Cathal Dowd Smith is the Curator and Collections Manager of Newbridge House and Farm and Malahide Castle and Gardens. He holds a degree in the History of Art and Architecture and History from Trinity College Dublin. His current research interests are in the Irish country house and the architectural and landscape histories of the 18th and 19th centuries. Having worked at Newbridge for over a decade, he has published widely on different aspects of its history. Dowd Smith will introduce us to The Cobbe Cabinet of Curiosities, with which he has worked extensively.

This talk is part of “Entering the Wunderkammer,” a series of events and activities that brings together students, artists, and curators to engage with the wide range of topics raised by "cabinets of curiosity." These precursors to modern museums, first popularized in Renaissance Europe, will be the pivot point for lectures and workshops that will interrogate curation as art, art as research, and display as cultural language.

Bring a brown-bag lunch; refreshments will be available.

The Cobbe Cabinet of Curiosities, County Dublin, Ireland - photo credit Brian Cregan