North Mayo's Ballinglen Museum of Art opening next week
THE Ballinglen Museum of Art will open next Monday in Ballycastle.
Due to the ongoing pandemic there will be no fanfare on the day but a big celebration is being planned for next year.
The Ballinglen Arts Foundation was founded by Margo Dolan who, with her husband, Peter Maxwell, founded the Foundation in Ballycastle in 1992. It is a centre for international artists who are awarded highly competitive fellowships to live and work in the miraculous surroundings of this special village which is situated within one of the most spectacular sea/landscapes on earth.
These same artists give Ballinglen a work of art after each award residency stay. These works have become an important permanent collection of c800 paintings, drawings, original prints and three dimensional works - some of which you will see in the inaugural exhibition in the museum.
It is one of the largest collections of contemporary art in Ireland - and it is continually growing.
The collection is unique as it is comprised of disparate works generated by each artist’s experience at Ballinglen and within north Mayo: sea/landscape based works, abstract evocations of mind, land, sea, air and conceptual responses to environmental and spiritual experience.
The opening exhibition - 28 Years Rambling Through the Landscape - features work by Eric Aho, Mary Armstrong, Alex Boyd, Julie Bradley, Rachel Brown, Linda Carey, Roger Chavez, Nuala Clarke, Gail Shaw Clemons, Gwen Davidson, Randall L Exon, Charles Field, Ruth Fine, Bill Freeland, David Gibson, Dan L Gualdoni, Patrick (Pat) Harris, Christobel Kelly, Edward 'Eddie' Kennedy, David Lilburn, Ed Miliano, Mick O'Dea, Barbara Rae, Jeffrey Reed, Ryan Reynolds, Charles Ritchie, Thomas Roese, Ronald Rumford, Stuart Shils, John Smalley, Ken Smith, Christie Taylor and Keith Wilson.
Ballinglen also runs an active programme of schools classes and adult education workshops.
The exhibitions change every few months and will include exciting shows from outside their own collection including - coming up in 2021 - the major solo exhibition of work by the renowned Norman Ackroyd: Painting with Acid and the 20th Anniversary Celebration of Stony Road Press, Dublin - co-creators of original prints by the most important artists working in Ireland.
Opening hours: 10am - 5pm Monday to Saturday; 1pm - 5pm on Sunday.
T : 096 43184
Donations for the museum can be made using the donate button on the website https://ballinglenmuseumfundraiser.weebly.com/