Sample-Studios’ Graduate Artist in Residence, Elinor O’ Donovan, discusses her solo exhibition ‘Brain Worms’ in The Lord Mayor’s Pavilion, Cork City, with Kaitlynn Webster of 126 Gallery, Galway.

Elinor O’Donovan is a Cork-based visual artist. She studied Intermedia at Edinburgh College of Art at the University of Edinburgh, graduating in 2019. With her colourful digital collages and prints, Elinor explores artefacts of internet culture, such as memes and stock photos, visualising the porousness of the so-called ‘digital divide’. She is currently a Graduate Studio Resident at Sample-Studios, Cork. She is the recipient of The Arts Council of Ireland Visual Artist Bursary, Cork City Council Bursary and the Cork International Film Festival Commission Award. Her first major solo exhibition is presented in The Lord Mayor’s Pavilion, Cork City, until September 11th 2021.

Kaitlynn Webster is a multidisciplinary visual artist from California, based in Galway. She received her BA with Honours from California State University, Fresno and her MFA from the Burren College of Art/ NUIG. She is currently on the Board of 126 Gallery in Galway which will host Elinor O’ Donovan’s next solo exhibition.

Guest Artist Curator Nicola Anthony is joined by exhibiting artists Alisha Doody, Vivienne Molloy, Megan Scott and Aideen Farrell

Artist Kate O’ Shea discusses her exhibition with Sample-Studios ‘Half Way to Falling’ in The Lord Mayor’s Pavilion, Cork, with her collaborators. Chaired by Dr. Eve Olney.

“We’ll hear from Caomhán Mac Con Iomaire about The National Gallery of Ireland’s approach to creating accessible programmes for visitors with autism and visitors with dementia. Sophie Sage joins us from the V&A Museum of Childhood at a critical juncture in the Museum’s history as it embarks on an ambitious redevelopment which presents the opportunity to redesign their new immersive galleries with the needs of each visitor in mind. Adrian Colwell will reflect on how his own interests in accessibility, inclusivity and the social value of the arts led him to found Drag & Draw, life drawing events with drag performers as models, which has toured Ireland since 2018.

Host: Aoibhie McCarthy is the Artistic Director of Sample-Studios, one of Ireland’s largest artist studios and creative workspaces, based in Cork City, Ireland. She was a recipient of the Cork City Council Arts Office Arts for All stipend to attend the Disability & Cultural Management training in early 2021.

Contributors:

Caomhán Mac Con Iomaire is the Education Officer: Art Practice, Accessibility agus Gaeilge in The National Gallery of Ireland. Caomhán leads the development of new programmes for individuals and groups with accessibility requirements including children with autism and adults with dementia. He also devises art practice activities for adults, Irish-language programmes and resources, and facilitates the Sunday drop-in family workshops. Find out more about The National Gallery of Ireland’s https://www.nationalgallery.ie Find out more about The National Gallery of Ireland’s dementia-inclusive activities: https://www.nationalgallery.ie/what-we-do/education-department/access-programme/dementia Find out more about AsIAm, Ireland’s National Autism Charity: https://www.asiam.ie

Sophie Sage is the Content Manager and Interpretation Producer at the V&A Museum of Childhood in London. She’s been at the museum for over 7 years and is currently working on a major redevelopment of the Museum. She specialises in family audiences and is involved in the development of the new Play Gallery. Find out more about the V&A Museum of Childhood Redevelopment and New Immersive Galleries – Imagine, Play and Design: https://www.vam.ac.uk/info/transforming-the-va-museum-of-childhood#new-programmes-and-galleries

Adrian Colwell is the founder and producer of Drag & Draw, a life drawing class with drag performers as models. Established in 2018, Drag & Draw is as an alternative social activity for the LGBTQ community and it’s supporters. It has held arts classes across Ireland and collaborated with numerous different arts institutions including the Garter Lane Arts Centre, the GAZE Film Festival and the National Gallery of Ireland. Find out more about Drag & Draw Life Drawing Classes on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/draganddraw/?hl=en

This podcast is supported by The Arts Council of Ireland and Cork City Arts Office.”

Panel discussion exploring contemporary digital art practice in Ireland. You can view the full event on our YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3oqsFnuSEwQ

“In this episode, we’ll hear from the curator Sinéad Barrett and artists Kate McElroy, Pádraic Barrett, Aoife Claffey and Deirdre Breen about the development of the ‘Oileán’ exhibition at The Lord Mayor’s Pavilion, Fitzgerald’s Park, as part of Cork Harbour Festival 2021. By posing the question “what does being an island nation mean?”, Sinéad has invited the artists to develop new work in response to the idea of 21 st century island life, creating a platform for conversation about our future as an island nation in a time of uncertain political, economic and climatic upheaval. This episode gives these artists space to candidly discuss the inspiration behind their work and opens up a dialogue about the impact Covid-19 has had on both the creation of art and Irish society as a whole.

Host:

Curator: Sinéad Barrett is the former Graduate Curator in Residence at Sample-Studios, one of Ireland’s largest artist studios and creative workspaces, based in Cork City, Ireland and is the current Programme Coordinator.

Artists:

Kate McElroy is a Cork-based multidisciplinary artist and Artist in Residence in Uillinn WestCork Arts Centre. She recently completed her MA in Art and Process from CCAD havingcompleted her BA and Higher Diploma in Limerick School of Art and Design. She received a travel and training award for a residence in Lasanna, Nepal in 2017 and is a member of Sample-Studios. https://www.katemcelroy.com/ @katemcelroy

Padraic Barrett is an Irish visual and performance artist born in Kerry and now living and working in Cork. Barrett graduated this year with an MA in Art and Process from CCAD. He is the current Graduate Studio Residency Award Recipient in Sample-Studios and his recent exhibitions include Confluence, The Lavit Gallery, Cork. https://www.padraicbarrett.com @padraicbarrettstudio

Aoife Claffey is a Cork-based visual artist who recently qualified with an MA in Art and Process from CCAD. She is a member of the Sample-Studios and Cork Printmakers. Her work is in the collection of Eli Lilly and has been featured in Bloomers Magazine #07: Emerging Female Artists. https://www.aoifeclaffeyart.com @aoifeclaffeyart

Deirdre Breen is a multidisciplinary designer and visual artist who recently obtained her MA in Art and Process in CCAD. Breen was a multi-disciplinary designer in London before returning to Ireland in 2013 working as a graphic designer. Her work has been acquired by The Office of Public Works, Ireland, the Glucksman, UCC, Cork, and a number of private collections. @deirdrebreen

This podcast is supported by The Arts Council of Ireland and Cork City Arts Office.”

“This episode hears from three artists, Catherine Outram, Lindy Furby and Lesley Logue about the exhibition ‘Mouth of a Shark’, an exhibition by Cork Printmakers and Edinburgh Printmakers at Sample-Studios, Lord Mayors Pavilion, Fitzgerald Park, Cork City.

The exhibition runs from the 8-31 July 2021 and explores the concepts of home and displacement with artists selected through an open call exhibited in both Edinburgh and Cork. Hosted by Cork Printmakers Director, Aideen Quirke, this episode hears about the ideas behind the work of the artists and how they responded to the open call from Edinburgh Printmakers and Cork Printmakers in 2019. The first instalment of the exhibition was hosted at Edinburgh Printmakers in December 2019 to January 2020 featuring Cork Printmakers artists Angela Gilmour, Fiona Kelly and David Lilburn, and Edinburgh Printmakers artist Anna York. For this Irish instalment of “Mouth of a Shark”, we see work by Edinburgh Printmakers artists Catherine Outram, Lindy Furby and Lesley Logue, and Cork Printmakers artist Diane Keating.

“No one leaves home unless home is the mouth of a shark”

British Somali poet Warsan Shire.

New figures from UNHCR show a record 70.8 million displaced people in the world – more than the population of the UK. Around 44,400 people leave their homes every day – driven to the unknown by fear, persecution, economics and the simple need to escape – and drawn by hope for a better future for themselves and their families.”