September is proving to be a busy month for the arts across the county, with Westmeath County Council planning three major events for the next two weeks alone.
This Friday, September 16 sees mayor of Athlone Cllr Alan Shaw officially launch the new Abbey Road Artists’ Studios, Abbey Road, Athlone at 4pm.
The artists’ studios are a resource for artists of all disciplines set in the heart of Athlone. It comprises four individual studios for short- and long-term letting on ground level, each with power and water and a large communal space upstairs suitable for group workshops which can be allocated on a daily basis. The studios are linked to the Athlone Art Gallery which will be available in 2012 for exhibition purposes associated with work undertaken at the studios.
The following week sees the launch of three public art projects associated with housing schemes in Westmeath: Kinnegad Story Project - Memories and Stories from Westmeath by Michael Harding; Everyone - a collaborative project between Art Group Exquisite CoLab and members of the Mullingar Travelling Community; and The Allotments used to be here - a photographic history of county council housing in Westmeath by Tim Durham.
These three projects will be launched in the Atrium, County Buildings, Mullingar on Tuesday September 20 at 5pm, and everyone is invited to attend.
The final artistic showcase for the month is Westmeath Culture Night 2011 which will take place throughout the day and night of Friday, September 23. This year more than 80 events have been planned for the one-day spectacular throughout the county and every single event is free.
Events will begin at 10am and finish in the early hours in locations across the county including Mullingar, Kinnegad, Streete, Castlepollard, Milltown, Delvin, Ballinagargy, Moate, and Athlone and will include everything from storytelling for children to street performance and drama and even puppet-making and cookery classes.
For further information contact Catherine Kelly at (044 ) 9332140, email [email protected], or visit www.westmeathcoco.ie/arts
