Ennistymon Courthouse Gallery and Studios

Cyclops - New work by Ben Reilly

2012-01-09T16:57:00.002Z

An exhibition of Sculptures and Prints

Cyclops

New work by Ben Reilly

JAN 14 – FEB 9, 2012, OPENING Saturday 14^TH January at 2pm

Cyclopes:
One eyed monstrous creatures in Greek mythology that stumbled around eating humans and generally causing a lot of disturbance. “Recently I found myself in a similar situation in terms of the stumbling around and with only one eye bit after being diagnosed with Glaucoma. Some of the work in this exhibition especially the more recent pieces are influenced by this latest development”. Ben Reilly

Terrascope, an exhibition of paintings, drawings and ceramics by Jackie Maurer and Fiona Woods

2012-01-09T16:39:00.001Z

Terrascope, an exhibition of paintings, drawings and ceramics

New work by Jackie Maurer and Fiona Woods

in The Red Couch Space at the Courthouse Gallery

JAN 14 – FEB 9, 2012, OPENING Saturday 14^TH January at 2pm

The title of the exhibition is made up of two words, terra and scope, chosen to mark out the common ground that exists between the work of these very different artists. Terra refers to the physical substance of earth, but also to the planet as a political and geographical entity. Scope is associated with a particular kind of looking that weighs up and assesses, but it also suggests a broad, sweeping gaze.

Terrascope:
Jackie Maurer works with porcelain, an earthly substance which she transforms into fine and delicate forms. A skilled ceramicist, she has developed a way of incorporating colour and pattern into the clay itself, so that it does not sit on the surface but is integral to the form. She pushes the forms that she makes to the very limit, playing with curves and edges in a way that invites close scrutiny.

Fiona Woods is showing her first body of paintings and drawings for over ten years. Drawing on references both historical and contemporary, Woods has constructed a set of small and playful works, multi-layered images that respond to the world as a socio-geographical unfolding (or enfolding), in which a colonial and post-colonial history is still playing out.

Christmas celebration at the Courthouse Gallery

2011-12-19T17:40:00.001Z

We would like to thank everybody who supported us here in the Courthouse Gallery during the year and we would like to wish you all a Happy and Peaceful Christmas & a C r e a t i v e New Year 2012.

Kathryn, Daire, Crissie, Trudi

Story Of A Life, Noirin Mooney

2011-12-01T15:45:00.000Z

Story Of A Life

Batik paintings

Noirin Mooney

Dec 3^rd – Jan 7^th

Story Of A Life

2011-11-28T11:05:00.001Z

STORY OF A LIFE

Exhibition

of Batik paintings

by

Noirin Mooney

Dec 3 - Jan 7

with accompanying book Launch

and you are warmly invited to the opening

on Saturday Dec 3^rd at 4pm

The exhibition will be opened by

Denis Crosby

Nollaig Shona Dhuit

Better known as a painter in oils, Noirin Williams Mooney was drawn to painting in batik when she came to live in the Burren in Co.Clare in the late 1960's. The colour and crackle of the landscape seemed to lend itself to the medium. It enabled her to explore the imaginative and mythological rather than purely landscape aspects of the Burren.

For the past thirty years she has been exhibiting extensively in her first love, oils. Prior to the death of her youngest son, Brecan, in November, 2009, she had already been drawn back to painting in batik and had begun to work on a Life of Jesus. Brecan’s death gave the work a new impetus. The fourteen pieces in ‘STORY OF A LIFE’ cover some of the main events, parables and miracles in Christ's life. Noirin has created this series of batiks during a time of deep reflection. They have taken some two years to complete.

”Illustrated depictions of birth life death and resurrection of Jesus Christ are often overly somber. I think the ‘good news’ should lend itself to a more joyous expression using the medium of Batik painting. In ‘STORY OF A LIFE’ I use the medium of Batik painting which lends itself to a richness of colour and hopefully the accompanying quotations in the book will give a meditative quality to the exhibition as a whole.”

Trasna II

2011-11-28T10:57:00.000Z

Trasna II

an exhibition of postcard-sized works by national and international artists.

December 2^nd - January 7^th 2012

Trasna II opens Fri 2^nd at 7pm

To encourage you to share in this event there will be a wine reception and a humorous auction on the opening night Friday 2^nd at 7pm. Members of the public are invited to come early and place bids on their favourite pieces before the auction begins at 8pm.

The pieces will be auctioned by Chris Wallis and Sarah Fuller

There is a reserve price of €40 on each work.

This is a silent auction, meaning artists are anonymous until after works are purchased.

This is a wonderful opportunity to purchase original artworks as gifts for loved ones in the upcoming festive season.

Trasna II will run in conjunction with our Christmas show –

Story Of A Life

Batic paintings by Noirin Mooney

3 Instrument Makers

2011-11-11T12:03:00.000Z

3 Instrument Makers

19^th – 26^th Nov.

open 11am – 4pm daily (inc Sun)

Featuring the crafted instruments of

Harp Paul Dooley

Flute Martin Doyle

Uilleann Pipes Davy Spillane

Official opening

by Patrick McCormack

on Saturday 19^th November at 4pm

November 19^th - 26^th 2011

open 11am-4pm daily (incl Sun)

In conjunction with the year of the craft the 3 Instrument Makers exhibition will offer the visitor a multi media experience featuring the musical instruments crafted by Paul Dooley, Martin Doyle and Davy Spillane as well as selected recordings of their music.

All three are internationally acclaimed artists who live within a ten mile radius of Ennistymon and were invited to partake in this exhibition which aims to honour and acknowledge their work.

Included in this exhibition will be audio interviews and a 15 minute commissioned film by ‘Packmule Films’ - Dylan Phillips and Marcus Campbell, documenting each of the musicians at work in their workshops

Photographer Christy McNamara, well known for his photographs of traditional musicians will be collaborating in this exhibition with a series of commissioned photographs.

Paul Dooley is one of the leading exponents of the Irish harp in its historical form and style, having studied the construction of medieval Irish harps in Dublin during the early 1980s. He started his performing career on the metal-strung harp in 1986 and has appeared on numerous CD recordings and television soundtracks his latest recording is called The Harpers Fancy.

In 2005 Martin Doyle moved from Bray to Co. Clare, where from his workshop he makes flutes for musicians worldwide. His love of flute making carries an aspiration for the progression of the craft,

“I like to strive to transcend my capacities and therefore my results. It’s important to me that the contemporary flutes keep evolving and giving us new horizons — that is the real joy of this work! My feeling is that we should never stop striving for the better good in any field of endeavour.”

In the mid '70's Davy Spillane started his uilleann pipe making apprenticeship with Johnny Burke in Bray Co. Wicklow and by 1988 Davy had made his own set of uilleann pipes with Johnny. These pipes are made of sterling silver, African blackwood, ebony and ivory. 1988 being the Millennium Year in Dublin, all the silver parts were individually hallmarked in Dublin Castle and received the Millennium hallmark unique to that year. This is the instrument that Davy has played on all his recordings and performances from when they were made to the present time. This is the instrument that is on display.

In conjunction with North Clare Historical Society there will be a lecture in the gallery on Monday 21^st at 8pm by Eugene Lambe, collector of tunes and stories from County Clare.

Submission Deadline

2011-11-09T17:33:00.000Z

REMINDER

Deadline for Trasna II submission is 25th November!

A5 postcard submissions from artists should be a maximum postcard size

20 x 15 cm in any medium. Please send us an email to request an application form to trasnasubmission@gmail.com and both should be mailed or hand delivered to:

Attn : Trasna II submission,

The Courthouse Gallery,

Parliament street,

Ennistymon,

Co. Clare.

Trasna II

2011-11-04T13:54:00.000Z

What is Trasna II?

Trasna II is the second year of an exhibition of postcard sized art works that runs in conjunction with the Christmas exhibition at the Courthouse Gallery. The artists involved are both national and international and all of the works are no bigger than the size of a postcard. All of the works involved will be included in our silent auction where the starting bid will be no less than €40 (a standard 25% gallery commision applies).

Trasna II is an open theme and gives emerging artists a great opportunity to show their work in an exhibition alongside some established artists. Submission is free! And you also have a chance to sell your work.

How do I submit?

A5 postcard submissions from artists should be a maximum postcard size

20 x 15 cm in any medium. Deadline for submission is 25th November!

Please send us an email to request an application form to trasnasubmission@gmail.com and both should be mailed or hand delivered to:

Attn : Trasna II submission,

The Courthouse Gallery,

Parliament street,

Ennistymon,

Co. Clare.

What now?

You can find us on facebook and LIKE The Courthouse Gallery

and follow the latest developments and see how the exhibition is coming along!

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Ennistymon-Courthouse-Gallery/141902905688

Bábushkas & Bábochkas

2011-11-02T11:38:00.000Z

Tessa O’Connor - 'Bábushkas & Bábochkas'

A selection of prints & stained glass

OCT 21 to NOV 16

Tessa O'Connor studied Fine Art Printmaking in LSAD and graduated in 2009. She has been living and working in Russia and Belarus for the past year. This work draws on the style of Russian iconography and folk art from the 17th and 18th centuries that she was able to experience first hand in the archives and museums of St Petersburg and the villages of Belarus. The body of work is in lino prints and stained glass.

"My work is a testament to the people that I have met in the orphanages and adult institutions in Belarus and the caring friendships between them. These people are often pushed to the shadows of the country. In the works 'Bábushkas & Bábochkas' I am attempting to depict them in the place of respect that I feel they deserve. They have a warmth and strength that amazes me."

They have Eyes

2011-10-12T16:20:00.000+01:00

“They have Eyes”

an installation by Elaine Byrne

and Photographs by Nuala O’Sullivan

OCT 21 – NOV 16

Official opening Friday October 21^st at 8 pm

In her work Elaine Byrne enquirers whether there is complicity between the object and the subject, with a tension that affects fear, desire, reality and memory, in creating what the viewer actually sees but contemplating the idea that seeing is a reciprocal activity. In her process, Byrne suggests that the articulation of fear and of tension within the banal is a position where the repeated story or word both articulates and realises the sentiment, that a picture rooted in a childhood past can evoke the memory of an irrational fear that though adult eyes contains no threat . In the exhibition “They have Eyes”, immediately the question ‘who or what are they’ is asked – anxious looking around to see where ‘they or it’ follows.

Through with video, photography and installation Byrne investigates the state of the inner psyche, focusing on the notion multi layered identity. In examining this she looks at the experiences which shaped us – exploring the psychoanalytic model of the human personality, in which stories and memories carry important messages to the conscious and the unconscious mind. She is interested in memory’s role, including the collective unconscious memory – in helping us accept the problematic nature of life without being defeated by it.

Elaine completed a MA in Visual Arts Practices in 2009, and had solo exhibitions in Dublin, London and Mexico. She has been awarded the Arts council Travel and Training award (2010) and the Cultural Ireland travel award ( 2010 and 2011) .

In ‘They have Eyes’

Nuala O’Sullivan shows photographs which explore themes relating to identity and self image. They question how the mass media influence our self-image today and also consider the background and unseen financial forces that often manipulate how we see ourselves and how we spend our money.

In this series of photographs she is using paper dolls cut from the ‘How to Spend It’ Supplement in the ‘Financial Times Newspaper’. The dolls form a human chain, and although dolls are childhood images, here they address more complicated adult issues. Some of the photographs show the dolls against a black background looking stylised and highly finished like the magazines from which they were created. However, the paper dolls continually topple over, and all the designer names they feature fall and collapse along with them.

Nuala O’Sullivan holds a BA Degree in Fine Art Painting from the Limerick School of Art and Design (L.I.T.) and is currently researching her MA there.

An Evening of Poetry on All Ireland Poetry Day

2011-10-05T15:11:00.000+01:00

An Evening of Poetry

To mark All-Ireland Poetry Day 2011

Thursday 6th October at 7pm

Salmon Poetry presents:

Joseph Woods

Jean Kavanagh

Isla Thielan

Jessie Lendennie

Joseph Woods is a poet and Director of Poetry Ireland. A winner of the Patrick Kavanagh Award, his latest books are Cargo (Dedalus Press, 2010) which gathers together his first two books in a single volume and Ocean Letters (also from Dedalus Press, 2011) . He has also co-edited Our Shared Japan, an anthology of contemporary Irish poetry concerning Japan.

Jean Kavanagh was born in Dublin and is now living in Liscannor. In 2001 she co-founded The Cascades writing group in Ennistymon, and is now participating in the Advanced Poetry Workshop in The Galway Arts Centre. She has read her poetry at Clifden Arts Week and the Salthill Arts Festival, amongst other venues. She has twice been shortlisted for Over the Edge New Writer of the Year, most recently in 2011.

Ilsa Thielan studied Art and Literature in Germany before settling in Clare. She works with photography, tapestry and words. Her poetry and short stories have appeared in many anthologies. Her debut collection, Night Horses, is forthcoming from Salmon.

Jessie Lendennie was born in Arkansas, USA. After years of travel, she settled in Ireland in 1981. Her previous publications include a book-length prose poem Daughter (1988); reprinted as Daughter and Other Poems in 2001. She compiled and edited: Salmon: A Journey in Poetry, 1981-2007; Poetry: Reading it, Writing It, Publishing It (2009) and Dogs Singing: A Tribute Anthology (2010). She is co-founder (1981) and Managing Director of Salmon Poetry. A new collection of her poetry, Walking Here, has just been released. She is currently working on a memoir To Dance Beneath the Diamond Sky.

For more information visit salmonpoetry.com

Salmon30 -

Celebrating 30 Years of Literary Publishing in 2011

All welcome to attend, no charge

NORTH INDIAN CLASSICAL CONCERT

2011-09-26T15:04:00.000+01:00

NORTH INDIAN CLASSICAL CONCERT

Friday September 30th

Ennistymon Courthouse Gallery

7.30pm

Every year since 2006, Kolkata based Indian Classical musician, Sougata Roy Choudhury has toured Ireland performing mesmerising concerts on his 25 stringed lute the sarode. Sougata is known for his passionate renditions of raga and sensitive skill. Growing up in a musical family, Sougata began playing sarode at the age of 10 and has studied under great maestros such as Ali Akbar Khan, Dyanesh Khan and Ashish Khan. He has performed all across Europe and Indian and has a growing number of students. He will be accompanied by Italian tablist Ciro Montanari. Ciro is famous for performing with Galway based fusion group, the Bahh Band and has studied the tabla in Indian since 2004. Sougata has performed in Ennistymon several times in the past and this evening promises to be magical. Tickets are only €10 for adults or €2 for children. Bookings and enquiries contact Mattu- 086 268 5061.

2011-09-26T15:00:00.001+01:00

Save Ennistymon’s Heritage

presents

After the Boom:Picking up the Pieces

a talk by

Frank McDonald

Author and Environment Editor of the Irish Times

In the Courthouse Gallery

Thursday 29^th at 8.30pm

Frank McDonald joined the Irish Times in 1979, becoming Environment Correspondent in 1986, a post which he held until he was appointed Environment Editor in 2000.

2011-09-26T14:57:00.001+01:00

The North Clare Historical Society

presents

Who Do You Think You Are

from the butter box to the family tree

a talk by

Larry Brennan

at the Courthouse Gallery, Ennistymon

Monday 26^th September at 8pm

Admission €5

This is the first lecture of the North Clare Historical Society’s Autumn 2011programme.

Larry Brennan of Clare Roots Society will bring the listeners from how to complete the Butter Box method to the Family Tree and finally to the presentation of your family history. Larry will display the different sources easily available in order to complete your family tree back to 1800.

As one of the founders of Clare Roots Society in 2006 Larry took up Genealogy & Family History after the death of his parents who died within 7 weeks of each other in 1999. His research while not travelling outside Co. Clare has brought him to sources and family research in Australia, USA & Great Brittan. Larry has gone on to assist others at home and abroad with their research.

All are welcome

CULTURAL NIGHT IN THE COURTHOUSE GALLERY - 23 SEPTEMBER STARTING AT 6 PM

2011-09-20T18:04:00.000+01:00

free admission

Rita Wobbe will give an artist talk in the gallery on the

23rd of September at 6pm

Born in Germany, Wobbe has lived in the Burren, Co. Claire for nearly 20 years. Her sculptural abstract works explore the colours and textures of nature, either in the landscape around her or from her travels abroad. She has had numerous solo shows in West Ireland, at the RHA’s Ashford Gallery, and in the Netherlands and Germany. Her work is in major Irish public collections, and in private collections in Ireland, Europe and the US.

23^rd September at 7pm

Classical violinist Alland Assiri (Kurdish) and singer/songwriter Paddy Mulcahy (Lahinch) will give a performance in the gallery.

The History of North Clare in 100 Objects

23^rd September at 8pm

The History of North Clare in 100 Objects is a series of celebration of our cultural tradition. We present at each gathering a panel of fascinating people who show us the tradition- not just of music, painting and dance – but how we work work, play, eat and live together, in short the whole tradition of life - culture in the broadest sense.

HISTORY IS LYING AND DYING ALL AROUND US –“IF ONLY THE WALLS COULD SPEAK"

'Instinct11' New paintings by Rita Wobbe from Sep 16 - Oct 13, 2011

2011-09-19T11:54:00.004+01:00

     'INSTINCT 11'

     RITA WOBBE
      new paintings

'The power of abstract painting lies in its richness of ambiguity and possibility of human expression. Over the last 100 years abstract painting has been shifting bounderies and questioning our perception of reality.

The painting process is a form of 'mapping the brain', using references from the outside world which enter and disappear. These references become one on the 'overall' surface of the painting. In fact the painting itself becomes the subject and the object; it carries its own reality. At times the painting seems to be alive; it breathes in and out. The layers of paint are like a skin over the skeleton of an animal. A painting is, it does not have to be explained.

Instinct, emotion and observation of natural phenomena are the main ingredients of this body of work. For me painting is 'contained emotion and energy'. During the painting process everything gets transformed into a physical object which I can let go of when it is finished. Most of the time a painting really finishes itself because everything I do suggests another thing until it becomes complete.

Abstract painting uses different means of expression. Colour, line, form, plane, surface texture, etc. are freely used as elements during the creative process.

In this body of work I am using a lot of vibrant colour. Going to the Canaries during the winter months changed my colour scheme drastically. In response to the bright light I started using brighter colours. Colour stimulates, it carries emotion, it can be seductive and calls for action and reaction. Colour is unpredictable, infinite in its combinations which makes it so interesting. It can manipulate and influence your mood. I am interested in the never ending game of possiblities.

In all my work I have been using structure as a starting point. In the past it used to be 'the grid', usually drawn onto the paper or created by using sand and varnish on the canvas. The grid helps me to control and contain the 'freeflow' of paint. These days I am more interested in organic structure and organic forms. In my mind an organic structure relates more to a female way of looking at life. I am interested in exploring this 'slightly different gaze' when making abstract paintings.

Abstract painting is challenging; it gives the viewer 'more to do' when engaging with 'a process of transformation'. It allows us to re-experience the thrill of making and creating a piece of art. After all it is a platform for free expression which we all like to enjoy and appreciate'.

Rita Wobbe has been working as an abstract painter for many years. She studied art in Germany and at Limerick School of Art and Design (MA painting 1998-2000). Over the last 20 years she has been exhibiting in Ireland, Germany and the Netherlands. For the last 10 years she has been running abstract art workshops from her own studios near Kinvara, Co. Galway. She also teaches abstract painting at the Burren College of Art during the summer

In the winter she spends some time in Lanzarote, Canaries which had a great influence on her work and colour scheme. Nevertheless the Burren has been her home and her main source of inspiration.

Find further information on www.ritawobbe.com

Katrina Morrison Photography exhibition of: Abbey's and Ruins - In The Red Couch Space - September 10th – October 13th

2011-09-10T15:07:00.000+01:00

official opening by Willie Daly (Matchmaker) at 5pm Sat 10^th

wine and cheese reception open to the public

Katrina Morrison would be best known for her landscapes and has exhibited at numerous venues here in Ireland as well as mainland Europe and America. She received national recognition for her work during the Volvo Ocean Race 2009 and was invited to show her work in Seattle Washington during the Irish Festival this past March and is now happy to present us with her ongoing project of Abbeys and Ruins, “I have been travelling around for over five years in Ireland and am never stuck for something amazing to photograph. It may a landscape today or I may find myself awestruck by a stone carving that I find tomorrow. This exhibition will show a few things from County Clare you may never have seen and it is my hope that it might inspire someone to get out and look around at what we all sometimes take for granted, the beauty that is right in front of us”.

REFLECTION

2011-08-19T18:44:00.000+01:00

RACHEL BURKE

and ERIN TREACY

REFLECTION

August 13th to September 8, 2011.

Rachel Burke is exhibiting a series of new paintings from the west coast of Portugal, that echos the coastal environment of Ennistymon and also reflects on the memory of a trip away. The paintings of the sea induces a sense of

reflection and nostalgia , the open vastness and ever changing landscape of the ocean enables an inner personal exploration . The work also deals with the relationship between land and sea, the tension and balance between the two elements. There is an ambiguity between reality and imagination of remembered places created with the sketchy line from dip pens sitting on imaginary colours.

Burke works mainly with acrylic inks on canvas, using dip pens and brushes, to build up layered images. Ideas of identity and nostalgia are explored through the importance of line, texture and the familiarity of pattern. These paintings embody a sense of the fleeting of time. Confident draughtsmanship combined with a subtle palette of painterly intimacy creating images suggestive of the intangible realm of visual memory.

Originally from Cork, Rachel Burke is now a Kilkenny based artist. Since graduating from the Crawford College of Art and Design eleven years ago, Burke has exhibited extensively, and has many pieces in both private and public collections including the Northern Ireland Office of Public Works, Republic of Ireland Office of Public Works, AIB, Credit Union, University College Cork and Kilkenny Educational Centre. Her paintings have been selected to participate in the 180th, 178th and 175th Royal Hibernian Academy Annual Group show.

Erin Treacy recently returned to the states after completing a Fulbright Fellowship in County Clare.

Being exposed to a wide variety of landscape fuels Treacy's creativity. In addition to her own excursions she has been fortunate to participate in artist symposiums/residencies throughout Ireland, Italy, Italy. The Slovak and Czech Republics, and Finland. Treacy has had numerous solo and group exhibitions throughout the US and Europe, where her work is also held in public and private collections. Following this exhibition at Ennistymon Courthouse Gallery, Treacy will have a solo exhibition in Pittsburgh, Pa, USA at the Boxheart Gallery.

Treacy received her Bachelor of Fine Arts in 2004 with a concentration in painting. She then went on to receive her Master of Fine of Arts from the University of Massachusetts, Dartmouth in 2007. Treacy currently lives and works in Sunnyside, Queens.

Treacy’s mixed media paintings focus on creating new abstracted ‘environments’ out of fragments of memories concerning place.

New work from this year introduces architectural imagery into my paintings for the first time. Stairs, bridges, walls, fences, windows, doors, and ladders are now interlaced into the abstract compositions. These connectors, entrances, and borders are loaded with many connotations. Bridges, stairs, and ladders create union between disparate spaces, they offer paths to overcome physical obstacles that keep you from going from point A to point B. Fences, walls, and windows enclose a space offering protection, yet the associated confinement of these structures can also be associated with restriction and possession.

These dualities reflect upon her past work where she focused on the fantasy and falsity in memory. By referencing a mental index of locations that are simultaneously everywhere and nowhere, she examine the idea that shifts in time and overlaps in memory result in a disjointed timeline.

Sorge's performance "Sunrise" on the opening night 4th Aug at 8.30 pm

2011-08-15T17:30:00.001+01:00

the link for Sorge's performance on YouTube...

http://youtu.be/9HNanact7wQ

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As part of the festival there will be exhibitions, films and installations from various artists in venues around Ennistymon town:

2011-08-15T17:26:00.000+01:00

As part of the festival there will be exhibitions, films and installations from various artists in venues around Ennistymon town:

Fiona O’Dwyer: Location: Byrnes Townhouse & Restaurant, Main St, Ennistymon.

”Shoes to collect the cheque in” (1,350 Used Stamps and Yes Glue) Fiona O’Dwyer: WORTH… Work in progress by visual artist Fiona O¹Dwyer. Her work crosses a range of media including drawing, sound/video installation, sculpture, performance and print. Her practice increasingly references the cinematic, engaging with both the narrative content in, and the making of, film.

James Slevin: Location: the Blue Frog Café and Arts Venue, Ennistymon.

Hand carved wooden objects.

Opening: 7pm - Friday 5th August

Marianne Slevin: Location: Fitzpatrick’s (Old Super Value shop), Parliament St., Ennistymon.

"The Mycelium and Earth Regeneration Series": An exhibition of drawings on maps which are local to the Burren as well as other places. The works include text about the place and the time they were being made in Doolin.

Alexandra Rafferty: Location: OH LA LA, French Creperie.

2 Video pieces: “Ram Project” and “Inside Out”.

Vincent Wall: Location: Wall's Shop Window, Main Street, Ennistymon.

“Davorenia” - A Tribute to the T-Shirt Stylings of Michael Davoren.

Format: Multimedia Installation

Marie Hannon, Monica de Bath, Eimhin Hawes: Location: Tides Shop, Main St. Ennistymon

Marie Hannon’s practice is primarily concerned with the social environments and conditions that have a bearing on who we are as individuals and as a people.

Monica de Bath is currently exploring the complexities of stories that go beyond ideas of legal ownership and dig deep into a people's relationship with Land, with each other and the urgent need to make a living.

Eimhin Hawes: ‘The Horde’ is an installation work that explores the global problem of colony collapse disorder in honeybees.

Deirdre O’Mahony: Location: the local Ennistymon Post Office.

shows a video about the X-PO in Kilnaboy.

Maria Kerin: Location: Good Night In, Video Store, The Square, Ennistymon.

shows the video performance that she made on Raadi airport Tartu Estonia.

Also "The Price of Flour"- consisting of 50 unused Estonian paper flour bags will appear in shelves around the shops of Ennistymon. They were designed by Michael Walsh. The artist sees them as small artworks highlighting the price of flour at different times over the Estonian past.

Pauline Keena: Live performance on Main St. Ennistymon. Sunday 2pm

The human form is the most important subject for her. Using the body as metaphor for local she engages the language of stillness, silence and repetition to explore moments of transition from lostness to listening.

Fergus Cronin: Live performance in a public place in Ennistymon for 2 hours, Sat or Sun (or both) : “I NEED TO BELONG”

PANEL DISCUSSION on the Power of Local - Sat 6th Aug at 5 pm

2011-08-15T17:17:00.006+01:00

PANEL DISCUSSION on the Power of Local

PANEL:

Marge Laast, http://www.vedelik.edicypages.com/en
Dr. Igor Calzada, http://www.igorcalzada.com
Transition Towns, Roisín Ní Ghairbhith
Zena Hoctor, Community Charter of the Burren http://www.burrenbeo.com/trust/burren-charter
X-PO, Kilnaboy, Philip Gaston http://x-pokilnaboy.blogspot.com/
Fiona Woods, www.fionawoods.net

moderator: Cormac Mac Connell

OPEN STUDIOS : the resident artists in the Courthouse Gallery welcome the public to see their work in progress during the festival the Power of Local.

2011-08-15T17:10:00.001+01:00

Jackie Askew will be showing work in her studio from

"The Counting Prophetess" Exhibition.... work from Iceland .

Ann Vaughan will be showing 'Ar Aghaidh Linn!' ( Off We Go!)

This will be a series of Drawings/Sketches based on observations of people 'on the move', again from snapshots from the Prom in Lahinch, where it all happens!

Liz Moloney ‘Curious’: The inherent curiosity of animals and her immediate environment has influenced her recent work, photography and observational drawings often develop into finished pieces.

Sara Foust: ‘An Unreasonable Fear of Loss’ an installation

of photography, paintings and other works dealing with memory.

Michael Hanrahan:

Will show his recent work including paintings of the local area

and also work from his travels.

Painting by Michael Hanrahan from the historic Royal visit of Queen Elizabeth 11 to Ireland in May 2011. Painting depicts both Heads of State in the memorial garden in Dublin which remembers the men and women who died in the struggle for Irish freedom.

2011-08-15T16:51:00.001+01:00

ARTIST TALK by GARETH KENNEDY - FRIDAY 5th AUG at 5pm

2011-08-15T12:39:00.004+01:00

IKEA-Aran Lobster pots, Ínis Oírr, Aran Islands, 2011

Gareth Kennedy’s work is invested in the potential of a socially engaged practice which addresses specific environmental, social, aesthetic and economic concerns within located contexts. Throughout 2011 he is working on two 'folk fictions' which stage encounters between globalised and localised material cultures in both the Aran Islands and East Kerry. For The Power of the Local, Kennedy will discuss the development and manifestation of these two distinct but related works.

Kennedy has received numerous awards and bursaries for his practice including several awards from the Irish Arts Council, a 2008 LAMA Award for best Public art work commissioned by a local authority, Culture Ireland awards, and awards from several Irish Local Authorities. He has produced and shown work both nationally and internationally. In 2009, he co-represented Ireland at the 53^rd Venice Biennale. Kennedy also works on another distinct artistic practice called Kennedy Browne in collaboration with artist Sarah Browne.

www.gkennedy.info

_________________________________________________________________________________
This session runs in partnership with Visual Artists Ireland and further training will be available in both Dublin (at VAI) and Cork (with the NSF) commencing in Sept 2011. VAI is also interested in working with groups of artists who identify common training needs.

“About the VAI Professional Development Programme for Visual Artists

Visual Artists Ireland operates a wide range of professional development and education events throughout the year including workshops, peer discussion groups, talks and seminars. The delivery of this programme is greatly supported by our relationship with local and international visual art professionals and partner organisations throughout the island of Ireland. VAI works in partnership with Local Authorities, visual arts venues, artists groups and others, combining resources to support the professional development of visual artists at regional level.
This approach creates synergetic benefit by allowing for the development of a programme which is responsive to the needs of artists at local level and by providing capacity to expand the our programme and approach other strategic partners on a joint basis.''

THE TRANSLOCAL CONDITION - The Power of Local Festival

2011-08-15T12:29:00.000+01:00

'Koongarra', theweathergroup_U in collaboration with Jeffrey Lee (AUS)

Split screen, single-channel video, 2010

The Translocal Condition, a screening programme of international artist films using The Translocal Condition as the organising principle.

Mahatama Ghandi said "Be the change you want to see in the world".

The Translocal Condition takes the idea that the local is the exact point at which people can act in the interests of change. Each of the eight participating artists or artist collectives, drawn from around the world, show a film work that engages with specific local conditions. By focusing on action and possibility, these works place the capacity and the responsibility for change in the hands of ordinary people, wherever they find themselves. Every place is a local place; by acting trans-locally we build networks of change.

The Translocal Condition is made up of works by; Kultivator (SW), Herbologies/Foraging Networks (FI/LAT), Nina Nordstrom (FI), Gareth Kennedy (IRL), Wapke Feenstra (NL), Jennie Guy & Claire Behan (IRL), Ahmed Nabil (EGY), theweathergroup_U (AUS).

The Translocal Condition is a collection of minds project, curated by Fiona Woods.

www.collectionofminds.net

'Liquid is everywhere' an exhibition by the Estonian artist group Liquid

2011-07-29T20:29:00.000+01:00

VEDELIK

History of the group Liquid
Liquid was established in 1995 when its mythical forefather Peeter Velberg – semi-underground legendary figure who experimented with street perfomances, photography and film in the 1980's – compiled the first magazine. The first issue was followed by magazines Circle and Bubble (editor Erki Kasemets), Salt Storage Special (Sven-Erik Stamberg), Liquid-Millennium (Al Paldrok), Still-life (Sven-Erik Stamberg), International (Sven-Erik Stamberg) and Fashion Special (Sven-Erik Stamberg).
The traditional format of the magazine is A4: each author submits his contribution in that layout on a sheet of paper, which are then put together and copied in a simple manner The number of people working on the black & white magazine in a mostly collage technique was originally a few dozen or so, the print run was also a few dozen copies. Over the last few years the number of contributors has grown considerably, the last issue (Fashion Special) having more than 50 contributors. Also, over the last years the content has become more diverse as the group has made various performances and exhibitions in different locations of Estonia.
The name of the group splendidly illustrates its philosophy – the members do not question why they create art. Liquid exists just for the pure joy of creating work, reflecting a time when Artists created work for the joy of creating it.
One Liquid member has written: This movement knows the power of time, a year for them is not a unit even though yearly magazines have been published.
Members do not argue about philosophies and politics – they just create pictures, music, videos, collages and performances together. They are not driven by ambition, they appreciate living in the present, enjoying the ebbs and flows that each day brings, to them it is a safe environment for exploring new ideas.
The membership of Liquid is fluid. Everybody who wants to join can do that.
Our motto is that everybody who knows a member of Liquid is considered a member. This makes Liquid the biggest art group in Estonia (if not the world).

THE ARTIST:

Sorge (Margus Tiitsmaa) exhibits paintings and does a Live performance along the theme: LIQUID on the opening night of the festival.

Marge Laast exhibits photos and an interactive video installation made from materials gathered during her expedition to Siberian villages; a series of compositions inspired by ornaments from different localities.

Katrin Valdre exhibits large abstract oil paintings. They have layers of colours. She creates a floating atmosphere evoking a 'Panta Rei' or Liquid. The paintings carry their own reality.

Sven Saag shows small size graphics on about 1 m2.

Erki Kasemets shows an installation and a video based on an Estonian local scene. He will also show photos from his large scale installations made on different locations.

Sven-Erik Stamberg shows collages and geometric ornamental system compositions.

FESTIVAL THE POWER OF LOCAL - PROGRAMME

2011-07-28T19:27:00.001+01:00

THE POWER OF LOCAL

A festival of art and culture in Ennistymon, 4th – 7th August 2011

________________________________________________________________

THE POWER OF LOCAL, a celebratory festival organised by the Courthouse Gallery will take place over a period of four days, August 4th - 7th, 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).

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 – 7th, 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 - All events are free

The festival is kindly sponsored by the Clare County Council.

Byrne’s Townhouse & Restaurant, Fitzpatrick’s Super Value, Hayes Print, Ennistymon.

-Thursday 4th Aug

8pm: Official Opening in the Courthouse Gallery by Senator Martin Conway.

8.30 pm: “Sunrise” A Life Performance by Sorge, (Margus Tiitsmaa) from the artist group Liquid.

9pm: Ron Kavana, reading & singing from his book & box set “Irish Ways”, in Banner Books,

10pm: An outdoor film screening of “Seaside Stories” by Fergus Tighe in the Square, Ennistymon. (on Considine’s wall) 

-Friday 5th Aug. - The Courthouse Gallery will host:

11- 5pm: The international exhibition “Liquid is everywhere” from the Estonian artist group Liquid.

11- 5pm: “The Translocal Condition”, a continuous screening programme of international artist films, curated by Fiona Woods. The Translocal Condition is made up of works by; Kultivator (SW), Herbologies/Foraging Networks (FI/LAT), Nina Nordstrom (FI), Gareth Kennedy (IRL), Wapke Feenstra (NL), Jennie Guy & Claire Behan (IRL), Ahmed Nabil (EGY), theweathergroup_U (AUS).

5pm: An artist talk by Gareth Kennedy, admission free, all welcome.

7pm: Official opening, In the Blue Frog Café of James Slevin’s new hand carved wooden objects.

-Saturday 6th Aug. - The Courthouse Gallery will host:

11- 5pm: The international exhibition “Liquid is everywhere” from the Estonian artist group Liquid.

11- 5pm: “The Translocal Condition”, a continuous screening programme of international artist films, curated by Fiona Woods.

11- 5pm: OPEN STUDIOS -The resident artists in the Courthouse Gallery; Jackie Askew, Michael Hanrahan, Ann Vaughan, Liz Moloney and Sara Foust welcome the public to see their work in progress.

5pm: PANEL DISCUSSION on The Power of Local in the Courthouse Gallery. All welcome to contribute.

IN THE STREET OUTSIDE THE COURTHOUSE GALLERY:

11- 5pm: OPEN AIR MARKET including local crafts, food, music and community information.

12- 5pm: MUSICAL ENTERTAINMENT: Paddy Mulcahy, Edel Barry and special guests.

3pm: Poetry Reading from Majilla Culinane and Devon McNamara, presented by Jessie Lendennie of Salmon Poetry.

8 pm: In An Teach Bia, Maeve Collins and Marie Connole will collaborate on a participatory project based on Brian Merriman's “The Midnight Court”.

-Sunday 7th Aug. - The Courthouse Gallery will host:

11- 5pm: The international exhibition “Liquid is everywhere” from the Estonian artist group Liquid.

11- 5pm: “The Translocal Condition”, a continuous screening programme of international artist films, curated by Fiona Woods.

11- 5pm: OPEN STUDIOS - The resident artists in the Courthouse Gallery; Jackie Askew, Michael Hanrahan, Ann Vaughan, Liz Moloney and Sara Foust welcome the public to see their work in progress.

IN THE STREET OUTSIDE THE COURTHOUSE GALLERY:

11- 5pm: OPEN AIR MARKET including local crafts, food, music and community information.

12- 5pm: MUSICAL ENTERTAINMENT: Paddy Mulcahy, Edel Barry and special guests.

STUDIO ARTISTS:

Jackie Askew will be showing work in her studio from The Counting Prophetess Exhibition.... work from Iceland .

Ann Vaughan will be showing 'Ar Aghaidh Linn!' ( Off We Go!)

This will be a series of Drawings/Sketches based on observations of people 'on the move', again from snapshots from the Prom in Lahinch, where it all happens!

Michael Hanrahan: Will show his recent work including paintings of the local area and also work from his travels.

Sara Foust: ‘An Unreasonable Fear of Loss’ an installation of photography, paintings and other works dealing with memory.

As part of the festival there will be exhibitions, films and installations from various artists in venues around Ennistymon town:

Fiona O’Dwyer: Location: Byrnes Townhouse & Restaurant, Main St, Ennistymon.

James Slevin: Location: the Blue Frog Café and Arts Venue, Ennistymon.

Hand carved wooden objects.

Opening: 7pm - Friday 5th August

Marianne Slevin: Location: Fitzpatrick’s (Old Super Value shop), Parliament St., Ennistymon.

Alexandra Rafferty: Location: OH LA LA, French Creperie.

2 Video pieces: “Ram Project” and “Inside Out”.

Vincent Wall: Location: Wall's Shop Window, Main Street, Ennistymon.

“Davorenia” - A Tribute to the T-Shirt Stylings of Michael Davoren.

Format: Multimedia Installation

Marie Hannon, Monica de Bath, Eimhin Hawes: Location: Tides Shop, Main St. Ennistymon

Marie Hannon’s practice is primarily concerned with the social environments and conditions that have a bearing on who we are as individuals and as a people.

Eimhin Hawes: ‘The Horde’ is an installation work that explores the global problem of colony collapse disorder in honeybees.

Deirdre O’Mahony: Location: the local Ennistymon Post Office.

shows a video about the X-PO in Kilnaboy.

Maria Kerin: Location: Good Night In, Video Store, The Square, Ennistymon.

shows the video performance that she made on Raadi airport Tartu Estonia.

Pauline Keena: Live performance on Main St. Ennistymon. Sunday 2pm

Fergus Cronin: Live performance in a public place in Ennistymon for 2 hours, Sat or Sun (or both) :

“I NEED TO BELONG”

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

2011-07-21T18:58:00.000+01:00

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

'Timelines' an exhibition by Emma Barone, Kathryna Cuschieri, Ciara McMahon

2011-07-06T14:18:00.002+01:00

Emma Barone – paintings

Kathryna Cuschieri – glass sculptures

Ciara McMahon – video

Official opening on July 9^th at 5pm – exhibition runs until July 30

Emma Barone’s paintings are inspired by the shape trees adopt on the West Coast of Ireland. This shape, or form, presents a distinctive windblown profile, one that is sculpted by the elements. The proximity of the Atlantic Ocean is a major determining factor in terms of influencing and moulding the shape of the trees. She sees the physical manifestation of ‘shape’ as having spiritual, psychological, elemental and socio-historical dimensions. ‘Trees have an energy which absorbs, responds and emits in a cyclical, generational, manner. It is my intention to capture these layers, through the medium of art and to share my vision in a way that the observer can connect to and re-establish an already existing relationship with past, present and future.’

Kathryna Cuschieri’s glass sculptures involve
casting body parts of people she feels connected to and influenced by the timeline of their lives. By engaging with the process of their life, this enables her to create artworks which they have inspired, turning their inner world into visible glass landscapes. When casting the person they have been asked to transfer emotional awareness into the mould which affects the outcome of the finished piece. ‘All my pieces are created by fusing layers of glass and copper, aluminium, gold, silver and gold mica. These fused pieces are then cast or slumped into the body molds to create the finished pieces’

Ciara McMahon’s video installation ‘Mutual : Esteem’ documents a site specific collaborative event at SIN nightclub, Temple bar, Dublin by ‘The Forever Young Choir’ and Ciara McMahon. Documentation chronicles a seven month period of research and interchange between the Dublin based artist and ‘The Forever Young Choir’, a 28 member over 70’s mixed choral group, based in Ennis, Co. Clare.

An immersive experience, the work provocatively contrasts cultural idioms – rural folk culture and uber trendy night clubbing – to create a playful work questioning pedestrian responses to popular cultural spaces. In SIN's atmospheric environment the choir performed such long standing hits as 'Lillie Marleen' and 'Swing Low Sweet Chariot'.

The choir practice once a week in the Ennis Cathedral choir room. Members show enormous commitment to their choir while always retaining a degree of levity in their attitude towards life and performing. The choir has performed successfully at several local events and this is their first performance in Dublin.

'Surrender' New works by Pauline Goggin

2011-07-06T14:10:00.000+01:00

Official opening Saturday July 9th at 5pm – exhibition runs until July 30

The word surrender can be interpreted as an expression of defeat or generousity, a declaration or a gift, a relinquishing of something , yielding to a strong influence or simply giving up the fight.

In these works the artist explores her interest in the practice of daily surrender to the creative life. Reminiscent of Tibetan prayer flags, these images of arms being blown in the wind can be seen as surrender to the creative spirit.

Implicit in the embroidered arms is a daily acceptance and a willingness to live life in all its shades, stitch by stitch, moment by moment, day by day. Pauline Goggin’s practice has included keeping daily journals over the last thirty years. In the textile works, these have been a rich source of text. The text, in itself, does not seek to tell a story, the embroidered words, selected at random, from the pages of her journals, however they are illustrative of a commitment to a life lived in a daily spirit of curiousity and reflective enquiry.

Prints, Sculpture and a new piece of animation explore the theme of surrender in the intimate Red Couch Space at The Courthouse Gallery, in Ennistymon, Co.Clare.

Arts Festival The Power of Local

2011-06-30T15:51:00.001+01:00

THE POWER OF LOCAL, taking place over a period of four days, August 4th - 8th, across multiple venues in Ennistymon. The festival will present art, live-performance, food, 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). 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), and The Trans-Local Condition, a screening of international artist films curated by Fiona Woods.

General Program of the festival:

Thursday (4th Aug) in the evening, grand opening in the gallery and outdoor film screening in the Square.

Friday (5th Aug) Exhibitions/Film screening in the gallery and on location, in the gallery at 5pm an artist talk by Gareth Kennedy

Saturday (6th Aug) Exhibitions/Film screening in the gallery and on location, OPEN STUDIOS, Outdoor Market, Panel discussion on The Power of Local (afternoon)

Sunday (7th Aug) Exhibitions/Film screening in the gallery and on location, OPEN STUDIOS, Outdoor Market. - closing of exhibitions.

Monday (8th Aug) Peer Critique for Studio Artists with Dougal McKenzie

THE POWER OF LOCAL

The move towards a sustainable society is producing new forms of thinking and organising at local level all around the world, part of a dynamic of social and cultural change. These forms of organising recognise that community is something that is practiced; by forming ourselves into porous and active communities - artist collectives, transition town networks, farmer’s markets, discussion groups – we can begin to generate change through actions and events in local and trans-local situations that will make a difference to our world. Artists are making art increasingly in response to local situations where they are living. This is notable particularly in relation to rural situations where the interface between human society and the state of the land is so apparent, something that brings the relationship between art and ecology into focus.

The Festival THE POWER OF LOCAL, is an event exploring 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. Taking place over a period of four days (August 4th – 8th), the Festival will happen across multiple venues in Ennistymon, Co. Clare presenting art, live-performance, food, video, panel discussion, an open-air market, outdoor screenings, open studios and artist talks. The Festival will include invited contributions from the artist group Liquid (Estonia), Dr. Igor Calzada, Ph.D.Lecturer &.Associate Researcher at the Center for Basque Studies-University of Nevada, Reno (USA).Outrider Artists (Ireland), Ground Up Artists Collective (Ireland), and The Trans-Local Condition, a screening of international artist films curated by Fiona Woods. http://www.collectionofminds.net/ #4

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.

The Festival THE POWER OF LOCAL is devised and directed by Trudi van der Elsen.

The topic for the panel discussion is The Power of Local.

Panel: Fiona Woods www.fionawoods.net

Marge Laast, Liquid Group Estonia http://www.vedelik.edicypages.com/en

Dr. Igor Calzada http://www.igorcalzada.com

Transition Town, Roisin Garvey

X-PO, Kilnaboy

Guests on Skype: Evelyn, MOKS, Estonia (tbc)

CD Launch Paddy Mulcahy - Trouble Instigator- 23rd June at 9 pm - free of charge

2011-06-21T16:45:00.000+01:00

Fiona Woods - extended interview on ABC Radio National Australia

2011-06-15T15:21:00.001+01:00

Artworks Feature: Rural artists with a wide orbit

This week in Artworks, a feature about art and rural communities, art and agriculture.

Last month in Swan Hill, a town on the Victorian/New South Wales border, an assortment of artists, arts organisations, farmers, historians and other interested locals gathered to talk about cultural life in rural communities, and to hear guests from around Australia and abroad. The event was called ACRE 2 and, at a time when so many rural communities around Australia, and indeed around the world, are undergoing huge changes, one of the major question posed was: what's the role of art and creativity in re-imagining the landscape?

For Artworks, Michael Shirrefs went to the Swan Hill Regional Art Gallery, on the banks of the Murray River, to speak to some of the participants. And he was amazed at the range and scope of the discussions, which clearly mark a big shift in the way rural arts communities see themselves.
Please see following Link:

http://www.abc.net.au/rn/artworks/stories/2011/3237586.htm

The Outside is Inside

2011-06-01T13:17:00.000+01:00

The Outside is Inside

New Works by Martina Cleary

Opening Reception Friday 3rd June at 7pm

The exhibition will be opened by Elaine D’Alton, Clare Women’s Network

The work presented in this show has evolved through a collaboration with Clare Women’s network based in Ennis, beginning in 2009. The large tableaux photographic images, while collaboratively constructed are inspired by real life events. Part of this project was initially presented as a series of posters, released daily with statistical information during the 16 Days International Campaign against Gender-Based Violence in November 2009. Subsequent research, supported by the Create Artist in the Community scheme has sought to focus on exploring how perceptions of safety and threat correlate with womens lived experience of both private and public spaces within the local community. While some of the works in this show are constructed or performed, others are inspired by over sixty individual interviews and are more documentary in nature. Part II of this body of work will be presented as a solo exhibition at the RHA Ashford Gallery in November 2011.

Artist’s Bio

Martina Cleary is a multi-media artist working with photography, video, drawing and text as her primary media. In Ireland she attended NCAD and The Crawford College of Art & Design, followed by post-graduate studies at The Academy of Fine Arts and The Alvar Aalto University, Helsinki. Beginning in the early 90’s, her work has been shown and collected in Ireland, Finland and Germany. Recent shows and awards have included; The Irish Arts Council Project Award 2010, the Create Artist in the Community Award 2010, the Roscommon Arts Office Art@Work Residency 2009, EV+A 2008 at Limerick City Gallery, Impressions 2008 All Ireland Print Show (First Prize) at Galway Arts Centre and ‘Things That Go Bump’ a solo show at Monster Truck Studio & Gallery, Dublin in 2008.

Martina’s work deals with investigating what lies hidden beneath the surface of the everyday, particularly with respect to the construction of stories, histories and knowledges of place which inform the creation of individual and collective identity. Her work often brings together memories, associations and perceptions attached to particular sites, whether historical or contemporary to discover the relationship between place, power and the potential of the individual to affect change.

Martina’s work has been supported by The Irish Arts Council, Clare County Council, The Finnish Arts Council, The Finnish Cultural Foundation, The Finnish Institute in London and a number of other Arts organizations in both Ireland and Finland. Along with her work as an artist, Martina is currently Head of Photography at Burren College of Art and also works as a lecturer in Critical & Contextual Studies at Limerick School of Art and Design.

Further information about this artist is available at www.martinacleary.com

National Campaign for the Arts - Meet and Greet – Monday 16 May at 11am

2011-05-04T15:33:00.002+01:00

National Campaign for the Arts - Meet and Greet – Monday 16 May at 11am

The Courthouse Gallery invites you to a Meet and Greet coffee morning / meeting on Monday 16 May at 11 am in the Courthouse Gallery, Parliament Street, Ennistymon.

This meeting is one of over 30 organised in and for each constituency throughout the country on that day, as part of the National Campaign for the Arts.

The Meet and Greet is an opportunity for you to get to know your new TD’s and Senators and to put to them your hopes and concerns about the Arts in your area.

We believe the arts make an invaluable contribution to society. As Ireland struggles to rebuild its

reputation on the international stage and restore confidence at home, we believe the arts can help.

This meeting is a way for you to open up a dialogue with your new representatives on how their continued investment in the arts is indeed an investment in Ireland and in the realisation of the society we all want.

We very much hope you will be able to attend the Meet and Greet for Clare constituency and look forward to seeing you then.

Trudi van der Elsen Kathryn Comber

Co-ordinator / Curator Gallery Committee

2011-04-21T14:04:00.000+01:00

          “VENUS”
      Works by
      Vicky Lennie
     April 29th- May 26^th

             Official opening
          by actress Vanessa Earl
       on Friday April 29^th at 8 pm

In the middle of the room a large rectangle upholstered in red velvet is hanging. It has a hole in it which you can stick your head into, and a painting on the other side, like at a seaside photo booth. Opposite hangs a mirror in which you can see yourself transformed...

The female nude is a familiar figure in art history. In fact, she is the subject of the oldest representational art that we have: some figurines have been dated at up to 200,000 years old. But how many of these images actually describe real women?

Drawing from her experiences in pregnancy and motherhood, and by referencing and manipulating images from art history, Vicky Lennie explores this genre from different viewpoints, using media ranging from drawing and painting to installation and stuffed fabric sculpture. By the use of means such as touch and mirrors, the viewer is no longer a detached observer, but becomes a part of the artworks themselves.

Vicky Lennie was born and raised in Edinburgh and studied at the Glasgow School of Art, graduating in 1993. She moved to the west of Ireland in 1996, and helped to establish the Doolin Artists group who held several successful exhibitions. Vicky now works from her studio at the Blue Frog Café and Arts Venue, Ennistymon, Co. Clare, where she also teaches life drawing and programmes arts events and exhibitions for the venue. She has exhibited in various Irish galleries and Arts Centres, including the Belltable Arts Centre in Limerick and the Dept. of Arts, Heritage, Gaeltacht and the Islands in Dublin.

info@vickylennie.net
www.vickylennie.net

2011-04-21T13:47:00.000+01:00

“Birds of the Shore” William Glynn
in the Red Couch Space
April 29th- May 26^th

g William Glynn was born in Kilrush and brought up in Kilkee, Co.Clare. He spent most of his working life teaching in the UK. Returning to Ireland on retirement, his hobby photography, became a serious pursuit. He loves the stark beauty of the West Clare coastline with its ever changing sea and sky and abundance of wild life. Impressed by Cartier-Bresson’s idea of the significant moment he tries to capture these unrepeatable fleeting instants.

2011-03-24T16:14:00.000Z

“insight”

Will O’Kane

Sue Morris

March 25th – April 21^st

opening reception Friday March 25^th at 8pm

Will O'Kane is an artist who focuses on figurative painting. Starting points for his work can come from his own photography, from found materials and images, from memory and also from direct observation. He has exhibited throughout Ireland and abroad and is currently based in Dublin.

A quote from his notebook below explains aspects of his show at the Courthouse:
'Collectively paintings such as Dough, Wasp's Nest and Wooden Cross-Boss deal with an archetypal shape while complementing portraits such as 'Red Badge' and 'GML' on a metaphorical level... Still life and portraits, while on the one hand playing with visual forms, can be taken as an essay on individual emotional experiences.'

Sue Morris followed her degree at Chelsea College of Art with an MA from the Royal College of Art, London. She has exhibited widely and has works in corporate, public and private collections.

'The Obsessive Compulsive Drawings' explores the boundaries of drawing practice in a
multi-media installation. The work examines themes of constriction and growth, sameness and difference and poses questions of perceptions and preconceptions of obsessive compulsive behaviour.

2011-03-24T16:02:00.000Z

nòinean

AN EXHIBITION OF PAINTINGS

by BRID HARHEN

In the Red Couch Space

MARCH 25 – APRIL 21,

Opening reception Saturday March 26^th at 2pm

The Ennistymon Courthouse Gallery is delighted to show the work of Brid Harhen.

Ms. Brid Harhen was born in Liscannor, Co. Clare in 1972. She only started painting five years ago and The Ennistymon Courthouse Gallery is proud to show her work.

Brid takes her influences from her locality and the stunning views from her kitchen window in Moher. She has a love for nature and flowers which she carries through in her paintings. She has previously exhibited in the “Teach Ceol” in 2006 and the “Burren Centre” in Kilfenora in 2007, The Courthouse Gallery 2009, and at The Cliffs of Moher Centre.

Flamenco on St. Patrick's Day!

2011-03-12T15:16:00.001Z

AL- ANDAR FLAMENCO SHOW

17th March

at 8pm

in the gallery

tickets €10

An evening of flamenco culture featuring the stunning music and dance from Andalusia. Al-Andar performs Flamenco in its purest form.

The evocative singing of Olayo Jimenez, the pulsing beats of Lucas Gonzalez's guitar, and the passionate dance of Fatima Lucia come together to bring you the unique sensitivity of this old tradition from Southern Spain.

www.flamencogalway.com.

Youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vzr-AF4gJb4

Vicky Lennie “Artists Books”

2011-02-15T18:24:00.001Z

February 18^th – 17^th March

In the Red Couch Space at the Courthouse Gallery

You are invited to the opening reception on 18, Feb, 2011 at 7pm.

To launch two new Artists Books, Vicky Lennie- will be having an exhibition of related work in the red couch space of the Courthouse Gallery in Ennistymon, Co. Clare from 18th February- 17th March 2011.
“The books: ‘Stones and Stories: Sketchbooks From the Burren and Aran Islands’ and ‘Early Irish Monks Understood that the World is Round’ are drawn from sketchbooks and paintings made around 1998/99, when I was living close to the Atlantic Ocean, in Doolin. Explorations of the surrounding area and folklore at that time led me through local stories and landscapes out to the many strange tales connected with the Atlantic.”
The exhibition will include original sketchbooks, paintings and ephemera, as well as the books themselves.

info@vickylennie.net
www.vickylennie.net

“Townlands” Exhibition by Alan Counihan & Gypsy Ray

2011-02-14T13:22:00.004Z

“Townlands” Exhibition

18^th February – 17^th March

You are invited to the opening reception on 18, Feb, 2011 at 7pm

Townlands is an exhibition of works made over the past two years by artists Alan Counihan and Gypsy Ray as part of the Townlands Project. Works to be shown at the Courthouse Gallery will include photographs, drawings, sculpture, installation and film all of which have grown out of creative interaction with the artists’ local landscape

The Townlands Project (www.townlands.net) is an ongoing creative exploration of a rural landscape and community in north Kilkenny. It has involved the gathering of place and field names in nine parish townlands along with a series of oral history recordings. Engagement with the community has been wide-ranging resulting in a collaboration between Barnstorm Theatre Company and the local national school, an artist-in-residence-programme , a seminar and a short film, all based on the local landscape and its history. It is anticipated that a publication will follow in 2011-2012.

Over the past twenty years Alan Counihan has realised many large site-specific works in the public domain and exhibited widely both in Ireland and the U.S.A. His work is in many public and private collections on both sides of the Atlantic. He has been the recipient of several grants and awards including the Pollock-Krasner Foundation Award. While perhaps best known for his object-based work his practice also incorporates photography, theatre, sound and texts.

While resident in the USA, Gypsy Ray gained a national reputation for her social documentary photography especially for work focused on the issues of HIV/AIDS and its impact on specific communities. Here in Ireland she has continued her creative engagement with place and people using both photography and drawing and was recently awarded a Kilkenny County Bursary for her initial work with the County Kilkenny Traveller Community. Her drawings are a regular feature in the RHA annual exhibition. A book of landscape imagery, "The Poetry of Place" was published in 2007.

For more information see : www.townlands.net

www.alancounihan.net.

www.gypsyray.wordpress.com

Tom Portman "At One"

2011-01-27T15:38:00.000Z

Tom Portman

Saturday 5^th February

in the gallery at 8.30 admission €5

Multi-instrumentalist, performer, composer and songwriter Tom Portman is based in the west of Ireland. Playing acoustic & electric guitar, Dobro & lap steel, Tom presents a wide repertoire. His compositions draw on many global styles yet have a distinct flavour of their own.

January 2011 will see the launch of Tom’s 2^nd solo album, ‘At One’. This self produced collection features instrumental compositions, songs and arrangements of traditional Irish tunes for finger-style guitar and Dobro.

“Tracks sound great; very interesting chord lines and use of space.”

Guitarist, Dennis Cahil

‘Fascinating…he absolutely captivated me.’ John Richards, Galway Bay FM

In addition to live and studio session work, Portman teaches music in Galway through the GTI and ‘Maoin Ceol’ School of Music. He regularly performs around Ireland from small venues to festivals such as the Electric Picnic and the DLR Festival of world cultures. Internationally, Tom has toured in Poland where he played the Suwalki Blues festival. Portman has also played venues in the UK, North Italy and the South of France.

Tom’s other involvements are with:

The Indian fusion group ‘The Bahh Band’ www.myspace.com/bahhband. In November they released their debut album ‘Worlds Colliding’. It features the bands compositions, arrangements of Indian Raga’s and a cover of Jeff Wayne’s ‘War of the Worlds’.
‘Charis’, Kinvara’s well known rock outfit. See www.charisireland.com.
Tom is currently working on the 2^nd solo album from Inis Bofin singer, Peader King. www.myspace.com/peadarking

In previous years he has collaborated on Bluegrass/Americana projects with Gone to Grass, Kiss my Bluegrass and Vince Cross. See www.myspace.com/vincentcrossx.

LINK

2011-01-07T15:19:00.002Z

A Scoil Mhuire Ennistymon, Alumni Art Exhibition

Official Opening by Siobhán Mulcahy, Clare Arts Officer
on Fri 14^th Jan 2011 at 7pm

The educational aspect of the show will feature talks and workshops by some exhibiting artists and by the architect responsible for the renovation the Courthouse Gallery.

These talks are aimed at Leaving Certificate students in Art, Craft and Design. The architect's talk will also be relevant for Construction Studies students. Of course these are public talks and all are welcome to attend. One workshop will be run by two 2nd year Art college students, who will talk on portfolio preparation and their own artistic practice.

There will be detailed educational notes and worksheets available to take away, compiled by Mary Fahy, the art teacher responsible for the show. These handouts are specifically designed for the Art History section of the course.

Details of the Talks

for Scoil Mhuire's LINK art exhibition:

Mon 17th Jan 2011 at 6.30pm: Marie Connole, -will present a slide show on her artistic processes
Sat 22nd Jan 2011 at 2.00pm: Branwen Kavanagh (2^nd Yr sculpture student at NCAD) and Myriam Riand (2^nd Yr graphic design student at LSAD) will give a presentation on their current work and portfolio entry requirements. - relevant to any budding art students who wish to prepare portfolios and apply to art college

Mon 24th Jan 2011 at 6.30pm: John O’Reilly architect –will give a presentation on the Renovation of the Courthouse – relevant to Art History and Construction Studies students at Senior Cycle, and all those interested in local history

Christmas Greeting

2010-12-23T15:21:00.005Z

Thank you all for your support during 2010 and wishing you a Happy Christmas & a Creative 2011

from Kathryn, Crissie, Dara, Trudi

The Gallery is open: 29th, 30th and 31st of December from 12 - 4 pm

4th, 5th and 6th of January from 12 - 4 pm

The Gallery is closed: 24th, 25th, 26th, 27th, 28th of December

1st, 2nd and 3rd of January

OPENING OF THE CHRISTMAS SHOW

2010-12-01T17:39:00.001Z

We are delighted that Mayor Christy Curtin opened our Christmas Show "has been + is going" and "Trasna" . It was a great evening and we had a very successful auction.We sold 50 pieces from the 200 original postcard-sized works by established artists.

The exhibition runs until the 6th January and these affordable works, now € 40 each, make original Christmas presents. Works sold can be taken away and they will be replaced by new ones.

'has been + is going'

2010-11-24T16:08:00.005Z

Exhibition will be opened by Mayor Christy Curtin,

on Friday 26^th November @ 7pm

‘Trasna’ AUCTION begins at 8pm

‘has been + is going’ features an astonishingly diverse range of work that ‘has been’ exhibited or ‘is going’ to be exhibited in the near future. Artists were selected for the high standard of their work and the show captures a variety of styles, materials and ways of working. Alongside individual artists’ works are collaborative projects such as Sitemeetings, Collection of Minds and Aughty Public Art Projects.

Artists featured are Jackie Askew, Fiona O’Dwyer (in collaboration with Paddy and Jimin Dooley), Sinead O’Connell, Vicky Lennie, Sarah Fuller, Fiona Woods, Trudi van der Elsen, Nicola Henley, Sitemeetings (Alexandra Boettcher, Maeve Collins, Maria Kerin), David O’Rourke, Ilsa Thielan, Martina Cleary, Desmond McLoughlin, Mairin Kelly, Fiona Woods, Christy McNamara, Dyan Smith, Aoife McGovern and Aughty Public Art Projects (curated by Dr. Aine Phillips with artists Marie Connole, Emma Houlihan and Tom Flanagan).

Alongside these works the Courthouse will host a selection of artist’s paper projects; catalogues, artist’s books and zines.

‘Trasna’ is an exhibition of postcard-sized works by well-known artists run in conjunction with the Christmas show. This is a first for the Courthouse Gallery who have been delighted with the response from national and international artists.

In celebration of this unique exhibition all works will be at a reserve price of 40 euros. This is a wonderful opportunity for locals to purchase original artworks as gifts for loved ones in the upcoming festive season

To encourage all of the communities of North Clare to share in this fun event there will be a wine reception and a humourous Auction to be enjoyed on the opening night Friday 26^th November. Members of the public are invited to come early and place bids on their favourite pieces before the auction begins at 8pm.

The Courthouse Gallery welcomes you to these exciting events which celebrates artists’ work in the community of Ennistymon and beyond.

'Trasna' the auction

2010-11-24T14:14:00.002Z

‘Trasna’ exhibition and auction of postcard-sized work

This collection of almost 200 postcards-sized works from national + international artists will be auctioned by Chris Wallis and Sarah Fuller on the opening night at 8 pm.
There is a reserve price of €40 on each work.
This is a silent auction, meaning artists are anonymous until after works are purchased.
To place a bid : please use stickers provided to indicate which piece you are interested in bidding on.
Auction starts at 8 pm, and the highest bidder can take their purchased work on the night.
List of participating artists : Emma Houlihan, Cora Griffin, Cynthia Sinnott, Will O’Kane, Madeline Smith, Jackie Askew, Leslie Wieltschnig, Valerie O’Driscoll, Mimie White, Frank Golden, Patricia Tuite, Pauline Keena, Carmel O’Driscoll, Tara Barone, Sarah Stevens, Margaret Duffy, Fiona O’Dwyer, Desmond McLoughlin, Ann Vaughan, Ben Smith, Kate Hodman, Betty Gannon, Katja Wittmer, Joe Ryan, James Slevin, Judy O’Sullivan, Finola Graham, Achim Riffelwood, Trudi van der Elsen, Liz Moloney, Mary Hoey-Dietz, Barbara Damen, Koos van der Elsen, Maeve Collins, Alexandra Boettcher, Ilsa Thielan, Caitriona Sheedy, Vicky Lennie, Hilary Gilmore, Thomas Prendergast, Natalie El Baba, Madeleine Lara Smith, Mimi Kern, Charles Henihan, Mary McMahon, Ian Wieczorek, Orla Campbell, Gabrielle Cap, Caireann Browne, Carol Kennedy, Fiona Calnan, Joyce Shee, Josephine Quigley, Jean Duffy, Mary Fahy, Emma Barone, Sadie Cramer, Dorothy Ledwith, Tessa O’Connor, Marianne Slevin-Potterton, Dyan Smith, Corinna Schroeder-v.Frihling, Sinead O’Connell, Marje O’Brien, Nicola Henley, Marie Connole, Diana Reid.

Seeing and Dreaming

2010-11-10T14:59:00.000Z

DOG AND STRING THEATRE

SEEING AND DREAMING

in the Gallery

Saturday November 13th @ 8pm

Two visual theatre portraits telling the intricate stories of two lives.

‘Astonishingly insightful, sensitive piece. I think, as it exists, is near perfection – a dance between performers. It is both complete and complex.’

THE SHOW IS SUITABLE FOR ADULTS AND CHILDREN AGED 10 AND OVER

Seeing and Dreaming is a new piece of visual theatre that tells the intricate stories of two lives. Visual artist and puppeteer Sarah Fuller and performer Vanessa Earl are collaborating to bring these people’s stories to life using shadows, objects, puppets and people.

Dorothy is eighty, lives alone in a Victorian house in Birmingham. She has one eye, no teeth and a soft spot for Starsky and Hutch. Michael is eighty-eight. Gnarled and bed ridden, he dreams of dancing and wild horses.

Dorothy’s story is told through the memories of her eight-year old grand-daughter who spent many weekends alone with her. This is a portrait of older age told through the eyes of a child.

Michael’s story focuses on the last year of his life spent in hospital. This portrait explores his changing states of mind, slipping between dream, reality and memory. This is a man preparing to die.

Vanessa Earl

Trained at the Jacques Lecoq International Theatre School and the Laboratory for the Study of Movement in Paris. For sixteen years she has worked professionally making theatre. Among others she has worked for the Clod Ensemble, Augusto Boal and Theatre of the Opressed, the Royal Shakespeare Company, Tom Morris and the Battersea Arts Centre, Theatre de Complicite and the National Theatre.

Sarah Fuller

Graduated in Textile Design at Central St. Martins College of Art and Design London. In 1995 she established Dog and String Theatre and since then has devised, performed and toured shows for childrens audiences both nationally and internationally. Her visual art has been exhibited widely throughout Ireland. She has considerable experience working in Arts in health and has been exploring the therapeutic possibilities of puppetry in relation to dementia.

Trasna

2010-11-05T13:15:00.000Z

Open invite to “Trasna” Postcard Exhibition

In conjunction with the Christmas exhibition ‘has been + is going’ 25th November to 6th January, The Courthouse Gallery Ennistymon is inviting A5 postcard submissions from national and international artists. Postcard- max 19cm x 13.5cm size, in any medium and clearly label on back artists name, title, medium, address, mobile number and email address. Post to Trasna, The Courthouse Gallery and Studios, Parliament St., Ennistymon, Co. Clare, by 16th Novemeber. All postcards priced at 40euro including 25% gallery commission. There will be an auction on opening night and prices may increase. ennistymoncourthousegallery@gmail.com

The Bahh Band

2010-11-05T12:17:00.002Z

The Bahh Band

concert in the gallery to launch their new CD

“Worlds Colliding”

Friday 12^th November @ 9pm

door: €15, includes CD!

The Bahh Band

The Bahh Band are a rapidly evolving group of seven eclectic musicians based in the cultural melting pot of Galway in the West of Ireland. Their unique and soulful blending of such diverse influences as Indian classical music, bluegrass, Irish music, vocal improvisation and groove laden rhythms have won them many fans at their regular appearances in festivals such as Body N Soul, Electric Picnic and the Festival of World Cultures. The group began as a three piece founded by Australian born, Mattu who plays the sarode (a 25 stringed Indian lute), Italian tabla player, Ciro Montanari and Galway bluesman, Tom Portman on the dobro (a slide resonator guitar). However, the group has constantly been seeking a greater density of sound and have expanded to include the dynamic Pauli Smalls (double bass), 2 vocalists (Ceara Conway and Goishka) and well known bodhran/percussionist Brian Fleming. They have become increasingly known for their hypnotic live shows, incorporating more guests using further percussion, drones and electronics. The Bahh Band also display an interesting choice of covers in their live repertoire, drawing on psychedelic rock riffs, jazz standards, Johnny Cash, reggae motifs and traditional Irish folk songs!!!

Most recently, in 2010, they recorded a version of Jeff Wayne’s 70’s rock opera, War of the Worlds, which received the enthusiastic approval of the author and numerous hits on youtube for their subsequent video. The band’s founding member, Mattu, received a grant from the Arts Council of Ireland to further his study in India and funding from Galway County Council to complete the group’s debut album entitled, Worlds Colliding. The group performed for thousands of people at the recent visit of Indian guru, Amma, in the RDS in Dublin and are planning a tour of England and India.

“Exceedingly talented and diverse, the Bahh band mix elements of blues, bluegrass, folk and eastern sounds seamlessly” (bodynsoul.ie)

“Serious shoes off music!!!” (Ronan O Snodaigh-Kila)

Mrs.Redhead Photography

2010-10-13T15:07:00.000+01:00

In the Red Couch Space

Perceptions

Olga Leszczynska

16^th October – 11^th November

official opening 16^th October at 5 pm

Everything in her starts with a thought which glides above the picture. The eye sees it, the mind catches it and pierces it with the free bird's beak. Individualism, passion and the technique of peeping from the other side of a mirror is connected with humbleness, a child-like admiration for the world and the resolution of a mad motorcyclist.
Born in Poland, she has been living in Ireland since 2004. She's an open, communicative risk-taker who wants to get to know the people and herself. She wants to catch the hidden pictures. That is why, by taking a camera to her hands, she feels fulfilled.

Olga invited also Peter Cierniak to exhibit some photographs.

Peter Cierniak is a freelance photographer based in Dublin and Kildare. Passionate of fantasy art. Adrenaline junkie addicted to extreme activities. Shares his time between motorbike touring adventures and his PCPA Photography Studio project. In photography he likes expression, wide angles...and no rules.

'collins. harper. lane.' - new paintings. Launch on Saturday 16th of October at 5 PM by Doris Staal.

2010-10-04T16:58:00.003+01:00

Artists John Collins, Charles Harper and John Lane are about to present a selection of brand new works for the very first time to the public on that date ,with the show running until November 11^th 2010.

Travelling from America’s east coast to officially open proceedings is New York artist Doris Staal. No stranger to our shores, Doris has spent most every summer sketching and painting along our western coastline and is honoured to return in this official capacity to open the show.

Doris Staal is a lecturer at National Academy & School of Fine Arts, New York City which is situated across the road from The Metropolitan Museum of Art on 5^th Avenue. She has worked with high profile artists from the New York scene over the years including Robert Mejer, Robert DiNiro Snr; and Hans Hoffman.

In addition to yearly faculty shows at National Academy, her work has appeared in exhibitions across the United states, the University of Wales, and Skidmore College where she was the recipient of several fellowships. Her work is included in the print collection of the Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC, amongst others.

All 3 contributing artists will also be in attendance on Saturday the 16th, so a real treat in store for all art lovers who wish to visit the opening.


'Limerick Clown - A Head for Hats'	by John Collins

John Collins is a Limerick artist who’s works are instantly recognisable as his composition continues to be dominated chiefly in red and white settings. As you would expect from Collins, there is a poetic outlook yet a dark approach to his work which becomes immediately obvious with his representative colour and structure. Primarily, a self taught artist, he also studied art at LSAD and his works are part of private collections in Ireland, England, France and the United States.

'Delayed Race' by Charles Harper

Charles Harper is retired Head of Fine Art at LSAD and while lecturing at the Limerick campus was a founding member of Aosdana. He was the initiating dynamism behind ev+a, Limerick‘s annual international arts exhibition, and is a council member of the Royal Hibernian academy and a member of Limerick Printmakers. Harper has contributed to private and public collections both nationally an internationally throughout the world. Most recent is his One-Man Show at Wexford Vocational College and Gormley Fine Art Gallery in Dublin & Belfast. Group shows include: RHA, Iontas prize winners Show in 2004 and the Amnasty show in Dublin.

'Just to know Peace' by John Lane

John Lane is a local artist, born and raised in Ennis Co Clare. After studying art in Limerick and Sligo John ended up homeless for a short spell, coming out of this stronger and more positive he began this new series of work, delving into his soul and the souls of those who view his paintings.

Willie Doherty remarked “Each painting is like a song” after viewing John’s work in Belfast.

An Evening of Poetry

2010-09-28T15:27:00.001+01:00

Salmon Poetry

continues its successful reading series in the gallery, with a special reading to celebrate

All Ireland Poetry Day,

7pm, Thursday 7th October,

Admission is free.

The featured readers are:

Rita Ann Higgins - Internationally acclaimed Galway poet Rita Ann Higgins reads from her new book, Hurting God - Part Essay Part Rhyme, just published by Salmon, which includes essays and accompanying poems, drawing us into a childhood world of God, púcas, jiving factory girls and a crocodile-wielding father. Her first five collections were published by Salmon: Goddess on the Mervue Bus (1986); Witch in the Bushes (1988); Goddess and Witch (1990); Philomena's Revenge (1992); and, Higher Purchase (1996). Bloodaxe Books published her next three collections: Sunny Side Plucked (1996); An Awful Racket (2001); and Throw in the Vowels: New & Selected Poems in May 2005 to mark her 50th birthday.

Kevin Higgins is co-organiser of Over The Edge literary events. He facilitates poetry workshops at Galway Arts Centre, teaches creative writing at Galway Technical Institute and on the Brothers of Charity Away With Words programme. He is also Writer-in-Residence at Merlin Park Hospital and the poetry critic of the Galway Advertiser. He has had three books published with Salmon, The Boy With No Face, Time Gentlemen, Please and, earlier this year, Frightening New Furniture.

Susan Millar DuMars is American-born, now living in Galway. Also co-organiser of Galway's Over the Edge events, she works as a teacher of creative writing, and has had two books published with Salmon; Big Pink Umbrella and Dreams for Breakfast. She also writes fiction.

Mary Madec was born and raised in the west of Ireland, and is currently Director of the Villanova Study Abroad Program in Galway. With her husband Claude Madec, she started up a community-writing project, Away with Words, now in its third year. She published her first collection, In Other Words, with Salmon this year.

Mary Mullen, taught memoir writing at Galway Arts Centre, and now tutors writers privately. Mary was born in Anchorage, and raised on her parent's homestead in Soldotna, Alaska. She moved to Ballinderreen, Co. Galway, Ireland in 1996, where she still lives with her daughter Lily, a sparkly Galway girl who was born with Down Syndrome. Her first collection, Zephyr, was published by Salmon this year.

Glenn Shea was born and has lived most of his life in Connecticut. He is living for the moment in an old farmhouse in Uncasville and works with a group of illuminati in a huge used-book shop in Niantic, Connecticut. He has published two chapbooks. Find A Place That Could Pass For Home, his first full-length collection, has just appeared from Salmon.

Jessie Lendennie
Managing Director
Salmon Poetry Ltd.
Knockeven
Cliffs of Moher

http://salmonpoetry.com

http://jessielendennie.com

Domingo Cuatindioy: YACHARUNA / Shaman. Mosaics, paintings, prints and carvings.

2010-09-13T13:18:00.005+01:00

“Yacharuna”, an exhibition by indigenous artist Domingo Cuatindioy opened in the Courthouse Gallery on Saturday 11 September at 5pm by poet Brian Mooney, with music by Michael Hynes and Denis Liddy.

Domingo Cuatindioy was born in 1959 into the Ingano tribe, whose homeland in the foothills of the Colombian Andes is a repository of ancient culture and knowledge. It is here the river Putumayo, a major tributary of the Amazon, has its source. The valley itself, known as the “gateway of the Amazon rain forest”, has a powerful and distinct earth energy as well as a strong tradition of natural healers.

Domingo’s people are subsistence farmers and by eight years of age he was already working as a day labourer to help support his family. With only a few months primary education and no artistic training, he suddenly began to draw and paint in his mid-thirties.

His creative inspiration comes from a deep affinity with the natural world, as well as from his experience in the shamanic arts acquired during twenty years with the Siona tribe in the Amazon rain forest of Bajo Putumayo, where he went to live at the age of fifteen.

In the Ingano and Siona cultures the veil between the natural and the supernatural worlds is gossamer thin. Interaction between spirit beings, mortals and animals is part of everyday reality, and dreams are a highly respected source of guidance. For Domingo the unexpected emergence of the artist within, at the age of thirty four and, a year or two later in 1996, his voyage through time and space from the equatorial rain forest to the edge of the Burren in North Clare, were miraculous transformations in his life equal to any in the history of his tribe. The time away from tribal life proved crucial in Domingo’s development as an artist because it allowed him the personal space necessary for his special gift to blossom.

His work, which consists of paintings, carvings, linocuts, wood engravings and, more recently, mosaics on canvas and bone, is characterised by its innate strength of design and loving attention to detail. Above all each piece has a unique and evocative presence.

Since the very positive response to Domingo’s first exhibition in Ennis in 1999, his work has been shown in numerous solo and group exhibitions in Ireland, France, U.K. and Colombia and is to be found in public and private collections in Europe and the Americas.

“Yacharuna”, meaning shaman in the Inga language, is Domingo’s sixth solo exhibition. The show runs until Thursday 7 October.

Domingo Cuatindioy: YACHARUNA / Shaman. Mosaics, paintings, prints and carvings.

Courthouse Gallery, Parliament Street, Ennistymon, Co. Clare. T: 065 707 1630

Opens Sat 11 Sept 5pm, runs until Thurs 7 Oct | Opening Hours Tues – Sat 12pm - 5pm

Unfolding

2010-09-08T15:44:00.000+01:00

Unfolding

by Fiona Woods

11th September - 7 October

For her exhibition in the Red Couch Space Fiona Woods will convert the area into a studio. Over the course of the exhibition she will develop a new work which has been commissioned for the TULCA festival of Visual Art in Galway, opening in November. The exhibition will take the form of an unfolding, as ideas and images are developed over time, taking on a gradual visual and physical form in the space. The artist will follow her normal work schedule and will be present most weekdays between 10 and 12.

Fiona Woods is a visual artist whose practice includes curating and writing. She has received a number of commissions to make work, including the recent project Collections of mimds #1 www.collectionofminds.net for PS2, Belfast. She is a participant in Rhyzom, a European research network exploring local cultural productions and trans-local disseminations www.rhyzom.net. Woods is a recipient of the Arts Council of Ireland@s 2010Visual Arts Bursary award.

Eddie Stack

2010-08-14T16:41:00.000+01:00

Eddie Stack will read stories here in the gallery which are set in Clare on Aug. 25th.

The reading coincides with the publication of a new edition of his classic book The west. The cover of this edition features a painting by Phillip Morrison of Blake's Corner, Ennistymon.

Wednesday 25th August
8pm at the Courthouse Gallery

www.eddiestack.com
blog:ballylara.wordpress.com/

NO BOUNDARIES and EXPLANATIONS Official Launch on Aug 7th at 5pm by Noel Crowley

2010-08-09T17:49:00.001+01:00

NO BOUNDARIES Paintings and Textile Art by Anne Korff and Joke Buursma

2010-08-09T16:41:00.001+01:00

Artists Anne Korff and Joke Buursma are both inspired by exotic cultural elements from Africa and the Middle East.

Joke Buursma originally from The Netherlands makes Textile Art. She uses a mix of commercial and hand-dyed fabrics. Her work is mainly figurative. In “No Boundaries” there is a series of five pieces with the zebra as a theme.

During the process of creating the zebras, Joke discovered the stunning African adobe architecture of Mali, hence one of the zebra pieces contains some details of an adobe wall. Other pieces are inspired by cultural elements from Ireland, Syria, and France. In her piece Intercultural Ireland Joke made a connection between Celtic Ireland, Christianity and Islam, because in a relatively short time Ireland has changed to a multi cultural society.

Joke's work has been exhibited not only in Ireland, but also in The Netherlands, Belgium, Germany, France, and the U.K. Her work has been accepted in a number of juried quilt exhibitions, and this year one of her pieces is accepted by the European Art Quilt Foundation and will be part of the exhibition which will travel for two years in a number of EU countries. Two of her pieces (Intercultural Ireland, and, Zebra IV) have been accepted by the RDS Craft Show in Dublin in 2009, which is proof of excellence of workmanship and design.

Anne Korff’s latest paintings are inspired by visits to Morocco, Tunisia, Andalusia and a recent visit to remote parts in south east Turkey - an area bordering Syria and Iraq. Two aspects struck her in particular: the first being the swamping of traditional life styles and architecture by all the trappings of a western consumer society; the second being the abstract nature of Islamic design and its meditative qualities.

Anne is well known through her work with Tír Eolas a publishing company she founded in 1987. Her illustrations of the archaeology of the Burren and its history led to the publication of a series of guides and maps and, in cooperation with several authors, to The Book of the Burren. In 2007 she had a solo exhibition On the Sea, a series of drawings and paintings based on her numerous trips sailing around the west coast of Ireland in her 29 foot yacht Jade.

This exhibition is a celebration of the beauty of Islamic art as seen by a 'Westerner'. She hopes to encourage the viewer to embrace cultural diversity and the opening of a dialogue that might help build bridges between the Christian and Islamic worlds.

'East meets West' by Anne Korff

'Zebra' by Joke Buursma

'EXPLANATIONS THROUGH CLAY' by Sarah Comerford, Sinead O'Connell, Zania Koppe, Diane Reid

2010-08-09T16:08:00.000+01:00

The title 'Explanations' comes from the difficulties that arise with putting forward something so personal and then feeling the need to back up or explain its purpose, to clarify the idea behind it. Working with clay and its different firing/ drying stages can be unpredictable and the process can tend to go its own way. Explanations are necessary but can have a huge impact on the viewers' impression of the finished work.

'Horses' by Sarah Comerford
'Horse' by Sinead O'Connell
'Sammeltasse' by Zania Koppe
'Image' by Diane Reid

STOP MOTION ANIMATION WORKSHOPS with Vanessa Daws

2010-07-20T18:15:00.000+01:00

Stop Motion Animation workshop at The Courthouse Gallery, Ennistymon
with artist Vanessa Daws.
MONDAY 9 / 10 /11 & 12 AUG, from 12 - 4 PM
For teenagers & adults
2 x 2 day course
€25 per day, minimum of two days

During the workshops participants will use different stop motion animation techniques such as sand animation, bringing drawings to life, claymation and making objects appear to move by themselves.
In groups the participants will develop storyboards, build characters and sets, use sound and take lots of photos! When these photos are played at 12 frames per second the characters they created will magically come to life.
All the animations will be edited with music and DVD's sent out to all the participants.

Booking is essential as places are limited.

To book a place, please contact the Courthouse Gallery: 065-7071630 or send an email: ennistymoncourthousegallery@gmail.com

"Site Meetings160710"

2010-07-15T17:10:00.000+01:00

Site Meetings 160710: Ennistymon based artists Alexandra Boettcher, Maeve Collins and Maria Kerin will be performing a site-specific , once off work in the gallery on Friday 16th at 8pm sharp. This interactive performance includes skyping live to an audience in America. The audience here are welcome to experience this free multimedia performance of non-stylised embodied movement with live sound that explores points of meeting from different perspectives in the gallery space.
See www.sitemeetings.blogspot.com for more information.

Artists statement: Ennistymon based artists Alexandra Boettcher, Maeve Collins and Maria Kerin are creating through live performance and new media. Through a variety of media: drawing, film, internet, sound, instillation and dance they perform through non-stylised movement a response to the site as it offers a place of arrival, a meeting place for a live embodied movement process that stems out of a shared daily movement practice. As visitors to a site they receive and give, trusting that the space will provide a point of resistance and potential for transformation through creativity they explore presence with meeting points in contemporary culture.

Riches of Clare

2010-07-15T15:35:00.000+01:00

Riches of Clare
Lunchtime Concert

Friday 16th July 1pm - 2pm FREE EVENT

Traditional Irish Music

Johnjo Kelly, Liam Joyce, Carmel O'Dea & Treasa O'Dea

LAUNCH of O'CONNOR, PRENDERGAST, SHARP and HANRAHAN EXHIBITION

2010-07-12T13:18:00.001+01:00

'ENNISTYMON HORSE FAIR' new paintings by Michael Hanrahan

2010-07-12T12:47:00.000+01:00

MICHAEL HANRAHAN ‘Ennistymon Horse Fair’

2nd July – 29th July opening 3 July at 5 pm

Michael Hanrahan is a studio artist at the Courthouse Gallery in Ennistymon, Co Clare. he is just back from a world cruise on the largest ocean liner in the world.
He was the Art instructor on board of the Cunard's flagship 'Queen Mary 2'.
He travelled and taught Watercolour painting as he cruised from Cape Town, to St.Helena, Rio de Janeiro, Barbados, Florida, New York, and back to Southampton.
Michael has followed up a long banking career with a move to the world of Art.
He studied at NCAD and at the Burren College of Art.

His new work is inspired by the Horse Fair held each April and November in the busy market town of Ennistymon. He captures the colour, the excitement, and characters of the horse fair. http://www.michaelhanrahan.net

This exhibition is in conjunction with the O’CONNOR, PRENDERGAST, SHARP exhibition : LANDSCAPES OF N & W CLARE in the Main Gallery of the Courthouse.

O'Connor,Prendergast, Sharp, Landscapes of N. & W. Clare

2010-06-26T17:07:00.001+01:00

2nd July - 29th July

This exhibition will open on Saturday 3rd July at 5pm

These three artists roam the roads of Clare; no longer with knapsack and easel but driving as we all do, and suddenly seeing something across a field or even in the wing of a mirror.

Mike O'Connor arrives home with scrapes of notes and pencil-drawings, which also may stay pinned in view for many months before being processed as a black and white or multicolour linocut. The need then, since a print is made through indirect stages, is to restore the energy of the first viewing - through varied style / technique of block cutting and hand printing.

Tom Prendergast hunts by road , from Kilkee to Kilbaha, often spending painstaking hours on a postcard size oil painting onto hardboard. Other images are brought home to be formalized into strong, simple elements with cutout paper.

or Richard Sharp and his dog there will be a screech of brakes, a clatter of dulex cans, and some bright thing will be rapidly recorded in pastels, Indian Ink or gloss paint, on canvas or MDF board. Some will be completed in minutes while others may wait their turn for a year before being resolved.

Niamh Parsons and Graham Dunne

2010-06-17T15:56:00.001+01:00

Niamh Parsons has come to be known as one of the most distinctive voices in Irish music. She will give a concert tonight in the Courthouse Gallery at 9pm. She will be playing in a duet with Graham Dunne. Admission €13

Site Meetings 170610

2010-06-17T15:26:00.002+01:00

Site Meetings 170610 was performed today by Maria Kerin and Maeve Collins and broadcast from a specific street sculpture site in the AbunDANCE International Choreography and Dance Festival in Karlstad, Sweden. It was broadcast using Skype new media and video projection, and our audience experienced it LIVE here in the Gallery in Ennistymon, Co. Clare.

Maeve Collins

Maria Kerin

for more information:
sitemeetings.blogspot.com

Light, Space and the Body

2010-05-26T15:33:00.000+01:00

Light, Space and the Body

22nd May - 24th June

Maeve Collins

Karen Hendy

Adam Pomeroy

An exhibition of work by three artists who are all coming to the body through a journey of individual enquiry and process. The show comprises of mixed media artworks, drawing and painting.

Maeve Collins uses drawing to begin going back into her body, where transparent materials are layered in sculptural artworks, incorporating light and space. The layering of surfaces attempts to hold a fleeting sense of drawings from the body. The qualities of these embodied works reveal a tense stillness and an expressive quietness with a reflective need.

Karen Hendy's work represents her desire to capture the cycle of change, which is characteristic of impermanence; the disintegration and reinvention of reality, a process that is never at rest, and how this relates to the body. To do this Hendy works through painting, where she uses oil on canvas to express this desire in very abstracted colourful artworks.

Adam Pomeroy: "In these works, the figure has been realistically depicted, but placed in a background that is devoid of time and place. This serves to challenge its solidity and subvert the illusion of reality. The subject shares no common truth with the viewer; it exists only within its own space. The figure is used as a means to question what we are alone and nameless."

Ennistymon Courthouse Gallery and Studios

Cyclops - New work by Ben Reilly

Terrascope, an exhibition of paintings, drawings and ceramics by Jackie Maurer and Fiona Woods

Christmas celebration at the Courthouse Gallery

Story Of A Life, Noirin Mooney

Story Of A Life

Batik paintings

Noirin Mooney

Dec 3rd – Jan 7th

Story Of A Life

STORY OF A LIFE

Exhibition

of Batik paintings

by

Noirin Mooney

Dec 3 - Jan 7

with accompanying book Launch

and you are warmly invited to the opening

on Saturday Dec 3rd at 4pm

The exhibition will be opened by

Denis Crosby

Nollaig Shona Dhuit

Trasna II

3 Instrument Makers

Submission Deadline

Trasna II

Bábushkas & Bábochkas

They have Eyes

An Evening of Poetry on All Ireland Poetry Day

NORTH INDIAN CLASSICAL CONCERT

CULTURAL NIGHT IN THE COURTHOUSE GALLERY - 23 SEPTEMBER STARTING AT 6 PM

'Instinct11' New paintings by Rita Wobbe from Sep 16 - Oct 13, 2011

Katrina Morrison Photography exhibition of: Abbey's and Ruins - In The Red Couch Space - September 10th – October 13th

REFLECTION

Sorge's performance "Sunrise" on the opening night 4th Aug at 8.30 pm

As part of the festival there will be exhibitions, films and installations from various artists in venues around Ennistymon town:

PANEL DISCUSSION on the Power of Local - Sat 6th Aug at 5 pm

OPEN STUDIOS : the resident artists in the Courthouse Gallery welcome the public to see their work in progress during the festival the Power of Local.

ARTIST TALK by GARETH KENNEDY - FRIDAY 5th AUG at 5pm

“About the VAI Professional Development Programme for Visual Artists

THE TRANSLOCAL CONDITION - The Power of Local Festival

'Liquid is everywhere' an exhibition by the Estonian artist group Liquid

VEDELIK

FESTIVAL THE POWER OF LOCAL - PROGRAMME

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

'Timelines' an exhibition by Emma Barone, Kathryna Cuschieri, Ciara McMahon

'Surrender' New works by Pauline Goggin

Arts Festival The Power of Local

CD Launch Paddy Mulcahy - Trouble Instigator- 23rd June at 9 pm - free of charge

Fiona Woods - extended interview on ABC Radio National Australia

Artworks Feature: Rural artists with a wide orbit

The Outside is Inside

National Campaign for the Arts - Meet and Greet – Monday 16 May at 11am

Flamenco on St. Patrick's Day!

Vicky Lennie “Artists Books”

“Townlands” Exhibition by Alan Counihan & Gypsy Ray

Tom Portman "At One"

LINK

Christmas Greeting

OPENING OF THE CHRISTMAS SHOW

'has been + is going'

'Trasna' the auction

Seeing and Dreaming

Trasna

The Bahh Band

Mrs.Redhead Photography

'collins. harper. lane.' - new paintings. Launch on Saturday 16th of October at 5 PM by Doris Staal.

An Evening of Poetry

Domingo Cuatindioy: YACHARUNA / Shaman. Mosaics, paintings, prints and carvings.

Unfolding

Eddie Stack

NO BOUNDARIES and EXPLANATIONS Official Launch on Aug 7th at 5pm by Noel Crowley

NO BOUNDARIES Paintings and Textile Art by Anne Korff and Joke Buursma

'EXPLANATIONS THROUGH CLAY' by Sarah Comerford, Sinead O'Connell, Zania Koppe, Diane Reid

STOP MOTION ANIMATION WORKSHOPS with Vanessa Daws

"Site Meetings160710"

Riches of Clare

LAUNCH of O'CONNOR, PRENDERGAST, SHARP and HANRAHAN EXHIBITION

'ENNISTYMON HORSE FAIR' new paintings by Michael Hanrahan

O'Connor,Prendergast, Sharp, Landscapes of N. & W. Clare

Dec 3^rd – Jan 7^th

on Saturday Dec 3^rd at 4pm