Ballinasloe-based professional artist collective, Group 8, launch their second annual exhibition, Ten Mile2, on Saturday March 12 at 7pm in The Regency Room in Hayden’s Hotel, Ballinasloe.
The exhibition will take place between March 12 and19 from 11am to 6pm, including St Patrick’s Day.
Ten Mile2 is the result of collaborative work the group undertook, responding to the Battle of Aughrim in 1691, where up to 9,000 people were killed. Aughrim was the decisive battle of the Jacobite/Williamite War. This battle took place five miles from Ballinasloe in an area of 10 square miles.
Group 8 is composed of five visual artists, two writers, and one singer: Joyce Little, visual and multimedia artist; Tommy Campbell, sculptor; Grellan Ganly, visual artist; Úna Spain, visual artist; Brendan Grealy, visual artist; Nuala Ní Chonchúir, writer; Zara Little-Campbell, writer; and Lee Ní Chinnéide, singer.
The group’s mission statement sets out what they hope to achieve: Group 8 is a non-profit, professional arts group, united in the belief that art worthy of exposure can express the vitality of a community, and foster awareness, imagination, and co-operative learning between the artist and their community. The group also hosts an annual poetry evening in November.
Ten Mile2, and its accompanying catalogue, will be launched by Martina Finn. All are welcome to come and see sculpture, photography, installations, textile work, and paintings; listen to live poetry, prose, and music; and enjoy a glass of wine.
The exhibition will be open throughout the week and admission is free.
