Pádraig Naughton

Pádraig Naughton became Director of Arts & Disability Ireland in 2005.  A graduate of the National College of Art & Design, Dublin, he completed a degree in Craft Design majoring in ceramics in 1993.  While a student he developed a specialist interest art and visual impairment which lead to a two year residency at the Richard Attenborough Centre for Disability and the Arts, Leicester University (1994-96). 

In 1998 Pádraig completed PGCE (Post-Graduate Certificate in Education), Art & Design Teaching, at Bretton Hall College, University of Leeds West Yorkshire.  Returning to Ireland Pádraig established a studio practice focusing on tactile experimental sculpture and landscape drawing which resulted in a wide range of group and one person shows in Ireland, UK, Belgium and Japan. 

In 2003 Pádraig joined Equata, the Disability Arts Development Agency for South West England becoming its’ Artistic Director in 2004 and that year was also nominated by Arts Council England to the first Creative Cultural Leadership Programme developed by Dartington College of Arts and Exeter University. In 2007 Pádraig was elected to the board of directors of the Belfast based Arts & Disability Forum and is currently a member of the selection panel for the Arts & Disability Awards Ireland.