Accenture’s Women on Walls at DCU Unveils Portraits of Inspirational Female Leaders in Celebration of International Women’s Day

A collection of commissioned portraits of five inspirational females from the world of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) will be unveiled at the virtual launch of Accenture’s Women on Walls at DCU in celebration of International Women’s Day (today, Monday, March 8th).

Accenture’s Women on Walls at DCU

In collaboration with Accenture and Business to Arts, the portraits are in recognition of the ground-breaking work of Beatrice Alice Hicks, Katherine Johnson, Dr Marie Maynard Daly and Irish duo Kay McNulty and Dame Kathleen Lonsdale.

All five are regarded as pioneers in STEM by making significant contributions in their specific discipline through outstanding research work, scientific breakthroughs and playing an instrumental role in bringing about cultural and social change.

Beatrice Alice Hicks was the First President of the Society of Women Engineers; Katherine Johnson was the first African-American woman to work as a NASA scientist; Dr Marie Maynard Daly was the first African-American woman in the US to earn a PhD in Chemistry; Donegal born Kay McNulty was one of the world’s first Computer Programmers while Dame Kathleen Lonsdale, who hailed from Newbridge, Co Kildare was the first female Professor of University College London (UCL).

The portraits will be unveiled at a virtual event with DCU President Professor Daire Keogh, Managing Director and Head of Inclusion & Diversity at Accenture in Ireland Dr Michelle D. Cullen and Chief Executive of Business to Arts Andrew Hetherington.

The launch will feature a specially commissioned documentary which followed each artist as they worked on their portrait in the midst of COVID-19, giving viewers an in-depth look behind the scenes along with unique insights, details and stories about each of the subjects. A panel discussion, with all five artists, moderated by award winning journalist and broadcaster Dearbhail McDonald is also part of the event.

This is the third chapter of Accenture’s Women on Walls, a campaign that seeks to make women leaders visible through a series of commissioned portraits that will create a lasting cultural legacy for Ireland. The campaign commenced in 2016 with the Royal Irish Academy, and a second chapter with RCSI was unveiled in 2019.

The DCU chapter was completed by five award-winning and renowned artists last year, and in the midst of COVID-19 which has impacted significantly on all sections of society, including the arts. DCU, renowned for its commitment to gender equality, is particularly pleased to support the initiative, to publicly commit to programming of the arts across the university and to pledge support to the arts sector as it charts its way through this global pandemic.

Commenting on the virtual unveil, the President of DCU, Professor Daire Keogh said,

“These stunning portraits are a tribute to female trailblazers, who pushed out the frontiers of their respective fields. By celebrating these pioneers, we remind our students, and female students in particular, that ‘there are no limits’. Thanks to the extraordinary creativity of our acclaimed artists, these five women will continue to inspire future generations at DCU.”

Dr Michelle D. Cullen, Managing Director and Head of Inclusion & Diversity, Accenture in Ireland said,

“We are delighted to unveil Accenture’s Women on Walls at DCU, the third chapter of the campaign that we created in 2016 in response to the very simple question, where are the women? Not only does Women on Walls enhance the visibility of women who shaped the world that we live in today, as a way to inspire young girls and boys, students, and society as a whole, but it continues to support Ireland’s arts sector. These astonishing portraits are a remarkable reminder of the vital role Ireland’s portrait artists play in shaping the future.”

Andrew Hetherington, Chief Executive of Business to Arts added,

“We are privileged to support Accenture’s Women on Walls at DCU portraiture commission. While COVID-19 has presented challenges for the completion of this edition of Women on Walls, they have been overcome, and we are proud to be able to unveil these five portraits created by some of Ireland’s leading portrait artists. We are equally proud to support DCU, who are continually building their reputation for programming of the arts. Commissioning artists to create new work is one of the vital ways businesses and other organisations can support the arts during and beyond the pandemic.”

The commissioned portraits will be temporarily installed in the Stokes Building at DCU before eventually moving to the Future-Tech building, under construction at the university’s Glasnevin Campus. This flagship building will be at the forefront of DCU’s international reputation for excellence in science, computing and engineering disciplines.

To view the virtual unveil of Accenture’s Women on Walls at DCU, Monday, March 8th, 1.00PM go to dcu.ie/womenonwalls

Follow the conversation at #womenonwalls