Cróna brings a multitude of experience to her lecturing role in the Department of Design & Creative Media at ATU. A graduate of Limerick School of Art & Design; Ulster University and Central Saint Martins, UAL London, she has worked in a variety of roles within the creative industries – graphic designer, art director, project manager, curator and community engagement specialist. Central to her work is a passion for people, placing the needs of the end user at the centre of all creative solutions.
Whilst running a successful commercial gallery in Dublin’s cultural quarter she represented over 250 artists nationally and internationally and was responsible for an extensive programme of exhibitions and outreach activities. Having added spatial design skills to her credentials through her MA, Cróna worked with leading architects and councils on some of the largest regeneration projects in London at the time, ensuring the views of the community and key stakeholders were considered in the final designs/strategic plans.
Cróna taught on the BA (Hons) Interior and Spatial Design at Chelsea School of Art & Design (UAL) and the MA in Narrative Environments, Central Saint Martins (UAL) before returning to her native Donegal to commence her roles at ATU and OD Design.
In 2020 Cróna began a PhD exploring the role of the studio space in creative tertiary education.
Publications, Presentations and Projects:
Digitally Enhanced Learning, Annual Conference, hosted by Parsons School of Design, New York
In September 2019, Cróna delivered an interactive session exploring the what the physical design studio represent to educators, how is this translated online?https://www.digitallyengagedlearning.net/2020/schedule/
Learning Teaching & Student Experience Annual Conference 2018 and 2022
In April 2018, Cróna and her colleague Dr. Tena Patten presented the design thinking/creative process they developed for first year design students at LYIT – UNIQUE, which divides the creative process into the six stages of Understand, Needs, Ideas, Quick prototyping, User testing and Evaluation. They presented this process in action at the 2022 conference.
DICE_TY
Successfully secured funding for the last 4 years to run Creativity and Entrepreneurship project for 100 Transition Year students. DICE_TY Academy, brought together 100 Transition Year students from around Donegal both on campus and virtually to participate in a different design challenge each year.
Brand New | Old Quarter
Collaboration each year between Letterkenny Cathedral Quarter and all first-year design students to encourage more engagement in the area. One group’s proposal from 2018 was realised through a further collaboration with UV Arts and their mural was unveiled in October 2019.
Telling Stories Differently – creating compelling visitor experiences
Eager to ensure their museum and showcase remain relevant and at the cutting edge of visitor experience, Volkswagen Autostadt commissioned Central Saint Martins to conduct a thorough investigation into the future of museums and interactive installations.
In 2015, UN member states agreed to 17 global Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to end poverty, protect the planet and ensure prosperity for all. This person’s work contributes towards the following SDG(s):
