How could a BREDA not be excited by a Brigid ‘s festival, especially if it’s only 15 km over the road?
Former Feltmakers Ireland chair, Breda Fay, in Kildare town.
On Saturday, I attended the launch of Sult Arists‘ “Unravelling an Icon” in Kildare town, an exciting art exhibition that transformed a town square into an open-air art gallery. Twenty local businesses bought into the idea of exhibiting sixty works in a wide variety of mediums/media of national and international artists in their windows as part of Brigid 1500 celebrations.
A free map and catalogue were available, as well as hot chocolate, cake and savouries (donations to Medicins sans Frontieres). I’m attaching a map in case you are interested and they’re not available later.
Despite the cold weather, it was great to meet many friends and/or exhibitors and chat about arty stuff: Liadain Butler, who introduced me to felt many moons ago, Tamzen Lundy and Aisling Hassett from Feltmakers Ireland, muinteoirí (teachers) from Newbridge, and the singers from Kill.
Artwork from Feltmakers Ireland’s Guild Members
Piece by Liadain Butler.Piece by Tamzen LundyPiece by Aisling Hassett‘ ‘The Shepherdess’ by Theresa Carroll
The exhibition is on for a month…. well worth a visit. There are some lovely coffee shops and eateries in the town square. {It runs through Sunday, the 18th of February}.
Additionally, there is an online art gallery of each piece in the show, which includes the artists’ details, titles of each piece, medium, and social media/links - https://sultartists.com/brigid-1500
To see more of the Feltmakers Ireland members’ works, visit the following links:
Thank you ever so much, Breda, for visiting Kildare to see the Art Trail in Kildare town! We appreciate learning more about the exhibition.– the editors.To learn more about Breda, visit her blog – https://bredafay.com/
The exhibition is centred around the revered figure of Brigid, the Celtic goddess of fire, wisdom, and creativity. Through intricate weaving techniques and vibrant colours, the exhibition brings to life the essence of Brigid, capturing her multifaceted nature and enduring symbolism.
Feltmakers Ireland members Deirdre Crofts and Sandra Chase have pieces in the group exhibition.
The opening night is on Thursday, the 1st of February, from 5 to 8pm.
The exhibition continues through Friday, the 2nd of February, from 12 to 6 pm.
Where: Pallas Projects Gallery, 115-117, The Coombe, The Liberties, Dublin, Ireland.
The above exhibition is part of city-wide celebrations, which run from Thursday, the 1st, through Bank Holiday Monday, the 5th of February, 2024.
To see over 50 activities that are scheduled as part of Brigit: Dublin City Celebrating Women, visit this website – https://dublin.ie/whats-on/brigit/
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Applications are now open to current members of the Feltmakers Ireland guild for our annual exhibition.
WHEN: This year, the exhibition is EARLIER in the year; it runs from the 4th of May until the 31st.
WHERE: We will display our work in the lovely Phoenix Park Visitors’ Centre gallery.
This year’s theme is ‘Opposites Attract’, which is open to your creative interpretation.
Our March Sunday Session will focus on ‘How to Apply to Exhibitions’. As part of the session, We will have a mind-mapping exercise on this year’s exhibition theme with member Dee Crofts.
Non Juried
Recently, our previous exhibitions have been juried. This year, we are doing something different and having a non-juried show. However, space within the gallery is limited. TWO pieces of artwork can be submitted, but only ONE will be selected. Similarly, the artwork’s dimensions cannot be wider than 60 cm due to space limitations. There is no limit on height.
Two-dimensional and/or three-dimensional works will be accepted.
Deadline
All digital photo submissions must arrive on or before Friday, the 19th of April, 2024. Good, clear photos of the artwork are essential. Photos should be taken against a plain white background for inclusion in digital media.
Feltmakers Ireland member Annika Berglund currently has pieces in two group exhibitions. She has works in ‘Compendium’, a Winter group show at the Olivier Cornet Gallery in Dublin and ArtNetDLR’s ‘Conversations with Trees’ at the Walters Gallery in Dunlaoghire.
The World of Threads Festival near Toronto, Canada, features 426 artworks by 115 artists from the following countries: Canada, England, Finland, France, Hungary, India, Israel, Mexico, Netherlands, New Zealand, South Korea, Spain, Uruguay, USA, US Virgin Islands, and Wales.
The show has Synchronistic Curating. This means that each new festival is a blank slate. Shows develop entirely out of the submissions received. This year’s Festival includes multiple exhibitions, including several solo exhibitions,installations, wearables, Covid-inspired art, and more.
The Festival runs until the 17th of December. UPDATE: The Festival has been extended to the 14th of January.
Today, on the 30th of September, art enthusiasts and admirers of the exquisite craft of felting will gather at the Phoenix Park Visitors Centre in Dublin, Ireland. Feltmakers Ireland’s highly anticipated juried exhibition is set to open its doors to the public at 3 PM.
The exhibition showcases a stunning array of felted artworks that push the boundaries of this ancient textile art form.
As a sneak peek into what promises to be an awe-inspiring show, we bring you exclusive glimpses from four diverse pieces that will be featured in this remarkable exhibition.
Photo 1 – Breda Fay’s wall piece, ‘Torthuil’.
Photo 2 – Valerie OCeallaigh’s ‘Bountiful Love’.
Photo 3 – Adrienne Dempsey’s ‘Where the Wild Things Grow’.
Our exhibition will be opened by Pippa Hackett, Sheep Farmer and Irish Minister for Land Use and Biodiversity. She has kindly written the foreword to our ‘wool project book’, ‘Exploring Irish Wool for Feltmaking’. Copies of the book will be available during the opening and throughout the exhibition.
‘Floral Path’ – an installation by Claire Merry in the Alpine House at the National Botanic Gardens, Dublin.
Feltmakers Ireland member Claire Merry has an installation, ‘Floral Path’, at Sculpture in Context. Find her piece in the Alpine House, which is situated near the entrance.
Sculpture in Context 2023 opened on Thursday, September 7th, and will continue until Friday, October 13th.
The show is the longest-running, most prestigious sculpture exhibition in Ireland. Staged annually in the National Botanic Gardens in Dublin, this unique exhibition showcases the inspiring and extraordinary work of both established and emerging artists throughout the magnificent 50 acres of landscaped gardens located in Glasnevin, just three kilometres from Dublin City Centre.
Feltmakers Ireland is excited to announce that on the 30th of September at 3 PM, Pippa Hackett, Minister of State at the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, will open our group exhibition, ‘Bountiful’.
This juried art exhibition will be held in the beautiful Phoenix Park Visitors Centre from the 30th of September through the 29th of October, from 10 AM until 4 PM.
There are over 35 pieces by 28 guild members in the show. In addition, we will unveil our collectively created Floral Tapestry to celebrate our 20th Anniversary. Copies of our book, ‘Exploring Irish Wool for Feltmaking’, will also be available.
Members who have a piece in the show, please contact us about invigilating. All members are welcome to help by volunteering for the show. Bring a small ‘felty’ project to work on because it will truly interest visitors.
Feltmakers Ireland 