Leitrim County Council Creative Ireland Collaborative Practice Workshop Programme

Collaborative Practice Workshop Programme

The central focus of the Creative Ireland programme in Leitrim is a countywide open call to community groups, venues, artists and everyone involved in the culture and creative sectors to develop high quality projects and programmes that enable groups and individuals to realise their creative potential and develop and encourage greater access, knowledge and appreciation of the arts, culture and creativity.

Groups with little or no previous involvement in creative projects are particularly encouraged to take part and to this end we work closely with the Leitrim Public Participation Network to involve groups that heretofore would have had little experience in creative activities. While this has given rise to a great many groups engaging in creative projects for the first time, it has also given rise to a significant increase in opportunities for artists and others in the culture and creativity sector to facilitate such projects.

However, while there are many professionals in the region with extensive expertise in different creative practices – there are many that haven’t had the opportunity to develop an expertise in working collaboratively with groups, successfully developing and managing creative projects with them. With these practitioners in mind, we have also developed a programme over two weekends with some of the most experienced practitioners in this field. 

Each weekend consists of an introductory workshop, four half-day sessions and a final panel discussion. All facilitators attend all sessions so the final plenary can be more constructive, taking on board the emerging topics from all sessions.

Each weekend is limited to 15 participants. There is no fee for the weekends but if you are interested in taking part, please complete the Expression of Interest Form which can be found on the arts office websites www.leitrimarts.ie indicating a bit about your background and which weekend(s) you wish to attend and return it to Christine Kelly, Leitrim Arts Office. Email arts@leitrimcoco.ie. Tel: 071 96 21694 or go to www.leitrimarts.ie for further information. 

Weekend 1

Friday 25^th and Saturday 26^th January 2019.

The Dock, Carrick on Shannon, Co. Leitrim.

Marie Brett, John Scott, Michael McLoughin, Siobhan Clancy. Chair – Aideen Barry.

Weekend 2

Friday 1^st and Saturday 2^nd March 2019.

Leitrim Sculpture Centre, Manorhamilton, Co. Leitrim.

Aideen Barry, Kate Wilson, Deirdre O’Mahony and Mark Storor. Chair – Marie Brett

Aideen Barry is a practicing Visual Artist based in Ireland. Her work is known both nationally and internationally. Showing projects in spaces and museums such as Mothers Tankstation, The Irish Museum of Modern Art, Louise T. Bloudin Gallery London, Moderne Mussett Sweden, The Loop Biennale Spain, The Wexner Centre Ohio, The Royal Hibernian Academy, the Museum des Beux Arts in Lyon, The Crawford Municipal Gallery, The Butler Gallery, The Banff Centre Canada, the Headlands Centre for the Arts San Francisco, Liste Art Fair Basel Switzerland, BAC Geneva, Arco Art Fair Spain and Catherine Clark Gallery US. Barry has received numerous awards for her practice including recent awards: A Culture Ireland Award 2018, The Vermont Studio Centre Fellowship Award 2017, A Project New Work Awards from the Arts Council of Ireland ( 2008/2009/2010/ 2018), Arts Council of Ireland Bursary Awards 2017/2017/2015/2013/2011, Modern Ireland in 100 Art Works 2015 award, the Silent Light Film Award at the Cork Film Festival, Travel and Training Awards from the Arts Council of Ireland and in 2010 was shortlisted for the prestigious AIB Prize.

Marie Brett is a visual artist based in Ireland who uses digital media, sculpture and immersive installation to produce artwork as a reflection on contemporary life. Her work recurrently questions culturally shunned and difficult topics, often exploring ideas of loss, crisis and human suffering in non-stable contexts. Her art pieces are evocative, using emotional echo and minimal aesthetic, and often juxtapose ideas of the everyday within a place of unease or subtle threat. Rather than create a direct linear narrative, Marie aims to slow time and open up new space as a contemplative aesthetic on intimacy, grief and vulnerability. Marie is a graduate of Goldsmiths, London University, and holds an MA (distinction) and a BA (1st class) visual arts Degrees. Marie has received numerous awards for her practice and her artwork is held in collections nationally and internationally. She will collaborate closely with the UCD GLOBUS team as well as other project members on graphic research installations.

Siobhán Clancy is a visual artist concerned with social health. Her practice is located in institutional, civic and cultural spaces. She often collaborates with other artists, activists, youth, community and women’s groups inviting their input as potential agents of collective change. The outcomes typically materialise as multi-media works, immersive events, participatory performances, dialogues, play and live action in contexts of health, education and justice. Following graduation in 2005 from NCAD with a BA in Fine Art, in 2014 Siobhán completed a Masters in Community Education, Equality and Social Activism at Maynooth University. Her work on agency, abortion and feminist activism in Ireland has received support from the A4 Sounds Studio Project Award (2016), The Arts Council of Ireland, Create (2015) and INROADS (2015). Recent work in healthcare settings with youth has included artist residency programmes, film screenings, exhibitions and events at The IFI (2014) IMMA (2015, 2016) and The Sugar Club (2017) with Helium Arts. The Arts Council of Ireland (2016), The Department of Education and Skills (2018) and Erasmus+ (2016) have supported her arts in education work with Make Create Innovate.

Michael McLoughlin is a visual artist working in a wide variety of media including drawing, video, sculpture and sound. Since the mid-1990’s McLoughlin has consistently developed and presented new ways of working in a social context. McLoughlin continually explores developmental possibilities through a contemporary art practice grounded in sound, drawing and spacial consideration. His work examines the value placed on the feelings of ownership, belonging and connection experienced by both the individual and the collective. In addition, he is particularly interested in the relationship between public spaces, institutions, the public they aim the serve and the potential meeting ground with contemporary visual arts practice within these contexts.

Deirdre O’Mahony’s research and art practice is grounded in collaborative engagements with different publics and communities. She completed a PhD New Ecologies Between Rural Life and Visual Culture in the West of Ireland: History, Context, Position, and Art Practice at the University of Brighton in 2012. She revived a defunct rural post-office as a public space, “X-PO”, to reflect the complex social, psychological, economic and natural issues affecting rural life and landscapes. Subsequent research has reflected on the contemporary relevance of tacit, place-based knowledge. SPUD examines ideas of sustainability, food security and rural/urban relationships, through potato projects in Ireland, USA, Spain and the UK, most recently The Village Plot at the Irish Museum of Modern Art as part of the Grizedale Arts research residency A Fair Land. O’Mahony has published and been written about extensively, had numerous national and international gallery and museum exhibitions, and been awarded fellowships and residencies including a Pollock-Krasner Award and Arts Council of Ireland bursaries.

John Scott is a choreographer and Operatic Tenor. BA Graduate of University College Dublin. Dublin born and was apprenticed to Dublin City Ballet, where he worked with Anna Sokolow. He studied with Andy de Groat, Meredith Monk, Pablo Vela, Susan Buirge and Deborah Hay. He founded Irish Modern Dance Theatre, 1991 and has brought Meredith Monk, Sean Curran, Sarah Rudner, John Jasperse, Thomas Lehmann, Kyle Abraham, Chris Yon to Ireland. He performed in Meredith Monk’s Quarry, Spoleto Festival, Yoshiko Chuma, Ireland, and Sarah Rudner, New York. Scott has choreographed in Bilbao, Spain for Blanca Arrietta’s company Cinco Cinquenta Cuerdas and in Paris Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique et de Danse de Paris. As Singer, Studies with Janice Chapman and has studied with Veronica Dunne. Has sung with Opera Ireland, Lyric Opera (Ireland) and in operatic concerts New York. Roles include Florestan/Fidelio, Max/Der Freischutz, small roles in Carmen, Rigoletto, La Traviata, Il Trovatore. Oratorio/concerts include Carmina Burana, Messiah, Judas Maccabeus, Mozart Requiem.

Mark Storor is an acclaimed and award winning artist who works in the space between live art and theatre. He has been described in the British press as “a genuinely visionary theatre maker” and “an alchemist”. His work is devised, often site-specific and always collaborative. His recent work includes Baa Baa Baric: Have You Any Pull? A Quiet Revolution (with Heart Of Glass, in St Helen’s), Little Sister (Manchester Royal Exchange), The Simplicity of Truth (FACT), The Barometer of My Heart (Anna Ledgard in association with Artsadmin), Puffball (The Roundhouse, London and tour), The Paper Project (Oval House, London) and A Tender Subject (Artangel).

Kate Wilson has been living and working in Ireland since graduating from the Slade School of Art, London in 1995. Since moving to Ireland she has worked as a painter, performer, director and arts facilitator/collaborator. For more than 15 years Kate has worked as a facilitator, mentor and professional development trainer for collaborative practice in many contexts throughout Ireland, including gallery, school and community residencies and workshop facilitation. Her painting is in both civic and private collections including Leitrim, Wexford, and Boyle civic collections and AIB. She is the recipient of a number of awards and commissions including RHA award of distinction. In 2016 Kate founded and is director ‘Undercurrent’, a dance theatre company with performers from diverse backgrounds and an innovative approach to collaboration and inclusion in the arts.