About TCA
Tallaght Community Arts Centre opened to the public in July 1996, located in Virginia House, a restored 1837 farmhouse, near The Square Shopping Centre in Tallaght. In 2003, the Virginia House site was sold in order to generate funds for the development of a purpose built arts centre for South Dublin County, located near the Luas at Tallaght Cross.
Partnership
As an organisation we have established a number of long-term initiatives in the areas of cultural diversity, youth at risk, older citizens, people with disabilities as well as young emerging artists. We work in partnership with local and national agencies to foster sustainable community development with the arts playing a dynamic role in addressing the needs of Tallaght and the wider South Dublin County communities: geographically, culturally and socially. Our regular local partners include; South Dublin County Partnership, ACT (Active Citizen Together) Cheeverstown House, Dominic’s Community Centre, The Dyspraxia Association of Ireland, New Horizons, St John of God’s, St Michael’s House and both Clondalkin and Tallaght Traveller’s CDP’s.
We are cultural tenants at RUA RED South Dublin County Arts Center in Tallaght since 2009.
Our Approach
Participation
We place participation at the heart of our work. This enables us to actively explore ideas of who can be involved in the making of art. We bring people together to explore their creativity. We believe that by putting each individual at the centre of the creative process we can challenge, inform and transform. We often work with people not well represented in our society. We commission new works and seed projects across South Dublin County opening up the transforming power of the arts to a diverse group of participants and audiences. As a participatory arts organisation we create work in the heart of communities; in schools, community gardens, football stadiums and individual people’s homes – as well as in designated arts spaces.
Public Celebration
Our work nearly always invites the public to join us in sharing and celebrating and the work that participants have achieved working alongside artists. Participants have found that working with leading national and international artists has given them new skills and expanded horizons. Artists have in turn enhanced their own work.