The PME (Art & Design) is a joint programme delivered at both MTU Crawford College of Art & Design (Department of Arts in Health and Education), and University College Cork (School of Education). It is a two-year, full-time Level 9 postgraduate professional teacher education programme, that leads to a professional qualification as post-primary teacher of Art and Design. It is recognised and accredited by the Teaching Council of Ireland for the purpose of registration as a post- primary teacher of Art and Design in Ireland and abroad.

‘Continuum’ Exhibition Statement

The journey of teaching and learning is one of shared discovery, a continuous cycle of influence and creation. Continuum brings together the dynamic work of student art teachers in their final year of the Professional Masters of Education in Art & Design, and the voices of their post-primary pupils from classrooms across Cork. This exhibition explores the reciprocal nature of contemporary art teaching, where the teacher’s practice becomes a spark for new artistic interpretations and personal expression.

In the PME program, student teachers come from diverse artistic specializations, from painting and photography to sculpture and digital media. These unique practices promote the art experiences they create for their pupils, oMering insight into their processes, philosophies, and materials. In the classroom, these encounters lead to a fascinating phenomenon: the transfer and transformation of knowledge. Pupils take ownership of what they learn, reinterpreting the teacher’s artistic language into something uniquely their own.

Continuum showcases this creative dialogue, presenting both student teacher works and the resulting artworks by their pupils. The exhibition reveals how art teaching is not a one-way transaction but a collaborative process, where inspiration flows in both directions. Through this, the student teachers witness the surreal experience of their practices evolving in response to their pupils’ perspectives, adding another layer to their own understanding of art and pedagogy.

This exhibition stands as a testament to the powerful role of art education in developing not only creative outcomes but also relationships, identities, and the ways we understand and express the world around us.