Seán Larkin facts for kids

Seán Larkin was born in 1949 in Dublin, Ireland. He is a talented art expert who has worked as an art curator and a teacher of art.

He has held important jobs at many art schools in Ireland. For example, he was the director of the Dún Laoghaire School of Art and Design. Seán Larkin has spent a lot of time working in Sligo and his hometown of Dublin.

Growing Up and Learning About Art

Seán Larkin was born in 1949 in Dublin. His mother was Anne Larkin and his father was Diarmuid Larkin. Diarmuid was also an Irish artist and art teacher. Seán followed in his father's footsteps.

Seán studied at the National College of Art and Design in Dublin. He finished his studies there in 1973.

His Career in Art

Seán Larkin started his career in a leadership role in 1978. He helped guide art education in Ireland. He was the head of a group that looked at how art students did their research. This group advised a council called HETAC, which helped with higher education.

Larkin also worked as an examiner for HETAC. He helped check the quality of art programs and student work.

Leading Art Departments

From 1998 to 2004, Seán Larkin was the head of the Art and Design Department. This was at the Dún Laoghaire Institute of Art, Design and Technology (IADT). During this time, he explored a style of art called abstract expressionism. This style uses colors and shapes to show feelings, not realistic pictures.

Before this, he was the head of the Humanities Department. This was at the Atlantic Technological University Sligo. He also worked with art collections from public and private groups. One of these was the Arts Council Collection, Ireland.

From 2005 to 2012, Larkin was the head of the School of Creative Arts at IADT.

Working with Art Galleries and Festivals

In 2016, Seán Larkin joined The Model, Sligo. This is an art gallery and cultural center. He said his time there helped him keep exploring new ideas in art. He has also shown his own art at the Hamilton Gallery in Sligo.

Seán Larkin is currently the chairman of the Sligo International Choral Festival. He joined the board in 2012 and quickly became a leader. For World Homeless Day in 2016, Larkin invited the High Hopes Choir to the festival. This was Ireland's first choir made up of people who were homeless.

In 2020, Larkin chose the artworks for an online exhibition called Water. This show was put on by ArtNetdlr, a network for artists in the Dún Laoghaire area.