PHOTO MUSEUM Ireland
The National Centre for Contemporary Photography in Ireland

Photo Museum Ireland is the leading voice for photography in Ireland. We are dedicated to fostering a dynamic culture of photographic practice across a broad range of platforms. Established as ‘The Gallery of Photography’ in 1978 by John Osman, the organisation has grown to become one of Ireland’s most loved arts organisations. On 22 June we marked an important step in our development, changing our name to Photo Museum Ireland. Our ultimate goal is to relocate to a larger space on a par with international ‘fotomuseums’.

Free programmes: Our programme of free exhibitions showcases the best of contemporary Irish and international photography. We provide sustained support for artists across the span of their careers and development programmes to bring their work to audiences nationally and internationally. We encourage critical thinking and discussion on photography across our in-house, outreach and online channels - bringing arts experiences to all. 

Vision: enrich the lives of people by increasing the enjoyment of work by photographic artists - reflecting all of Irish life. 

Mission: Supporting artists to present excellent art to foster a dynamic photographic culture that actively engages wide & diverse audiences.

Values:
  - Supporting artists’ creativity
  - Commitment to artistic excellence
  - Inclusion and respect for diversity
   - Deep sustained engagement with communities
   - Ethics, integrity and transparency

Strategic Development Plan
We plan to relocate to a larger, museum-standard building in the heart of Dublin. This important development will enable us to showcase contemporary Irish photography to international museum standards, expand our artists’ programmes, develop our audiences and grow the National Photography Collection initiative which has been established to support contemporary artists to build archival capacity for the future.

Paying artists fairly:

Photo Museum Ireland is committed to paying pay artists fairly. We pay artist fees for solo exhibitions, group exhibitions, talks and workshops and other programme related expenses.

Our Artists’ Remuneration policy is reviewed annually - it can be viewed here.

In addition to the payment of fees, we are focused on providing long-term sustained supports to Irish photographers across the span of their careers. We do this by providing: Artists commissions, support for exhibition production, curatorial advice and advocacy, artist’s residency programmes, subsidised serviced B&W and digital production facilities, support for book publishing, touring exhibitions, networking and representation of photographers’ work nationally and internationally; nominations for the leading international prizes and upskilling and training.

Engagement:
Free public talks and events encourage critical debate and develop an appreciation for photography in lively and accessible way. We are developing new online platforms to deepen and diversify opportunities for wider audiences to engage with photography including our Galleries Without Walls Collaborations Platform and our Reframing the Border programmes.

• Our Student Council engages with emerging artists participating in our Graduate Development programme, curators and teachers in discussions based on our 3 artistic pillars: EDI, Sustainability and the Surveying photographic practices. These discussions in turn inform our curation and programming.

• New education resources charting the history of photography in Ireland.

• Dynamic new online platforms to showcase contemporary photography

Photography Culture:
We are active partners in a network of Irish and international platforms including our Reframing the Border programme and the EU Creative Europe ‘A Woman’s Work ’ platform. Building on our legacy as the leading institution dedicated to photography in Ireland means that we are ideally positioned to reflect on our rich photographic culture. In 2021/2022 our In Our Own Image season of exhibitions, publications and events present the first comprehensive survey of the history of photography in Ireland. Our Photo Album of the Irish engagement project engages with people across the island of Ireland and with the wider diaspora to research and record the social history of photography.

National Photography Collection:
We have initiated the National Photography Collection and we are delighted that the President of Ireland, Michael D. Higgins is patron. Rather than focusing on key pieces, the collection focuses on recording and archiving artistic practices. It supports artists to build and preserve their archives for the future. This initiative is supported by generous philanthropic support.

On 31 August 2021 - we became a Registered Charity - our registered charity number is: 20206237.

We we want our visitors to love photography as much as we do

Engaging audiences with photography

Our free exhibitions showcase work by establishing and emerging Irish and international artists. Our programmes of talks, tours and workshops encourage active engagement and promote critical discussion of issues at the heart of photography. 

Our Photobook shop

We promote Irish artists working in photobooks through our specialist bookshop, book launches and across our extensive online channels. We are developing a new print sales outlet to promote a culture of collecting photography in Ireland. Income from our specialist bookshop supports artists and helps fund our free programmes. 

 Artists’ Production Studio

Our Artists’ Production facilities provide essential practical supports for artists. We provide the only open access darkroom and digital production facilities for artists in Dublin. We also provide specialist training, printing and production services.