Take advantage of the weather cooling off to enjoy an art exhibition near you this summer.
Irish Craft Heroes – 50 Makers x 50 Years
Ending on Tuesday, this major exhibition celebrating half a century of Irish craft coincides with the 50th Anniversary of the Design and Craft Council Ireland (DCCI). An outdoor touring exhibition (currently at Fota House in Cork and then moving to Belfast having been in Kilkenny, Dublin and Galway over the past year) charts the evolution of the craft and design sector in Ireland. The Design and Crafts Council of Ireland invited its members, partners and the wider sector to nominate their Irish Craft Hero, and the result pays homage to the 50 craft makers whose work has contributed to our rich arts and craft heritage, from 600 nominations. Featured are basket weaver Joe Hogan, furniture maker Joseph Walsh, and late ceramicists Sonja Landweer and John Ffrench, all of whom have raised the profile of Irish craft and design internationally.
What Colour is Metal?
Running until this Wednesday, the What Colour is Metal? show at Dublin Castle looks at the relationship between metal and colour in contemporary silversmithing and jewellery with the use of chemicals and/or heat. It also examines the changes in assay regulations which have “allowed a freer approach to combining precious and base metals within a single work”, and investigates the application of colour in architectural practice.
Country Gardens and Walled Garden Art at the Irish Georgian Society
It’s the final week to catch In Harmony with Nature, the Irish Country House Gardens exhibition at the City Assembly House in Dublin which ends on Friday, July 29th. Organised by the Irish Georgian Society, the show “will explore the history of the Irish country house garden using paintings, engravings and photographs as well as film and other media, creating an exciting, engaging and informative experience”.
Running alongside the exhibition is Stepping Through the Gate: Inside Ireland’s Walled Gardens, curated by Robert O’Byrne, which features specially commissioned paintings of Irish walled gardens by four leading artists. Lesley Fennell, Andrea Jameson, Maria Levinge and Alison Rosse have created 50 specially commissioned paintings for the show. All four artists are keen gardeners with an in-depth knowledge of plants.
Both shows will be of interest to those with a penchant for gardens and gardening, and coincide with a new book Digging New Ground, the Irish Country House Garden 1650-1900, published by the Irish Georgian Society and edited by Finola O’Kane and Robert O’Byrne.
Botanical art at the Crawford Gallery
Currently exhibiting until September at the Crawford Gallery in Cork, is Botanica: The Art of Plants, which examines how artists have over time represented gardens, flowers, herbs and trees through the use of a number of mediums. It also examines our relationship with plants, how the pandemic underscored millennials’ increasing interest in caring for house plants, the medicinal qualities of plants and poses the question: can trees speak?
Also at the Crawford is the “eye-catching, thought-provoking and mouth-watering in equal measure”, Meat and Potatoes exhibition, with works by historic and contemporary artists, which runs until November.
Organised into three sections, Bread, Meat and Potatoes, the food-focused art includes video, still life and installations that consider, “the politics and concerns that have shaped perspectives on food right up to our present moment”.
Made in Ireland
A further touring exhibition, currently at Farmleigh Gallery in Dublin until September, is Made in Ireland, which celebrates Ireland’s studio crafts. With over 110 artisans, who have honed their skills to create coveted objects – some of whom will be the Irish craft heroes of tomorrow – the exhibition showcases the exceptional skills of Irish crafts people. The Design and Crafts Council of Ireland held an open call for submissions, and an expert panel whittled the 420 nominations down to a manageable number for touring. Works include furniture making by Paul O’Brien, Joshua Gabriel and Mark Hanvey, glass by Jerpoint Glass Studio, Scott Benefield and Peadar Lamb, while works in willow will be offered by Ciaran Hogan, Hanna Van Aeist and David Purcell.
Exhibitors include makers of international renown as well as young, emerging artists and those who have practised quietly in areas of the country such as Clare Island, west Cork and the north Antrim Coast.
Grainne Watts who works in clay is also featured. Watts made headlines when her ‘Bindu’ stoneware and Ming porcelain work, which she executed in 2019, achieved €14,092 (including premium) at a Bonham’s London sale in 2019.
A similar work divides two dining sections in Chapter One, the Michelin starred restaurant on Parnell Square in Dublin. The award winning restaurant established a Project Art scheme in 2011, an initiative to promote the work of young and emerging artists in Ireland. The collection amassed over the past decade is impressive and testament to the culinary establishment’s support for the arts in Ireland.
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