Onsight - celebration of community and art at Mayo museum

ONSIGHT 2023 takes place on May 27 from 2 to 5 p.m. at Turlough Park, the grounds of the National Museum of Ireland - Country Life.

The public are invited to join in an intimate celebration of community and art and enjoy a variety of drop-in hands-on workshops in different artforms, a programme of special performances and an art trail, all to celebrate 25 years of Mayo Artsquad.

Mayo Artsquad is a community arts initiative, supported by the Department of Social Protection and sponsored by Mayo County Council, which has been delivering a range of engaging art projects across county Mayo since 1998, including the annual Onsight initiative on the grounds of the museum.

This year Mayo Artsquad will be joined by a number of community artists, all of whom have been involved with Artsquad over the past 25 years, either as participants, collaborators on community based projects or as part of past Onsight projects.

In anticipation of The Murmur of Bees, a new temporary exhibition opening at the National Musuem of Ireland - Country Life this summer, artists have explored the National Folklife Collection, seeking references to bees and St. Gobhnait, their patron saint, and the artwork that visitors will encounter on the art trail will have taken influence from these topics.

For this year’s project, there is a strong emphasis on biodiversity and a focus on low-impact arts practise and materials.

Onsight has joined forces with Leave No Trace Ireland and the event has been developed using their ethos and principles. There will also be a workshop with Leave No Trace Ireland on the afternoon, looking at how people can sustain a healthy and vibrant outdoor environment.

With this in mind, organisers are encouraging visitors on the day to bring their own 'eco picnic' with hints and tips on how to prepare your picnic as well as lots of useful advice on how to prepare for other outdoor recreational events on www.leavenotraceireland.org.

Onsight is an annual arts project that takes place in the grounds of the National Museum of Ireland - Country Life and is a partnership initiative involving the Mayo County Council Arts Service, the National Museum of Ireland - Country Life and Mayo Artsquad.

The project is funded by the partners, the Arts Council, Creative Ireland and supported by Leave No Trace Ireland.