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The Visual Artists’News sheet
May – June 2014
Editorial
Contents
WeLCOMe to the May / June edition of the Visual Artists News Sheet. VAI’s national networking and information day for visual artists and art workers – Get Together 2014 – takes place on Friday 23 May at the Irish Museum of Modern Art, Dublin. We introduce the day in a column on page 5; further details are included a full page notice on page 22 and there’s a focus on VAI Professional Development events at the Get Together on page 34. Don’t delay – book your place now at www.visualartists.ie. Another exciting upcoming opportunity is the 2014 DCC Arts Office / VAI Critical Art Writing Award – details on page 32 – and we report on the VAI inititatives ‘Early Days’ at MCAC, Portadown (1 March 2014) and the screening of !Women Art Revolution! This issue’s career development features include a ‘making it’ column from Belgian artist Els Borgart, now settled in Drogheda. Brendan Early and Ann Quinn, artists with very different practices, each offer career development accounts that stress how art making, rather than conscious planning, has directed their professional pathways. The concept of the artist-entrepreneur is tackled in Kate Oram’s outline of the Harnessing Creativity initiative. US researcher Susan Monagan outlines research on the activities, skill-sets and assets of cultural entrepreneurs in the West of Ireland. Donegal-based artists and art intstitutions (Artlink, Fiona Mulholland, Sarah Lewtas, Regional Cultural Centre Letterkenny, Earagail Arts Festival, Glebe Gallery) share their perspectives. Project case studies include an interview with Cecily Brennan about the making of her film The Devil’s Pool: Madness, Melancholia And the Artist Artist, which was supported by the Arts Council’s Reel Art Award and Sue Morris’s profile of her collaboration with Greg Mclaughlin and Stephen Baker, exploring issues around memory and historical record. Giving insight into institutional infrastructures, Cliodhna Shaffrey is interviewed about her new role as director of Temple Bar Gallery + Studios, Dublin. And adding an international perspective, Jonathan Carroll’s column highlights the absurdities and vanities of art fairs. The critique supplement features Dorothy Cross (RHA), Patrick Alte (Triskel), ‘Overworlds’ (Courthouse Ennistymon), Richard Gilligan (Copperhouse) and Robert Kelly (Droichead). Residency reports come from Saoirse Higgins, on her time at the Swatch Art Peace Hotel, Shanghai and Kim Mcaleese, who discusses a curatorial residency at Soma, Mexico City. Janice Hough announces the recommencement of IMMA’s residency programme. Catherine Harty talks to Mick O’Shea and Irene Murphy, directors / founders of The Guesthouse, Cork, an artist-led residency, meeting and production space. Rachael Gilbourne and Kate Strain discuss the exhibition they developed for the Dublin City Council / The Lab Emerging Curator Award 2013 / 2014. Lesley Cherry and Alissa Kleist, recipients of 2014 ACNI ACES Awards, outline their plans. Also on the topic of development and support, we include a profile of the innovative FIND project, a mentored series of public art projects for Castlebar. VAI’s West of Ireland Representative, Aideen Barry, highlights the contribution art world professionals make to third level visual arts education. As always, there is more – the roundup of recent exhibitions and public art projects, all the latest opportunities and news from the visual arts sector, and updates on recent VAI activities.
1. Cover: Locky Morris, Dead On, dead elm tree, audio, Brooke Park, Derry, VOID Sites Artists’ Gardens commission (December 2013 – Spring 2014). Photo Paola Bernardelli, treatment by Joe Coll (joeandco.ie) 5. Column. Be There. VAI Get Together 2014. 6. Column. Jonathan Carroll. Recalling Bocadillo-gate Bocadillo-gate. 5. Roundup. Recent exhibitions and projects of note. 7. Column. Els Borgart. Forwards & Backwards. 8. News. The latest developments in the visual arts sector. 8. VAi News. Visual Artists Ireland’s research, projects and campaigns. 9. Regional Profile. Donegal. Artlink, Fiona Mulholland, Sarah Lewtas, Regional Cultural Centre, Letterkenny, Earagail Arts Festival, Glebe Gallery. 12. Project Profile. Spark & Grit Grit. RGKSKSRG discuss the DCC / Lab Emerging Curator Award. 13. Research Profile. The Double Edged Sword Sword. Research on artist-entrepreneurs in the West. 14. Career Development. The Eye of the Storm. Ann Quinn charts the development of her painting practice. 15. Award Profile. Aces High. Lesley Cherry and Alissa Kleist on their ACNI ACES awards. 16. Career Development. Making & Momentum. Brendan Earley discusses the idea of an art career. 17. Project Profile. Stepping Across Boundaries. Sue Morris discusses ‘I Can Say This With Absolute Certainty. I Was There’, which explored issues around memory and historical record. 18. Residency. Scale & Difference. Saoirse Higgins on her residency at the Swatch Art Peace Hotel, Shanghai. 19. Critique supplement. Dorothy Cross, RHA; Patrick Altes, Triskel; ‘Overworlds’, Courthouse. Ennistymon; Richard Gilligan, Copperhouse Gallery; Robert Kelly, Droichead Arts Centre. 23. VAi Professional Development. Stepping Up. Adrian Colwell Reports On ‘Early Days’, A VAI Professional Development event held at MCAC , Portadown (1 March 2014). 23. VAi Activity. Plus Ça Change … VAI V ’S Screening of !Women Art Revolution! 24. How is it Made? Balancing Act. Cecily Brennan on The Devil’s Pool: Madness, Melancholia and the Artist 25. institution Profile. Years Of Possibility. Catherine Harty, Mick O’Shea and Irene Murphy in conversation about The Guesthouse, Cork. 26. Residency Programme. Space Of Activation. The re-commencment of IMMA’S residency programme. 27. Residency Report. Critical Margin. Kim Mcaleese on her curatorial residency at Soma, Mexico City. 28. Career Development. New Thinking / New Processes. Designer / maker Kate Oram outlines her experience of the Harnessing Creativiy inititive. 29. Profile. Create, Exhibit & Exchange. An interview with Cliodhna Shaffrey, the new director of TBG+S. 30. Art in Public Roundup. Commissions, site-specific works, socially engaged practice and other forms of art outside the gallery. 31. Art in Public Profile. Finders / Keepers. Gianna Tomasso profiles ‘Find’, a mentored series of public art projects for Castlebar 32. VAi West Of ireland Representative. Moving The Discourse. Aideen Barry highlights the importance of real world contexts and the contribution that art world professionals can make to visual arts education.
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33. Opportunities. Grants, awards, exhibition calls and commissions. 34. VAi Professional Development. Current and upcoming workshops, peer reviews and seminars. Production: Publications Manager: Jason Oakley. Assistant Editor: Lily Power. News & Opportunities: Niamh Looney. Invoicing: Bernadette Beecher.
Visual Artists Ireland
Contributors: Jonathan Carroll, Els Borgart, Rebecca Strain, Fiona Mulholland, Sarah Lewtas, Shaun Hannigan, Adrian Kelly, Rachael Gilbourne, Kate Strain, Eilis McDonald, Mark Durkan, Susan Monagan, Ann Quinn, Lesley Cherry, Alissa Kleist, Brendan Earley, Sue Morris, Saoirse Higgins, Fiona Woods, John Graham, Catherine Harty, Roisin Russell, Robert Kelly, Susan Campbell, Adrian Colwell, Áine Macken, Cecily Brennan,
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