Bright Adventures: Interview with Karen Donnellan

In my new position as one of the National College of Art and Design (NCAD) glass artists in residence, I have the pleasure of sitting beside one of the most interesting emerging artists in Irish Glass today: Karen Donnellan. We have been acquainted for some time, meeting at glassy events and giving the awkward nod of acknowledgement which says ‘I know who you are...ish’ on campus. While she was a familiar name to me, I was otherwise concerned with important student matters (drinking and danc- I mean intensive study) but now we’re desk-neighbours. The significance and scope of her practice to date has seriously impressed me. 

'Ensō II', Pâte De Verre,Karen Donellan, 2011

Karen is my favourite kind of hippy; one with a great work ethic. The circle often features in her works and she treats the intricate, repetitive methods of her making process as a meditation or mantra. At its core, her practice explores the potential for healing via the manipulation of universal energy. It is thoughtful, considered work, made with care and informed conceptually by her extensive study of metaphysical philosophies. She also practices what she preaches; I've seen her burning sage to clear a space of “dense energies” and she’s a qualified Reiki healer.

'Essentia' -  Karen Donellan  

Since she graduated with her MFA from the Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT), New York in 2011, Karen has worked and exhibited extensively. Many readers will be familiar with her Essentia series which featured in last year’s Future Makers prize-winner’s exhibition at the NCAD Gallery and most recently at the Irish Craft Portfolio Exhibition at the RHA. 

Sometimes as an artist, you come across a web-page that is the visual equivalent of a particularly delicious ice-cream. Recently my little bit of internet delight has been J/K: Light Glass and Space: The blog began as part of an ongoing collaboration between Karen and American glass-artist John Hogan and thus far has led to their exciting Emerging Artist Residency (EAR) at Pilchuck Glass School last autumn. This blog is packed with my favourite kind of internet eye candy; sculptural light and experimental glass.

After combing though the blog for an unhealthy amount of hours I asked Karen if she would do a short interview about the experience and her future plans:

MM: The work you made at Pilchuck is visually very different to your previous work from your MFA. Was that because it was a collaboration or have you moved your work in a different direction?

KD: A lot of people have said that; that it doesn't look anything like my work, but I wear ridiculous colours all the time! I worked with colour the whole way through NCAD and the light and projection has always been an interest. In core year at NCAD I worked a lot with plastics, water and light. Then again during the masters, I spent some time experimenting with an overhead projector and seeing how different glass objects projected. I've dabbled on and off with those ideas and maybe I wasn't encouraged or didn't have the confidence to bring it any further but it’s always been an interest.

Collection of 'curios' , cut polished and laminated glass,  J/K 2013

MM: How did you decide to collaborate with John Hogan?

KD: We met at Pilchuck in 2012 when we were both Teaching Assistants. We were sharing the same studio space and assisted each other a bit in the hotshop. John works as a glass blower and designer in Seattle. He’s also done a lot of casting and cold working. (He did a residency last year in the Czech Republic with the maestro Milan Handl.) John showed me his work and I was just really into it – he was using a lot of dichroic glass and gave me some to try out. I’ve always been fascinated by dichro. You don’t see it used much in contemporary work, it’s completely underrated! I suggested a collaboration and when the Pilchuck residency came up we just said, “let’s go for it”!

Projection. J/K 2013

ME: You did loads of different things during your time at Pilchuck, is this collaboration going to continue?

KD: Yes, definitely. The work we've made so far is really experimental and even though it was a seven week residency it felt like we had only got going when we had to finish. The work developed in various directions but on the next residency we’d like to hone in on the rear projection systems.

MM: So I guess the last question is what’s next for you?

 KD: Work-wise I’m getting to grips with neon and developing some new projects around glass and sound. I’ve also just begun working on some lighting designs with Suzannah Vaughn and Perch. At the end of the month I’m heading to Cill Rialaig in Ballinskelligs for a retreat residency. The plan is to get away from glass for a while and just read, draw, paint…and maybe print.

Since I spoke to Karen for this interview there have been several exciting developments: Firstly it’s been confirmed that she will teach a pate de verre workshop this August at the Glass Furnace in Turkey. She has also been awarded an Emerging Artist Lecture at this year’s Glass Art Society Conference in Chicago.

Finally, massive news for J/K – Karen and John will continue their collaboration with a week’s residency at the Toledo Museum of Art in Ohio from March 14^th – 19^th. I can’t wait to see what they do next!

'Golden Rectangle' - hand made sheet glass, wood. 73x16x5, J/K, 2013

Written by Meadhbh McIlgorm,
GSoI Media and Communications Officer

(top image: Scan of dichroic glass, J/K 2013)  

The Pilchuck Expereince - Apply Apply Apply

There's a place near Seattle, half way round the world from our rainy little island, that's synonymous with glass art: Pilchuck Glass School.

Every year Pilchuck serves as melting pot (pun intended) for glass art enthusiasts worldwide. The school offers summer intensive classes from May through to September and several artist residencies throughout the rest of the year. 
A trip to Pilchuck is a truly unique experience where you learn far more than the syllabus of your chosen class; It is an unequalled opportunity to make international connections and see in one place the vast diversity and scope of the international glass art practice. Once you have an open mind and a desire to learn, you are never to old or too inexperienced to enjoy a trip to Pilchuck.

Money. We all wish we had more of it, I won't lie Pilchuck course fees are expensive and travelling from Ireland will cost the guts of a grand for flights. There are however a range of options to help with the costs including scholarships, campus internships and teaching/artist assistant positions. 

Almost one third of Pilchuck students receive some kind of financial assistance through scholarship programmes. Some are full scholarships, covering tuition, accommodation and travel to Pilchuck. Half scholarships, which are more numerous, cover half the cost of tuition and accommodation but do not cover the cost of travel. Those with studio experience in glass can also apply to work as Artist or Teaching Assistants: TAs and AA's receive accommodation, meals and covered or subsidised travel to the Pilchuck campus. 

The iconic hotshop 

All staff on campus, from the ones who clean the bathrooms to those who process the paperwork, are practising artists. Artsits can apply to work in a range of positions (kitchen staff, maintenance staff etc...) for two or more of the summer sessions. Staff get accommodation, meals, a small subsidy and some time to do some personal work between sessions. Mainly though, working as seasonal staff is a great opportunity to meet and connect with the visiting artists and students, make some great friends and have some great experiences. As it is not a paid position, Irish applicants can go on a travel visa (avoiding the great expense of an american work visa). 

Two NCAD glass students went to Pilchuck in summer 2013. I asked them for a few words on their experience: 

Gwyn Grace

'Gwyn Grace went to Pilchuck Glass School in August 2012 on a Partner half-scholarship through NCAD having just finished 3rd year. Her course was lost-wax kiln-casting ‘Shape into form’ with Joel Hurlbert and Karin Tornell - glass artists working in Stockholm, Sweden. There were 9 on the course, a mix of students and established artists and teachers. Kiln casting is a long process so time for finishing and cold-working was short as most of the pieces were only ready a few days before the end however most of us were able to take our work with us to complete once we'd returned home. All the class worked long hours, often well after midnight preparing for a kilnfiring but we had lots of fun as well. The pace of the kiln-casting class gave us lots of opportunity to see demonstrations happening in other classes and meet the rest of students.  She summed up here experience with a toast: “ Here's to fond memories, future plans and heart-felt thanks to everyone's generosity of spirit!”'

Looking at the casts with the class 

Jesse Gunther

Jesse Gunther travelled to Pilchuck on a scholarship after finishing his BA in Glass in NCAD, summer 2013. Jesse proves that you never know what a trip to Pilchuck might bring. Here's what he had to say about it:
 
'For starters it was an amazing experience! I took Tom Rowney's class; ‘Cups with Cane’ and focused on making different styles of cane, ranging from straight to very intricate twisty cane. After that we learnt how to turn these canes into straight cups and footed vessels. In the last week we started using the garage to make more complex goblets. Our entire class were all newcomers to Pilchuck, and the skill level was very even throughout the class, which made for a great experience for everyone.

Tom Rowney's cane seahorses

I got really lucky after Pilchuck; I had a while before my return flight and I got to help out Jeff Ballard in the Tacoma Museum for two days where he was Artist in Residence, that was a great experience! Then two days later I also got to work one day for Martin Blank in his studio who was just preparing for a big exhibition, amazing stuff..'

Some of Jesse's work from the class

Deadlines for scholarship/assistant/staff applications are coming up in FEBRUARY. See their website for more details and remember guys, if you do go, the GSoI wants to here all about it!! 

Written by Meadhbh McIlgorm

GSoI Media and Communications Officer

GSoI: Looking back on Orientate (Part 2)

Mmmmmmmm... So lunch was delicious, all were in agreement on that point. The cosy atmosphere of the canteen also provided a good opportunity for guests, speakers and board members alike to relax and discuss the conference so far. We felt that this was a very important element to include in the day. Opportunities for the Irish glass community to mingle are rare enough and we wanted to ensure the day left some room for everyone to re-connect and make some new connections.

Lunch finished and food digesting nicely we made our way back to the lecture hall. While the first half of the conference featured talks from speakers whose professional careers had been led by glass/craft but did not work with the material directly, the latter half was devoted to artists working with glass specifically.

Angela Thwaites 

First up was the wonderful Angela Thwaites. Angela is a glass artist, researcher and teacher based in London. She works predominately in kiln-cast glass and has been involved extensively in numerous research projects on refractory mould making for glass.  She talked about her practice and the development of her career which began with an undergraduate degree in glass and ceramics from Farnham College of Art and Design, Surry. A monumental point in her career occurred in 1983 when she was awarded a scholarship to study under one of the all-time masters of glass casting; Professor Libensky. After receiving three more consecutive scholarships, she completed her MA at the Academy of Applied Arts in Prague in 1985. 

Angela pointed out that the meaning of orientate is ‘to determine one’s position with reference to another point’.  She described her extensive career as a journey where, “each experience leads to another.” Her study period under the Czech master was a pivotal point in her practice. After it she was part of a research project at the Royal College of Art and in 2010 she was commissioned to write a book Mould Making for Glass which followed on from the findings of the project. She reminded us that any small opportunity such as a conversation at a conference perhaps or an exhibition call, could lead to the next important step in our careers. She also stressed that an open mind and willingness to never stop learning are paramount to progression.

The other area of Angela’s career which she feels has really brought her many valuable experiences is teaching. Angela is currently senior lecturer in Design Crafts at De Montfort University, Leicester and a tutor at Richmond Adult and Community College. In addition, she has taught at numerous institutions as a visiting lecturer and continues to teach workshops and master-classes in glass casting internationally. She finds teaching very rewarding and feels she often learns as much from students as they learn from her. We were delighted to have Angela teach a casting workshop in NCAD just prior to the symposium. She truly is a passionate and engaging educator. All the workshop participants enjoyed her warm, relaxed manner and genuine enthusiasm towards their casting projects. In addition to her teaching duties Angela works from her own studio which is slowly taking over her back garden. She is currently working on several projects, assisted by her cat!

Our second practitioner talk was from Slovenian artist and designer Tanja Pak(pronounced Tanya). Tanja is currently head of the glass and ceramics programme at the Academy of Fine Art and Design in Ljubljana, Slovenia’s capital. Tanja’s talk was entitled ‘Immersed in Duality’ and she focused on her relationship with glass as both an artist and a designer.

Tanja Pak

Her work is influenced by the rhythm and flow of the natural world. She works from a restrained colour pallet; black, white and transparent glass, so nothing distracts from the organic simplicity of her forms. Tanja began her career as an industrial designer, graduating in 1994 from the Academy of Fine Arts and Design in Ljubljana. This initial training in design is evident in how her complex ideas are simplified and expressed as functional glassware which is manufactured in collaboration with Slovenian glass factories. The glass tableware is functional and stylish and has received honourable mentions in the Red Dot Design Awards. While it is very commercially successful, evidence of the artist’s passions and influences still remain. The design of the vessels echo water drops and ripples. Graceful curves and soft lines give these manufactured pieces a very organic and feminine feel. Tanja does not see a difference, as such, between her practice as a designer and as an artist. The same inspirations create both lines of work; they are two sides of the same coin and walking the line between them is an exciting challenge for her.

There is a meditative quality to all her work – quiet and still, a frozen moment. It is most evident in her large installations which are often immersive environments incorporating smells and sounds as well as lighting and visuals. An example of one such installation was Within at Ljubljana Castle, 2010. This work featured cast glass branches, illuminated within wooden ‘trees’. The room was darkened and visitors’ footsteps muted by the chipped bark across the floor. The bark also filled the room with an earthy smell, further enhancing the illusion of being in meditative woodland. The atmosphere Tanja creates in her installations is one of tranquillity and reflection. She uses glass for its special relationship with light which becomes part of the complete experience of the work. “Glass for me”, she said, “is pure poetry”. Her talk showed numerous slides and videos of her installation but I imagine they cannot compete with seeing the work in person – I hope I get the chance to do so one day.

Cappy Thompson 

Wrapping up a very successful and informative day was CappyThompson who came all the way from her native Seattle, Washington, USA. Cappy is regarded as one of the world’s best glass painters, a master of the grisaille or gray-tonal painting technique. However, the material glass or the technique she uses is not of central importance to her. Cappy is first and foremost a painter and what is important is the narrative content of the work rather than its canvas. She is self-taught in glass working, beginning as a stained glass painter. Her initial paintings were influenced by folk art and mythology. While the design of her imagery still references this style of drawing the content developed to become entirely her own and is drawn from her personal life experiences and dreams.

Cappy’s lecture dealt with her beginnings as an artist and then traced the development of her style and career through the content of her work. The audience, at least many that I spoke to afterwards, were really moved by Cappy’s lecture. It caught you off guard; one minute she would be telling a cheerful anecdote about an element in the story, the next moment she would reveal a very personal and painful memory. Her talk was warm, sincere and unassuming and I think it really allowed the audience to connect with the work she shared with us. The narrative style of her work easily captures the imagination, enriched by the detail and jewel-like colours. Hearing the story behind each of the characters she paints makes the beautiful work even more appealing.

Cappy has been producing her unique work for over thirty years and in that time she has taught workshops internationally in major glass institutions. We at GSoI made the most of Cappy’s visit to Ireland – she taught a great workshop at the National Sculpture Factory in Cork before the conference and another great one to the National College of Art and Design glass students the week after in Dublin. It wasn’t all work though, she did get to see Cork, Dublin and lots of beautiful Irish countryside while she was here and we assure you, she said she really enjoyed her stay!

When the talks finished up we headed over to Tactic Gallery at Sample Studios for the opening of Sofie Loscher’s exhibition Waiting in the Wings. Sofie’s exhibition one of two exhibitions curated by GSoI’s vice-chairperson Emer Lynch to coincide with the symposium. Our guest speaker Jerome Harrington formally opened the exhibition after a brief curator’s speech from Emer. Conference guests and speakers had a chance network and mingle a little more at the exhibition with a well earned cold beer. The second exhibition in the 'Orientate' visual arts programme, These Liquid Brinks featured artist Caroline Doolin and was opened at The Guesthouse on Sunday November 3^rd with a tea and cake reception. The exhibitions were very well received – but I won’t say more than that because Emer has promised me a much more exciting article discussing both them and her work as a curator in more detail in the New Year, thanks Emer.

GSoI Team with speakers and artists at Tactic 

Tanja Pak and Fiona Bryne

'Orientate' was a great success for the GSoI in 2013. 

Many thanks to all who were a part of it and cheers to something even better next year!   

About the author

Meadhbh McIlgorm studied glass at the National College of Art and Design and graduated in June 2013. She is the GSoI Media and Communications Officer; those of you present at ‘Orientate’ would have seen her at the registration desk and the rest of you are probably familiar with her monthly e-bulletins and notifications. 

She is currently Artist in Residence in the NCAD glass department.  

GSoI: Looking back on 'Orientate' 2013

the auction exhibition in CIT Crawford College foyer
(photo Michael Holly, 2013) 

   

Dear reader, On Saturday the 2^nd of November 2013 the recently re-formed Glass Society of Ireland held its first international symposium; ‘Orientate’ in CIT Crawford College of Art and Design, Cork. Early that morning our favourite GSoI members (I joke, we have no favourites – we just hope even more of you can make it next year) sacrificed their Saturday lie-in to join us for a day of stimulating talks and presentations from a variety of glass practitioners, craft writers and curators.

The choice to include such a range of professional fields amongst our speakers was deliberate. We are acutely aware that the future of glass as an art material relies upon much more than a talented artists working alone in a studio. Everyone is connected by a vital network of dependency – the artists, the writer, the curator, the buyer. The symposium ‘Orientate’ was aptly titled; this conference aimed to uncover how contextualising the material has underpinned glass as an occupation - exploring how we orientate ourselves around the material.

Mimmo Paladino: El Rabdomante, Glasstress 2013

Our first speaker that morning was our keynote speaker Dr Francesca Giubilei. We asked Francesca to give the keynote address as she is Project Manager and Curators Assistant for the pioneering Glasstress exhibition. Glasstress, a satellite exhibition of the world renowned Venice Biennale, seeks to open up the use of glass as a material by giving artists access to the incredible skills and expertise of Murano’s glass-masters to produce work.

 

With her charming Italian accent, Francesca talked us through the origins of Glasstress, a project she described as ‘a bridge between the old idea of glass and the future.’ Projects like Glasstress are breaking down the perception of glass as a disciplined craft material and injecting it into the ‘anything’s possible’ world of contemporary fine art. Francesca’s lecture really set the tone about the pivotal point that glass is at today. The Glasstress exhibition 2013 was on show in Venice until the 24^th of November and will travel to the London College of Fashion next year.  

Helen Story: The Dress of Glass and Flame, Glasstress 2013 

After Dr Giubilei’s lecture the audience had the opportunity to ask questions and converse. An interesting discussion arose from the audience about the importance of ‘intellectual property’ when a glass-master is involved in the production of an artwork. Do projects like Glasstress undermine the technical skills and achievements of the glass-masters? Many of the makers present in the audience felt slightly uncomfortable with the idea that this style of a conceptually led project might be the way forward for glass. While everyone seemed to agree that the collaborations and exchange of knowledge occurring in Venice are exciting there also seemed to be a consensus that ‘we must not just train thinkers’ and that technical skills must not lose their value. 

The next speaker of the morning was our only Irish national: Dr Eleanor Flegg. Eleanor is a writer and lecturer. Craft is her main inspiration although as she informed us, she does not consider herself ‘a champion to the cause of craft’ she writes about it because she finds it interesting. Eleanor’s talk was a personal favourite: though it had very little to do with glass, it had everything to do with the potential of writing to explore all kinds of art/objects.  She talked about the different types of writing that may be used in the context of writing about craft – how it is often indulgent writing, focusing on promoting the artist/gallery/material or bland information based around dates locations and statistics about the piece or person in question. Critical writing is less common but is something that perhaps should be considered more since, Eleanor pointed out, “the reason that I write at all is to find out what I think.” Our thoughts and opinions are rarely straightforward; the reflective process of writing can help us assess them more clearly. She referred to writing as “a making process – it’s just not three dimensional”. Eleanor is interested in finding new ways of writing about craft and she is currently writing a speculative fiction novel based on her experience of a ceramic artist’s work (the name eludes me, I apologise). She delighted us by reading an extract from it during her talk – it was the most unusual way of engaging with an object I've encountered and strangely captivating. 

A central point of Eleanor’s talk left lingering in my mind was the idea that we should be ‘pushing boundaries without being certain of the results’. She is pushing boundaries in her atypical craft writing practice just as exhibitions like Glasstress push boundaries and break material tradition. If the audience – who were largely makers and students - were to take just one thing away from her talk I hope it’s an appreciation of the power of writing as a tool towards understanding our own opinion and perhaps our own practice in a way that is just that little bit more considered and - no pun intended, crafted.

Jerome Harrington, 'Glass in the Expanded Field' - Diagram.

The third speaker of the morning was Jerome Harrington. Jerome is a UK artist with a background in glass making whose current work takes an ‘expanded’ view of working with glass. He is not so much interested in working with the material itself as investigating how it is culturally perceived and utilized.  Jerome broke his talk into 3 loose sections, based around the questions ‘why glass?’, ‘what is glass?’ and ‘what does glass mean?’. One of Jerome’s most interesting projects the audience found was his 2011 study of Glass in the Expanded Field. Based on Rosalind Krauss’s exploration of the expanded field of sculpture in the 1960s, Glass in the Expanded Field is a study of how glass makers identify themselves and their peers within the discipline: subjects orientated themselves on a diagram in proximity to either ‘prioritising of craft skill’ or ‘prioritising of concept’. The results of the study show a wide range of stances by makers as to where they position themselves in relation to the studio glass movement, to craft practice and to fine art.

 

Emer Lynch and our panel of speakers
(photo Michael Holly 2013)

The morning session concluded with a panel discussion featuring the three speakers and led by GSoI Vice-Chairperson Emer Lynch, a curator whose own practice has developed from her educational background in glass at the National College of Art and Design. Emer invited the audience to engage with the speakers and ask questions on issues raised in their lectures. The main subject that was discussed was the difference between glass art and glass craft, and if indeed there was a difference at all. The apparent consensus within the audience was that the labels are generally nothing more than ‘marketing categories’ and that in general the discussion is one that makers can become fixated with but the general public don’t particularly care about the distinction. Everyone in the audience seemed interested in the debate and I imagine that if time allowed we might have continued to pick the speakers brains all afternoon but time waits for no one and it was off to a delicious lunch of home-made curry, courtesy of the college canteen. Yum!

To be continued! 

 Written by Meadhbh McIlgorm 
GSoI Media and Communications Officer

Debbie Dawson in China

'I am Not Magnificent' - Debbie Dawson 

Congratulations to GSoI Chairperson Debbie Dawson who set off this week to China!  

Debbie will travel to Xi'an, China to represent Ireland  in an international sculpture symposium.
She will be part of an ambitious initiative involving selected practitioners from China and Europe. The project has been developed by of  EUNIC (the  European Union of National Institutes for Culture) and  Culture Ireland, Ireland's state agency for the promotion of Irish arts abroad. 

Debbie Dawson is a stained glass artist and head of the glass department at CIT, Crawford College of Arts and Design. Her work is concerned with inner dialogues and the notion of the ‘self’. 

Debbie  was nominated by the National Sculpture Factory (NFC) and has been selected through an intense competitive process. The selection panel was impressed by Dawson's work but also her established relationships with China developed through projects she has been working on in her capacity as a lecturer at CIT. 

Poster from 'Poetics of the Handmade'
- Which later travelled to NCAD Gallery, Dublin

Dawson is no stranger to Chinese relations, having built up a strong relationship with Prof. Xiao Wei Zhuang, Director of the MA in Glass at the College of Fine Art, Shanghai University, and the inaugural Director of the Shanghai Museum of Glass. Debbie has hosted a number of Chinese exchange students at CCAD over the last couple of years, and has delivered workshops in China. She was the curator of Xiao Wei’s outstanding  solo exhibition, “Poetics of the Handmade” which was held at CIT Wandesford Quay Gallery as part of Ireland’d Year of Craft in 2011. She has herself delivered workshops at Shanghai university and has exhibited in China.  She has been invited to Xian for 10 days as one of up to 10 European artist and she will meet her Chinese colleagues and  have the opportunity to engage in residencies and international institutional exchange.

Also travelling from Ireland is Mary McCarthy, Director of the National Sculpture Factory, Cork. Mary has been selected as one of six European speakers to deliver  a key note presentation and she has been invited to talk about the role of artists  in Ireland and the work of the NSF in expanding the definitions of sculpture and the possibilities for art works in the public realm.

'Like a Door Opening' - Debbie Dawson

Both Mary and Debbie have been invited and will be hosted by the prestigious Chinese National Academy of the Arts, EUNIC and the Shaaxi Provincial Department of culture while their travel is supported by Culture Ireland.

The conference topics include  space/Culture and Object. This is an exciting opportunity for both Debbie and Mary. Eric  Messerschmidt, President of EUNIC has been highly impressed by Ireland's desire to participate  in this event and the efforts of the Department of Foreign Affairs and the Department of Arts Heritage and the Gaeltacht via Culture Ireland to enable this participation.

See more of Debbie's beautiful work on her website

Well done Debbie and best of luck on your trip! 

'Nobodys Girl' - Debbie Dawson 

GLASS GALORE! @Sculpture in Context,2013

Sculpture in Context - a must see event on the Dublin art calendar.

Set up in 1985 by sculptors who wanted to create exhibition space outside the normal white-cube gallery, Sculpture in Context now sees the grounds, ponds and glasshouses of the Botanic Gardens transformed each September into the biggest and most prestigious outdoor exhibition in Ireland.

      Sticky Bog Sundew - Gwyn Grace                        Vessels (of Remembrance) -  Alison Lowry 

This year over 150 artists from Ireland and abroad are exhibiting their work. 

Application is open to everyone and the successful applicants are selected by a panel of judges which changes annually. Thanks to this very democratic selection process there is always a great variety of entrants ranging from students to established artists and together working in almost every medium imaginable. 

The packed opening night reception

We know that we’re ever so slightly biased here at GSoI but as in this case the figures speak for themselves - Irish glass artists really held their own in the Gardens this year. 

There were 12 notable glass pieces amongst the collection from artists;

Karen Donnellan

 Naomi Draper

 Gwyn Grace 

Jesse Gunther,

Eve Kelly

Paivikki Kolehmainen (Finland) 

Alison Lowry

 Charlene McFarland

 Meadhbh McIlgorm 

Kira Myer

Sadhbh Mowlds 

Mags O’Dea.  

Further more, 2 out of the 3 Sculpture in Context Awards for large outdoor works of distinction in any medium were awarded to NCAD glass students: Jesse Gunther for his piece 'Desert Ophidians' (on view in the cactus house) and Mags O'Dea for her installation 'Tree Dressings' (a site-specific glass installation on a particularly weathered tree). Both Mags and Jesse received €500 each - well done guys! 

'Tree Dressings' - Mags O'Dea

The delighted Mags O'Dea with her prize

Both pieces were a big hit with the guests on opening night - watch this space - one of them could well be winning the prize for the most popular sculpture at the end of the exhibition in October.  

'Desert Ophidians' - Jesse Gunther 

The exhibition runs from September 5th - October 18th. Full programme of artists available in the visitor centre. 

Garden opening hours: 
Monday - Friday 9am to 5pm
Saturday & Sunday 10am - 6pm

Admission Free, Car Park €2

Karren Donnellan - Present Moment Reminder

 A visit to this exhibition is a lovely day out for all the family and a chance to see some very talented artists work outside the often intimidating setting of a gallery exhibit. 

So be sure to take a very cultured and colourful stroll through the Botanic Gardens before October 18th. 
We promise you won't be disappointed. 

Artists Michelle McDermott, Gwyn Grace, Mags O'Dea and Tara Butler-Frey
the enjoying opening night celebrations

Written by: Meadhbh McIlgorm