The Ark’s Vision & Mission

Our Founding Principles
The Ark’s vision, mission and values are inspired by Article 31 of the UN Convention on the Rights of The Child [1989] which was ratified by Ireland in 1992.
Article 31:

1. State Parties recognise the right of the child to rest and leisure, to engage in play and recreational activities appropriate to the age of the child and to participate freely in cultural life and the arts.
2. State Parties shall respect and promote the right of the child to participate fully in cultural and artistic life and shall encourage the provision of appropriate and equal opportunities for cultural, artistic, recreational and leisure activity.

Our Values
Our values are what we stand for. They guide and motivate our attitudes, behaviours and decision-making as we put children at the heart of everything we do. They can be shared and expressed by children, artists and staff alike.

• Dreaming Big.
• Having Fun.
• Thinking Ahead.
• Opening Hearts and Minds.
• Showing Kindness and Care.

About The Ark
The Ark is a dedicated cultural centre for children. We opened in 1995, three years after the Irish government ratified the UN Convention on the Rights of The Child (UNCRC), recognising the rights of children to “participate freely in cultural life and the arts”. The Ark was founded on the principle that children are entitled to great art made especially for them.

Our purpose is to realise children’s right to art and culture with ambition and joy. We do so by commissioning, producing and presenting fun and ambitious art for, by, with and about children from birth to age 12. Our work is also our advocacy.

We share the work of brilliant and daring Irish and international artists in our award-winning, purpose-designed home in the heart of Dublin’s Temple Bar, as well as in-person and online in schools, in libraries and in early years and care settings around Ireland. We seek to engage
children in the places and spaces and on the platforms that are meaningful to them. We often work in partnership with others as artistic collaborators or to advance the diversity and inclusivity of our engagement with children.

Child participation is at the heart of our practice. We work closely with our Children’s Council and have a robust model of child participation embedded across all of our programmes. Active and comprehensive consultation with children informs all our decision-making.

As firm advocates of children’s right to art and culture and as leaders in participatory practice, we regularly share our resources and knowledge with artists, educators and all those interested in child-centred arts practice. We also curate specific professional development opportunities for teachers and artists, and work with other like-minded organisations to advance children’s rights to art and culture as part of their learning and development.