THE POWER OF LOCAL A festival of art, food and culture in Ennistymon, 4th – 8th August 2011

THE POWER OF LOCAL

A festival of art, food and culture in Ennistymon, 4^th – 8^th August 2011

THE POWER OF LOCAL, a celebratory festival organized by the Courthouse Gallery will take place over a period of four days, August 4th - 8th, in various venues in Ennistymon. The festival will present art, film, live-performance, food, music, video, panel discussions, an open-air market, outdoor screenings, open studios and artist talks exploring the rich complexities of the local and the trans-local.

The Festival which we have named “THE POWER OF LOCAL”, is a collection of events exploring the potential and possibilities of the power of local by bringing together a range of thinkers and makers, producers and artists, organisations and businesses from local, national and international contexts to consider some of these questions.

Invited contributors include the artist group Liquid (Estonia), Dr. Igor Calzada, Associate Researcher at the Center for Basque Studies-University of Nevada, Reno (USA), Outrider Artists (Ireland), Ground Up Artists Collective (Ireland), The Trans-Local Condition, a programme of international artist films curated by Fiona Woods (Ireland) as well as local artists.

Everyone is local to somewhere; this festival is an opportunity to engage with the rich possibilities of ‘local’, to consider local as a way of taking action, producing culture and encountering difference in association with others.  Everyone is included. Of course, irrespective of how ‘local’ an event, or festival of events may be, the power of the arts to transcend geographical, political and cultural boundaries and barriers is internationally recognised and accepted. This ‘power’ will be recognised and celebrated in Ennistymon, August 4th – 8th, 2011.  The Festival THE POWER OF LOCAL is devised and directed by Trudi van der Elsen, curator/coordinator of the Courthouse Gallery.

General Program of the festival:
-Thursday (4th Aug) 8pm, Grand Opening in the Courthouse Gallery and an outdoor film screening “Seaside Stories” by Fergus Tighe in the Square.
-Friday (5th Aug) The Courthouse will host an international exhibition including a screening of Trans-Local Condition. Ennistymon town will have exhibitions and installations in many venues. 5pm: artist talk by Gareth Kennedy, admission free, all welcome.
-Saturday (6th Aug)The Courthouse will host an international exhibition including a screening of Trans-Local Condition. Ennistymon town will have exhibitions and installations in many venues. OPEN STUDIOS- The resident artists in the Courthouse welcome the public to see their work in progress, OUTDOOR MARKET of local crafts, food, music and community  information. PANEL DISCUSSION on The Power of Local at 5pm in the Courthouse Gallery. All welcome to contribute.
-Sunday (7th Aug) The Courthouse will host an international exhibition including a screening of Trans-Local Condition. Ennistymon town will have exhibitions and installations in many venues. OPEN STUDIOS- The resident artists in the Courthouse welcome the public to see their work in progress, OUTDOOR MARKET of local crafts, food, music and community  information.
-Monday (8th Aug) Peer Critique for Studio Artists with Dougal McKenzie