding will be used to buy paper and ink, and to fund the launch and distribution of this project. The breakdown of these costs are:
€300-€350 for paper
€860 for printing (ink and masters)
€40 for finishing supplies
€250-€300 for launch and distribution
This brings us to a total estimate of €1500 needed to fund this.
In our current timeline of production we are planning to begin the design and print process from the 2nd of May 2022. We are then hoping to launch our project in late May 2022.
Between January and April 2022, students on the MA/MFA Art in the Contemporary World (ACW) undertook a module – organised and convened in collaboration with the National Gallery of Ireland – focused on museum metabolisms. Taking cues from thinkers like Clementine Deliss, Laura Raicovich, and Aruna D’Souza, and considering the activism and artistic interventions that are reshaping museum practice worldwide, we explored aspects of the Gallery’s collection, its history, its architecture, and its contexts (particularly the original historic site, now the Dargan Wing), with a view to producing a publication in response. This investigation was supported and enriched by the generosity of the Gallery’s staff, guide panel and Jennie Taylor.
While the module was underway, it was announced that the National Gallery of Ireland had awarded its lucrative three-year café contract (worth €7.5 million) to Aramark, a multinational corporation who provide catering services to three Direct Provision centres in Ireland as well as being one of the largest providers of catering for the American prison system. Given the focus of the module, it was decided to pivot our attention to examine the ethical ramifications of this decision by a national cultural institution. TENDER is the result of our research. When early drafts were presented for approval, the Gallery made the decision to step back from the collaboration on this occasion. The budget allocated for the project, amounting to €2900, was held back. The students requested that this money be used to make a donation to the Movement of Asylum Seekers in Ireland (MASI) instead. This request was also declined.
Given these circumstances, the students of ACW are now planning a crowdfunding campaign to support the publication and launch of our work. TENDER will comprise a set of 20 postcards, designed collectively, that interrogate the Gallery and Aramark. Readers are encouraged to use the postcards to disseminate ideas by mail, generating a network of circulating voices.
We are aware the National Gallery is not the only organisation in this position; companies like Aramark are regularly awarded catering contracts across the Irish public sector. However, we hope that the particular position, history, and role of the Gallery – as a public museum and a national cultural institution – allows it to become the site for a critical conversation about the ethics and politics of procurement law.
Our aim is that TENDER will contribute to and stimulate this conversation.
The €1500 funding will be used to buy paper and ink, and to fund the launch and distribution of this project. The breakdown of these costs are:
€300-€350 for paper
€860 for printing (ink and masters)
€40 for finishing supplies
€250-€300 for launch and distribution
This brings us to a total estimate of €1500 needed to fund this.
In our current timeline of production we are planning to begin the design and print process from the 2nd of May 2022. We are then hoping to launch our project in late May 2022.
Organizer
ACW NCAD
Organizer
County Dublin
