It’s that time of year again, when Ballina Arts Centre presents the best of work by localY-based artists working in all media, with Perspectives 3: Ballina Open Exhibition 2008 coming in November.
Perspectives 3 is the third year of this highly successful initiative. The exhibition started in 2006, with the intention of giving the artists based in the Ballina area an opportunity to show their work at the Arts Centre. In 2006, 18 artists participated. Last year, there were 40, showcasing the best art being created in the Ballina region.
2008 promises a similar explosion of colour and imagery with over 40 artists on board for what promises to be another very successful exhibition. Like last year, there will also be a Primary Schools Exhibition Visit programme running for the duration of the exhibition. The programme comprises a number of fun activities for the visiting schoolchildren and gives them intimate access to locally-made art of a high calibre.
The exhibition is also a wonderful opportunity for early Christmas shopping! Audrey Robinson, President of Ballina Chamber, will officially open the exhibition on Wednesday November 5 at 8pm. Admission is free and all are welcome to attend. Perspectives 3: Ballina Open Exhibition 2008 is supported by Ballina Beverages.
Perspectives 3: Ballina Open Exhibition 2008 November 5 to 28.
Film Club
Ballina Film Club’s autumn programme continues next week with Kings on Tuesday November 4, at 8pm in Ballina Arts Centre. Tom Collins’ film tells the story of a group of young Irish-speaking men who emigrate to London in the late 1970s to work on the building sites, promising to return home rich and successful. In the 25 years that they have been there, the clock does not stop for alienation or inner despair. They are working men: strong, even indestructible. Any gnawing feelings that something is not quite right quickly dissipate in the camaraderie of their mates. That all changes when tragedy strikes Jackie, the youngest.
Just before his planned return to Ireland, his body is found bruised and battered on the railway track, crushed by the passing Kilburn train. The gang gathers for a wake, a final celebration, to give Jackie a send-off fit for a king: a king of the Kilburn High Road. The film features a fine cast including Colm Meaney, Donal O’Kelly and Brendan Conroy, and is an adaptation of Jimmy Murphy’s critically-acclaimed play Kings of Kilburn High Road. Adm: €7 (seasonal rates available ).
Last chance to see: The Táin: Louis le Brocquy at Ballina Arts Centre
This week will be the last chance to see The Táin, an exhibition of works by Louis le Brocquy at Ballina Arts Centre, where the work has been on display since the beginning of this month.
The exhibition, selected works from the Niland Collection, on loan from the Model Arts and Niland Gallery, Sligo, consists of a number of lithograph prints made from ink brush drawings le Brocquy created as illustrations to Thomas Kinsella’s 1969 translation of the Irish legend, the Táin Bó Cuailgne (The Cattle Raid of Cooley ), published by Dolmen Press. The Táin is the centrepiece of the eighth century Ulster cycle of heroic tales. It tells the story of the great cattle raid, when the armies of Medb and Ailill, queen and king of Connaught, invaded Ulster with the intention of carrying off the great brown bull of Cooley. The book is illustrated with 31 lithograph brush drawings by le Brocquy, 15 of which are in the Niland Collection. The Táin has been hailed by scholars as the greatest Irish artist’s book of the twentieth century. Scholars have noted that these illustrations with their precise, pared-down mark-making had a great influence on much of le Brocquy’s later work, and thus have argued that the Dolmen commission was central to the artist’s career. Presented in association with Model Arts and Niland Gallery. Free admission. All welcome, exhibition runs until November 1.
Printmaking Workshops for Adults few places left
There are a number of places left for the Printmaking for Adults workshops series at Ballina Arts Centre during the month of November. Taking place on Saturdays November 8, 15, 22 and 29, the workshops will be delivered by locally based artist Marianne Heemskerk and will focus on techniques of drypoint and carborundum on aluminium plates. Participants will work from their own designs and experiment with print techniques and colour. No previous experience required. These are full-day workshops. Times: 10.30am to 3.30pm (with a break for lunch ). Ticket price €60 and €55 concession (includes materials ). Pre-booking for all workshops is essential.
For further information, please contact Ballina Arts Centre, tel: 096 73593, email: [email protected].
