I will be taking part in an exhibition, Howaya Now???, on the 10th of August in Mullingar Arts Centre. It was curated by Paul Timoney, a visual artist and storyteller, and visual artist Fiona Kelly.
Paul is an excellent story teller and keeps a facebook "like" page under Timo's Tales, where you can keep up to date with his regular performances.
If you like storytelling have a look at the Teller's Tale by Westmeath artist Paul Timoney. It is a digital book illustrated and narrated by the author. Have a look at the trailer. I have always preferred storytelling to story reading. I find it so relaxing, it conjures up the excitment of Friday afternoons at school or the soothing feeling of being read to before bed.
I will be taking part in a public art event on Saturday and Sunday the 28th and 29th of May. I will be projecting a video piece, i the that I made recently, in the Civic Square, amongst a variety of works from other artists. The is Making Space Athlone and it is doing just that, making space for contemporary art in Athlone.
National Campaign for the Arts promotional video With the Budget looming it is difficult to think of the arts without thinking of politics. But the two are never far apart. The country's bailout has seen Ireland get negative publicity around the globe causing the arts, which is a huge figure in cultural identity, to be ever more relevant.
There is a tendency to "live in the past". People focus on what their houses were once worth and where they once wen on holiday. When we think of cultural identity we think of the 1916 Easter rising. There is difficulty in visualizing a new nation. In my hometown Athlone there are proposals/talks/plans of avisual arts gallery. The proposed site was the old library and the plans included what I thought of as a tasteful expansion to the original construction. Opposition claimed that it was a waste of money and suggested that the building be used to house memorabilia of Count John McCormack, "Athlone's most famous son". Count John McCormack was a respected tenor who died in 1945, his memorabilia is already on display elsewhere. My frustration lies in the desire to focus on the past and an inability to visualize a new future. There is talent, skill and ambition being exported out of the the town as it lacks a visuals arts community and a suitable venue would go a long way in rectifying this. It would create jobs and attract tourism and potentially larger employers. However, many would rather focus on something that happened 100 years ago. It is similar to saying "instead of funding next year's Olympic team, lets build a monument to the last team".
Contemporary art is a scary term that is laden down with preconceptions. But contemporary merely references things of today. So it is obvious that contemporary arts have a huge role to play in forging a future and making today a little more enjoyable. The included video is a little cheesy at times but the message is spot on.
This time last year I was participating in the Multyfarnham Arts Festival which was located in a Franciscan Abbey there. As part of it I was invited to Áras an Uachtaráin to meet with President McAleese, along with the others artists and the friars who organised and hosted the event for the community (I am pictured camera right behind McAleese).
I wasn't entirely sure why I was there, but I was happy to accept the invitation, if only out of curiosity. I believe that in the previous week President McAleese meet with the country's Arts Officers so perhaps it was an art support month. The day included tours, talks about Irish history, Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette's furniture and tea served in a rather slick blue and gold presidential tea service. Mary herself was truely lovely, incredibly personable and natural. Even the Army Captain who escorted use was very friendly. In fact everyone involved in the festival, the friars, the community, the artists were interesting and approachable.
Posts
