Event
The Creative Well Curation Project presents In Courage an exhibition of artwork by contemporary Irish artists Maria McKinney, Pat Curran, Doireann Ni Ghrioghair and Mary Fitzgerald in The McKenna Gallery, Riverbank Arts Centre, Newbridge, from 3 – 27 May 2016. The exhibition is curated by Bairbe Sámh, Mary Crowe Trueman and Petrina Hanlon as part of the Creative Well Curation Project 2016.
The McKenna gallery is an art gallery situated down stairs at the Riverbank Arts Centre Newbridge. It is free admission and open to the public.
The curation project is an exciting new adventure in visual art in Kildare, bringing together a group of participants from the Creative Well project to curate a contemporary Irish art exhibition in their own locality.
In Courage is part of the Creative Well visual art programme of workshops, talks and exhibition at the Riverbank Arts Centre throughout May. These events, listed below, are aimed at those who are new to contemporary art as well as those who already engage with it, so if you’re interested but don’t have experience with art don’t worry and do come along!
See thecreativewell.weebly.com and www.facebook.com/kildareartsservice/ for more details. All bookings for talks and workshops can be made through Riverbank Arts Centre Box Office on 045 448327 or book directly at the box office in person. All bookings made online through www.riverbank.ie will incur a €1 booking fee.
Talks
Printmaking in contemporary art, Ireland
10am – 1pm. Monday 16 May, Riverbank Arts Centre Newbridge County Kildare.
Artists are drawn to printmaking because it can provide a language of marks, a richness of colour and depth and other unique characteristics that can’t be achieved in any other way. In using reproductive means while avoiding being reproduction, printmaking is unique in that it manages to be both original artwork and multiple at the same time. This event will look at printmaking in contemporary Irish Visual Art.
Artists Emma Finucane, Louise Peat and Chloe Brennan will talk about their practice and open up questions about contemporary printmaking in Ireland today. There will be open discussion between the artists and audience, chaired by Carolann Courtney (Arts and Wellbeing specialist in Kildare County Council).
The human figure in contemporary visual art in Ireland
Artist talks and open discussion with artists Dominic Thorpe, Mel French and Aideen Barry
10am – 1pm. Monday 23 May, Riverbank Arts Centre Newbridge
Images and representations of the human body are found in art all the way back to prehistoric carvings and cave paintings. This event will look at that history and introduce some of the ways the human figure is represented in Irish visual art today.
Artists Dominic Thorpe, Mel French and Aideen Barry each work with the human figure in varied and diverse ways. They will talk about their artwork and raise questions about the aesthetics and politics of representing the human body in contemporary art.
There will also be open discussion between the artists and audience, chaired by Carolann Courtney (Arts and Wellbeing specialist in Kildare County Council).
Workshops
Free three-day drawing workshop for adults: 10am to 1pm on 5, 6 and 7 May 2016
Over three days’ artist Dominic Thorpe will bring participants through many fun exercises that introduce and explore various exciting ways of drawing, for example: expressive drawing, observational drawing, representational drawing and gestural drawing. On Friday 6 May we will work with a professional model to explore drawing the human figure.
All materials will be provided.
We encourage those who can attend all three days to book a place, however if you want to come along and can’t attend all three days do get in touch.
Admission is free – however booking is essential!
Free three-day printmaking workshop for adults: 10am to 1pm on 12, 13, and 14 May
Over three days’ artist Emma Finucane will bring participants through the monoprint, and drypoint printmaking process.
Drypoint is one of the simplest forms of Intaglio printing, the artist works directly on to the plate to create scratched surface that can then be printed multiple times. Participants will create their own plate and learn how to print on a small Etching press. Monoprint is a single impression of an image made from a reprintable plate. Participants will explore monoprint through a combination of techniques e.g. drawing materials and fabric, collage and frottage, combining the spontaneity of printed inks and paper, creating a surface that is unlike any other art.
Contact Carolann Courtney, Kildare’s Arts and Wellbeing Specialist on 045 448316 / 083 1709589 for further information.
