Wicklow artist Alan Clarke has become the only Irish person to be accepted as a member of the internationally acclaimed Society of Portrait Sculptors.
The Office of Public Works (OPW) is host to Sculpture in Context at the National Botanic Gardens, Glasnevin. Showcasing sculpture for over 35 years, this annual event is the longest-running, largest and most important sculpture exhibition in the country, attracting a large public and critical audience. This cultural highlight in the National Botanic Gardens’ calendar runs from 7 September until 13 October, is free of charge and open daily.
The artworks in this year’s exhibition receive a spectacular presentation throughout the 50 acres of beautifully landscaped grounds, allowing visitors to discover sculpture in the most unexpected and surprising places. Smaller sculptures will be exhibited throughout the glasshouses and in the Gallery upstairs in the Visitor Centre.
Bringing together the work of more than 140 artists – including Alan Clarke, Eileen MacDonagh, Róisín de Buitléar, Shane Holland and Sara Cunningham-Bell – using an incredible range of media, these works of art represent the richly diverse character of Irish and international contemporary sculpture.
Artists have been inspired by themes such as wildlife, ecology, climate change and homelessness. From the smallest, most intricate ceramic works to stone sculptures of a monumental scale, visitors to the exhibition will be enriched by the experience of viewing such inspiring works in one location. The artistic integrity and technical skill involved in creating the works is evident throughout and highlights the breadth and depth of artistic talent and skill in Ireland today.
This year’s programme will include a suite of lectures on Saturday, the 9th and Sunday, the 10th of September from 3-4:30pm, by artists Eileen MacDonagh and Conall O’Caoimh and renowned plantsman, Jimi Blake, as well as guided tours of the outdoor sculptures on Saturdays at 11am.
I managed to explore a section of Bennetsbridge Road but did not travel as far as the village but I intend to visit next year when I am in the area.
Bennettsbridge is a village in County Kilkenny in Ireland. It is situated on the River Nore 6 kilometres (3.7 mi) south of Kilkenny city, in the centre of the county. Bennettsbridge is a census town, and has population of 745 as of the 2016 census.
The village is on the R700 road at a stone bridge crossing of the Nore between Kilkenny and Thomastown. It has become a craft centre in recent years, with several pottery and craft producers located at the old mill beside the weir.
The village is part of the parish of Tullaherin which contains an almost intact 9th-century round tower.
The church is often known as the O’Loughlin Memorial Church.
The Church of Saint John the Evangelist, or John’s Church, is a Gothic Revival style church in Kilkenny, Ireland. The Church was designed by William Hague and built from 1903 to 1908 on the site of an earlier church located in the graveyard. The grounds are of little interest but it is worth viewing the interior of the building.
The orginal Roman Catholic Parish Church of St. John’s was situated in Maudlin Street. This earlier church’s construction commemced in 1840 and was finished by 1847. It was the last in line of several churches or Mass Houses that had existed in Maudlin Street. The stone from this earlier church was later used in the building of the Dr. Collier Wing of St. Kieran’s College that opened in 1956. The site of the new St. John’s was donated by the Marquis of Ormonde. The foundation stone was laid on the 22nd May 1897 and consecrated on the 20th of June 1908.
Ray Delaney joined Cast Foundry in 1990 where he began his career as a Sculpture Technician and Fine Art Patinator. He is a self-taught sculptor specialising in bronze sculptures.
Ray has exhibited at the RHA, the Botanic Gardens Sculpture in Context show, the Solomon Fine Art Gallery CAST 25 Show, Vanishing Art Exhibition at Carton House and more recently at The Kildare Gallery and Bloom Sculpture Garden.
Ray obtains inspiration from nature and aims to capture a snapshot of movement in his work, which encompasses large garden sculptures as well as indoor pieces, in limited editions and awards.
Sculpture in Context is the longest running, most prestigious sculpture exhibition in Ireland. Staged annually in the National Botanic Gardens in Dublin, this unique exhibition showcases the inspiring and extraordinary work of both established and emerging artists throughout the magnificent 50 acres of landscaped gardens located in Glasnevin, just three kilometres from Dublin City Centre.
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