Ann Mulrooney appointed as Director to Science Gallery Dublin
Posted on: 19 November 2018
Trinity College Dublin and the board of Science Gallery Dublin today announced the appointment of Ann Mulrooney as the new Director of Science Gallery Dublin.
Previous to her new appointment, Ann Mulrooney was the CEO of VISUAL Centre for Contemporary Art in Carlow since 2013. She takes on her new role at an exciting time in the development of Science Gallery at Trinity College Dublin. Science Gallery has firmly established itself as a national and international leader in the fields of art science and public engagement with science. With over 3.2 million visitors since it opened in 2008, it has demonstrated the interest and appetite among Irish audiences to engage with unique, transdisciplinary exhibitions, events and educational programmes that explore the interface of arts, science, design and technology in connective, participative, and surprising ways.
Congratulating Ann on her appointment Trinity’s Vice-Provost and Science Gallery Board member, Professor Chris Morash said: “Dedicated to igniting a passion for science and creativity, Science Gallery continues to engage young adults with cutting-edge culture and innovation. Now in its tenth year we are delighted to welcome Ann on board who will lead us into the next decade. Science Gallery is uniquely placed in Trinity, providing a platform for leading research and innovation to an audience of curious young minds. We look forward to Ann’s stewardship in the next chapter of this wonderful initiative.”
Commencing on December 1st next, Ann Mulrooney comes to the role with a passion for creating transformative experiences that link science, technology, engineering, art, and design. Initially trained as a sculptor, Ann went on to run the National Design and Craft Gallery from 2009-2013 and the VISUAL Centre for Contemporary Art from 2013-2018, where she developed ambitious cross-disciplinary artistic programming in STEM-related areas including digital technologies, augmented reality, architecture, design, science, agriculture, engineering and urban planning, with a particular focus on developing public engagement through socially-engaged practice.
Speaking about her appointment, Ann Mulrooney said: “I am delighted to be appointed to lead Science Gallery at Trinity College Dublin into its second decade. It has been an innovative and groundbreaking institution since its inception: in its vision, its international impact and its focus on engaging 15-25 year olds as the pioneers of the future. The combination of scientific and artistic research with meaningful public engagement has enormous transformative potential and I look forward to working with Science Gallery’s national and international partners and stakeholders to realise this.”
Pioneered by Science Gallery at Trinity College Dublin just over a decade ago, the rapid growth of the Science Gallery Network across four continents is testament to its success. This year saw the launch of Science Gallery London at King’s College London, while Science Gallery Melbourne at The University of Melbourne, Science Gallery Bengaluru at the Indian Institute of Science, Science Gallery Venice at Ca’ Foscari University of Venice, and Science Gallery Detroit at Michigan State University are all delivering programming to local audiences.