Celebrating the best in craftwork

A MAJOR exhibition of contemporary craft work from around the county will be on show in the Glór gallery until August 27.
The exhibition is being run by the Clare Arts Office and Glór and it will highlight the wealth of creative talent abundant in the craft sector of the county. The Crafts Council of Ireland and Craft Northern Ireland have designated 2011 as the year of craft, in recognition of the 40th anniversary of the Crafts Council of Ireland’s founding.
A call to artists went out earlier this year and a large volume of submissions were received in a variety of media. In keeping with the objective of showcasing the very best of contemporary Clare craft, ceramicist Rob D’Eath from Galway was invited to independently choose the works for exhibit. While he focussed mainly on ceramics and textiles, some jewellery and items of woodwork are also included. He will officially open the exhibition.
A dozen craft people were selected, Hannah Arnup, Pauline Fitzgerald, Stephanie Ford, Helen Griffin, Brian Hackett, Nicola Henley, Lynn Kenny, Bláithín Ní Leannáin, Noreen Ramsey, Jane Seymour, Ilsa Thielan and Ray Walsh.
The organisers intend to accompany the exhibition with artist’s talks and demonstrations. After the conclusion of the exhibition, some of the pieces on show will be brought on tour to selected libraries around Clare, where they will be the feature of book promotions and further craft activities later in the year.
The Crafts Council of Ireland currently has over 2,300 members on its register of craft enterprise.
Siobhan Mulcahy of the Clare Arts Office said she anticipates a lot of interest in the exhibition. “Basically it’s the work of 12 artists and there’s everything from ceramics to jewellery to wooden chairs, there’s quite a mix. We had nearly 30 submissions so there was a lot of interest in taking part in it and it’s one of the main craft exhibitions in the county.”
She said that there will be opportunities for members of the public to meet the people involved. “We’re hoping to have a number of meet the artists sessions for people to come and talk to them and then some of the exhibits will be brought on tour.”
The exhibition is being run by the Clare Arts Office and Glór and it will highlight the wealth of creative talent abundant in the craft sector of the county. The Crafts Council of Ireland and Craft Northern Ireland have designated 2011 as the year of craft, in recognition of the 40th anniversary of the Crafts Council of Ireland’s founding.
A call to artists went out earlier this year and a large volume of submissions were received in a variety of media. In keeping with the objective of showcasing the very best of contemporary Clare craft, ceramicist Rob D’Eath from Galway was invited to independently choose the works for exhibit. While he focussed mainly on ceramics and textiles, some jewellery and items of woodwork are also included. He will officially open the exhibition.
A dozen craft people were selected, Hannah Arnup, Pauline Fitzgerald, Stephanie Ford, Helen Griffin, Brian Hackett, Nicola Henley, Lynn Kenny, Bláithín Ní Leannáin, Noreen Ramsey, Jane Seymour, Ilsa Thielan and Ray Walsh.
The organisers intend to accompany the exhibition with artist’s talks and demonstrations. After the conclusion of the exhibition, some of the pieces on show will be brought on tour to selected libraries around Clare, where they will be the feature of book promotions and further craft activities later in the year.
The Crafts Council of Ireland currently has over 2,300 members on its register of craft enterprise.
Siobhan Mulcahy of the Clare Arts Office said she anticipates a lot of interest in the exhibition. “Basically it’s the work of 12 artists and there’s everything from ceramics to jewellery to wooden chairs, there’s quite a mix. We had nearly 30 submissions so there was a lot of interest in taking part in it and it’s one of the main craft exhibitions in the county.”
She said that there will be opportunities for members of the public to meet the people involved. “We’re hoping to have a number of meet the artists sessions for people to come and talk to them and then some of the exhibits will be brought on tour.”