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Photo credit: RCSI/Maxwell Photography
Case Study:
Women on Walls at RCSI
Title of Exhibition
Women on Walls at RCSI
Date
March 5, 2019
Venue(s)
Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland
Scope of work
In early 2019, we worked closely with both the Royal College of Surgeons Ireland (RCSI) and Business to Arts, providing storage, transport, de-install and installation services. A total of 8 large scale portraits from the Women on Walls at RCSI commissioning project were placed in short-term storage in our warehouse facilities. Once bespoke framing was ready for these significant portraits, we provided dedicated transport from our Swords facility to framers as well as further storage until they were ready to be delivered and installed in RCSI.
Due to the space constraints within the historic RCSI Board Room and the scale of the works to be installed, the deinstall of existing artworks was a significant part of the installation process. Given the height of the room and the type of existing hanging mechanism in use (long chains and hooks), a mobile access tower was constructed to unhook the existing artworks and pass them down to ground level by our team of technicians. Working closely with RCSI staff, the location, spacing and heights for new artworks was determined; chains were then repositioned, and the new portraits were carefully installed at an average height of 4 meters, using either S or J hooks.
Description of Exhibition
On 5 March 2019, RCSI, Accenture and Business to Arts unveiled a series of new portraits of historical female leaders in healthcare at RCSI. Women on Walls at RCSI in partnership with Accenture recognises the pioneering achievements of a group of eight extraordinary women and aims to enhance the visibility of historical female leaders in healthcare to inspire future generations and to create a lasting cultural legacy for Ireland. The portraits hang in the Board Room of RCSI’s historic building on St Stephen’s Green. The following artists have completed their commissions, creating a series of eight individual portraits:
| Commissioned Artist | Subject |
| Benita Stoney | Dr Margaret (Pearl) Dunlevy (1909 – 2002) |
| Catherine Creaney | Dr Barbara Maive Stokes (1922 – 2009) |
| Enda Griffin | Sr Dr Maura Lynch (1938 – 2017) |
| Mick O’Dea | Dr Emily Winifred Dickson (1866 – 1944) |
| Mick O’Dea | Dr Mary Somerville Parker Strangman (1872 – 1943) |
| Molly Judd | Dr Victoria Coffey (1911 – 1999) |
| Molly Judd | Dr Mary Josephine Hannan (1859 – 1936) |
| William Nathans | Dean Mary Frances Crowley (1906 – 1990) |
For more information on the artists and the eight women, please visit: women.rcsi.com
Testimonial
“Throughout the course of our engagement with Maurice Ward Art Handling, Antoinette Emoe and her team communicated in a clear and timely manner, asked thoughtful questions during our project planning meeting which demonstrated their experience and expertise as well as swiftly and carefully transported and installed RCSI’s eight new portraits. We would gladly work with Maurice Ward again on future projects”
Dr Avril Hutch, Associate Director – Head of Equality, Diversity and Inclusion at RCSI.
Installation Team: Royal College of Surgeons Ireland, Business to Arts and Maurice Ward Art Handling (Photo credit: RCSI/Maxwell Photography)
