Made in Ireland exhibition features craft makers from Mayo
The Made in Ireland exhibition has gathered together the largest visual and sensory feast of fresh ideas and craftsmanship that has been seen in Design & Crafts Council Ireland’s National Design & Craft Gallery in Kilkenny, and offers an insight into current activity in skilled making on a national scale.
It is not only reflective of the skills of the community of makers, but it also celebrates work by families (two of the makers from Galway, Joshua Gabriel and Ciaran Hogan, have followed in their father's footsteps) and by collaborative groups and partnerships, demonstrating the importance of passing on skills, of cross-pollination and innovation.
It is a true and enriching representation of the fabric of the Irish craft and design sector, incorporating the work of over 100 makers from all regions of Ireland and Northern Ireland.
Among the exhibitors are Roger Harley and Beth Moran from Mayo.
Textile weaver Beth, based on Clare Island, manages all stages of the process, from rearing and shearing the sheep to spinning and dying the wool for the complex scarves and hangings she creates. She is one of the few textile artists to control the process from start to finish.
Westport-based Roger Harley, meanwhile, makes functional ceramics as well as one-off pieces by hand on the wheel, with decoration completed by hand also.
The exhibition, which launched on November 5, was borne out of a proposal made by the project team to the Design & Crafts Council Ireland (DCCI) biennial call for exhibitions. Their aim was to bring together a snapshot of what is happening in skilled making in Ireland to create an exhibition that is ‘big and eclectic but also surprising, joyful and inspirational’. The open callout attracted over 420 applicants to the juried process.
The project team of Made in Ireland – Mary Gallagher, Hilary Morley and Stephen O’Connell – said: “It is our hope that Made in Ireland will engage with diverse audiences and build understanding of craft, design and material culture. In a desert of digital and mass manufacture, we find this oasis of making – a tangible link to the materials and traditions of this island, to its colour, its landscape and its people.”
The CEO of Design & Crafts Council Ireland, Rosemary Steen, commented: “The past 20 months of closures have been a difficult time for our makers and opportunities to show craft have been reduced, which makes Made in Ireland all the more timely.
“During this time the public have engaged more with the sustainability and authenticity of craft. Guilds, associations, networks and societies (GANS) are at the heart of Design & Crafts Council Ireland and we look forward to continuing to support the development of technical and business skills, creating opportunities and promoting craft in Ireland through the work of our dedicated team.”
The exhibition will run at the National Design & Craft Gallery, Kilkenny, until January 30 next and from there it will tour to Farmleigh Gallery, Phoenix Park, Dublin, from July 1 to August 28, and to FE McWilliam Gallery, Banbridge, Northern Ireland, in autumn 2022. A full list of exhibitors can be viewed on www.ndcg.ie/exhibitions/made-in-ireland.