1 September 2020
By Bryan Smyth
bryan@TheCork.ie
There is a new temporary art exhibition space in the pipeline for Carrigaline and Cork County Council is inviting expressions of interest from visual artists in the County who are interested in exhibiting their work.
Cork County Council, through its Carrigaline Municipal District Office, is to develop a temporary Visual Arts space in a vacant business premises in the centre of Carrigaline. This initiative comes under Cork County Council’s Project ACT (Activating County Towns) programme which aims to revitalise social, cultural and economic activity in the main towns in County Cork. Recognising that the arts sector has been profoundly impacted by Covid-19, Cork County Council hopes that this space will serve to boost the visual arts sector in Carrigaline and beyond, as well as provide a much needed boost for local business.
The Council’s Arts Office is seeking expressions of interest from visual artists interested in exhibiting their work in this new 400 square metre space. Artists who work in any static visual media will be considered, including painting, print, photography, drawing, textiles, ceramics, wood, glass, jewellery and wall or floor standing sculpture.
Mayor of the County of Cork, Cllr Mary Linehan Foley, welcomed this new initiative;
“The Arts have a wide and measurable impact on our economy, health, wellbeing and education and are a valuable strategic resource. As we strive to reboot our economies and community life, the Arts have a vital role to play. The provision of this exhibition space under the Council’s Project ACT recognises the intrinsic cultural and economic value of the Arts. We are fortunate to have a great number of talented artists based in Cork and I would urge them to utilise this space.”
Deputy Chief Executive of Cork County Council, James Fogarty, outlined the importance of supporting the Arts sector at this time;
“Cork County Council has implemented a series of measures under Project ACT designed to give confidence to the business, retail and community sectors through prioritised and targeted funding. The Arts sector has felt the impact of Covid19 restrictions acutely and this particular initiative will support our local artists, particularly in the Carrigaline Municipal area. This new exhibition space will further enrich the cultural landscape in Carrigaline.”
Chair of Carrigaline MD Cllr. Aidan Lombard, noted the value an exhibition space such as this will provide to Carrigaline:
“It’s very exciting to see a dedicated space for art and culture at the heart of Carrigaline. Covid-19 has had a huge impact on the social and cultural life of the town, and there is no doubt this space which will showcase local artists will help in Carrigaline’s social and economic recovery. I would strongly encourage all local artists with an interest in displaying their work here to submit an Expression of Interest under this call. I would like to express my gratitude to the building owner for their unwavering enthusiasm and support for the project since I first approached them about this initiative”.
Owner of building, Paul Horan, said:
“I’m delighted and proud to be collaborating with Cork County Council in providing a space for Cork’s brilliant local artists’ work to be seen.”
During an initial trial period, from September to December 2020, exhibitions will be organised subject to public health guidelines. It is envisaged that each exhibiting artist will be provided with space to show between five and ten works, depending on size and having regard to physical and social distancing.
Expressions of interest can be made by artists living in within Cork County, through the Council’s Customer Services portal www.yourcouncil.ie before the closing date for submissions on Friday September 11th 2020 at 5pm. Artists seeking further information should email arts@corkcoco.ie