The Visual Artists’ News Sheet
32
September – October 2015
profile
public art roundup
A Good Start
Public Art
carmel david profiles start studios, mohill, co. leitrim
public art commissions, site-specific works, socially engaged practice and other forms of art outside the gallery. Oppositions
StArt Studios, Mohill, Co. Leitrim
each other, accentuating the hallway and ramp of the Regina House Community Nursing Unit in Kilrush, Co. Clare. The concept process was collaborative, ensuring that the HSE and management were involved in creating the look of the art. By focusing on a colour scheme the artwork maximizes the healing and uplifting power of colour. The smooth curvilinear motif reflects the seas near Kilrush and the hills of Co. Clare, ‘bringing in’ the landscapes of Clare to remind patients / users of the environment it is situated in while softening the look of the interior space. It also highlights the fact that a healthy environment is essential for health and wellbeing.
the artist’s armada
Furniture at StArt Studios, Mohill, Co. Leitrim
Garden at StArt Studios, Mohill, Co. Leitrim
StArt Studios Ltd is a new arts venture in Mohill, County Leitrim, which offers attractive workspaces to professional artists, with residential and membership options. Rates are at subsidised levels, and include storage space and shared use of a large multi-purpose venue at no extra cost. There is workspace and accommodation for more than 10 artists. The studios are offered to professional artists and those developing their art careers. The studio premises were purchased in February and superficial refurbishment works – cleaning and repairs – began in March to make the property ready. The building is 150 years old and had been largely vacant for the last 10 years. It possesses the charming character you might expect from a period property, offering artists stylish, spacious workspaces, filled with natural light. The workspaces are equipped with furniture that’s both stylish and very practical for artists’ purposes. StArt Studios are located near Carrick-onShannon town, in the pretty town of Mohill, which is just off the main N4 road, the Sligo to Dublin route. It’s a comfortable two-hour drive from Dublin City. The studios are also easily accessible by train. The premises were originally a national school, managed by nuns who developed a convent around the existing school. By all accounts the place had a relatively happy history, and the atmosphere there is very tranquil. In the Celtic Tiger years, developers, who intended to build over 60 apartments on the site, purchased the property, but the development never happened. StArt Studios have been fully embraced locally, and has already staged workshops and an art exhibition as part of the Mohill Arts and Cultural Festival. There is still plenty of work to be done and, because the building is listed, the planning processes involved are more time consuming and must ensure that proper restoration takes place. Spaces are available now and open days for artists interested in seeing the studios began in August. Visits and tours of the studios can be ar-
ranged by appointment. The charming character of the studios is what makes StArt particularly attractive: the natural light, high ceilings and the element of a retreat: the mature gardens surrounded by large trees. These provide a combination of elements to nurture many artist lifestyles. Leitrim is known as a very vibrant region for the arts, with an excellent arts office in Carrick-onShannon. Our studios would certainly be a good place to start for any artist considering relocation to a rural hub. Mohill town features an impressive bronze monument by the sculptor Oisín Kelly, depicting the blind harpist Turlough O’Carolan (1670 – 1738), who lived nearby. Oisín Kelly is also famous for his striking monument of Jim Larkin, situated in O’Connell Street, Dublin. StArt Studios Ltd has an impressive arts venue in the old chapel, which is shared by studio artists and can cater for all kinds of shows, with seating for 100 people. Further facilities will be developed to suit studio artists. We currently facilitate a textile artist who also works with ceramics and fused glass, and print artists who share a fine printing press. There is no doubt that StArt Studios will go from strength to strength and provide artists with a unique workspace experience. It is a good time to consider visiting the studios and artists interested in working here will find us friendly and professional hosts. Detailed information about everything the studios have to offer – including studio sizes, rental rates and an overview of our ongoing activities – can be found at startstudios.ie and on the StArt Studios Ltd Facebook page. For artists who want to visit StArt Studios Ltd, please contact facilitator@startstudios.ie or phone 0719632583. Carmel David Studio Facilitator, StArt Studios startstudios.ie
Artist: Ed Walshe Title of work: Oppositions Commissioning body: Longford County Council Partners: Longford Fire Station Date advertised: January 2015 Date sited / carried out: July 2015 Budget: €8000 Brief description: Walshe’s work comprises five pyramids, coated in ceramic tiles, depicting the age-old battle between fire and water. The angular, spiked profiles hint at the danger that fire-fighters face on every callout.
healing hills
Artist: Francis Lanuza Title of work: Healing Hills Commissioning body: HSE Estates, Limerick Date advertised: 2014 Date sited /carried out: May 2015 (completed in 3 weeks) Budget: €4,000 Commission type: Tender Project Partners: EMF Construction, Kilrush & The Kodak Store, Castlebar Brief description: The artwork, in acrylic, is a series of 12 x 76 x 61cm paintings that flow into
Artists: Seoidín O’Sullivan / Floating Dialogues, Carl Giffney, Andreas Kindler Von Knobloch & Ann Maria Healy / Bravo Seratonin, Barry Lynch & Conor Stafford / Skiff, Mark Redden & team from Cumann Currach Ath Cliath, Andrew Kötting and Iain Sinclair / Swandown, Kathryn Maguire / Us Again and Gareth Kennedy / Fan Nóiméad’ (Wait a Minute). Title: The Artist’s Armada Commissioning body: Dublin City Council and Waterways Ireland Date sited: Grand Canal Dock, Dublin, 25 July 2015 Brief description: ‘The Artist’s Armada’ was curated by Anne Mullee. The project sought to unite works by artists working with boats, rafts and watercraft, whether through building, sailing or otherwise engaging with the element of water as voyagers and explorers. The artists formed a flotilla, the ‘Armada’, which took place at Dublin’s Grand Canal Dock, the confluence of waterways serving the interior and coastal areas of our island nation. ‘The Artist’s Armada’ offered an intersection for ideas to collide and exchange, sparking new dialogues and reclaiming this site for artistic endeavour.