Critical Writing in Irish Craft Award 2009

The Critical Writing in Irish Craft Award 2009 is a Crafts Council of Ireland and Irish Arts Review initiative to advance, expand and support excellence in critical writing about Irish craft and to provide a platform for new critical voices in Irish craft.

They invite submissions from writers, craftspeople and those with an interest in Irish craft, based in Ireland or Northern Ireland and aged 18 and over.

Essays are invited on the following topics:

Craft as visual culture
The missing link – craft, cultural heritage and identity
21st century craft - the shape of things to come
Critical essay on the work of an Irish craftsperson

The winner of the Critical Writing in Irish Craft Award 2009 will receive a cash award of E500 and the winning essay will be published in Irish Craft 2009, the annual craft edition of the Irish Arts Review.

How to enter:
Entries should not exceed 1200 words, submitted as a Word attachment via email to awards@ccoi.ie

The cover page must include the writer's name, address, email, and phone number. Hard copy entries will not be accepted.

The closing date for submissions is 30 June 2009.

Terms and conditions
Entries must be unpublished and the entrants' original work.
All submissions must reflect a critical understanding of Irish craft and, where appropriate, reference international comparisons.
Entrants must be aged 18 and over.
Late entries and / or those in breach of the entry conditions will be excluded.
By submitting an article to be considered for the Critical Writing in Irish Craft Award 2009, each author grants permission to Irish Arts Review to publish the article in Irish Craft.
The Crafts Council of Ireland and Irish Arts Review reserve the right to publish all or part of the work for promotional purposes where they see fit, both online and in print.
No correspondence will be entered into and the judges' decision is final.

Information on the Critical Writing in Irish Craft Award is available on www.ccoi.ie
and on www.irishartsreview.com

Enquiries to awards@ccoi.ie

www.ccoi.ie
www.irishartsreview.com

Calling all Street Entertainers & Musicians

Samhlaiocht today issued a call for entries for the Annual Busking and Street Entertainment Competition which will take place as part of the Samhlaiocht Easter Arts Festival, which runs in Tralee from April 11th to April 13th, inclusive.

All street entertainers are invited to take part in the festivities, everything from talented musicians, jugglers, singers, dancers, comedians, fire-eaters and street artists will be welcome. The competition will take place on Easter Saturday, April 12th from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. with registration taking place from 2pm in the Samhlaiocht office.

"Music and entertainment have always played a huge part in the Samhlaiocht Easter Arts Festival," said Jason O' Mahony, the Director of Samhlaiocht. "This is the third year of the Busking and Street Entertainment competition and we’re hoping to build on last year's competition that brought such fun and excitement to the streets of Tralee."

"We're really looking forward to the Samhlaiocht Easter Arts Festival and we know that the Busking and Street Entertainment Competition will complement all the other free activities that we organise for Tralee," said Michele Sheehan, co-ordinator of the competition. "The town will come alive with all kinds of wonderful entertainment. This year we're introducing the Samhlaiocht Perpetual Shield, which is kindly sponsored by Trophy World Tralee. The Shield will be on display in the Samhlaiocht offices and the winning act every year will have their names inscribed on the Shield. But there's also a trophy for the winners and a wee medal for all competitors, so everyone's a winner!"

The people of Kerry have proven to be very supportive of Samhlaiocht and of the Easter Festival as well as being enthusiastic supporters of the Artists and Entertainers that come to the County each Easter weekend. Comhaltas Ceoltoiri Eireann and the Tralee Branch of the Vintners Federation of Ireland, as a show of appreciation, have offered to sponsor the Busking and Street Entertainment Competition.

"The support we receive from local business people and our main corporate sponsors, Kerry Group, quite literally keeps the festival alive," added Jason O' Mahony. "We're indebted to them all and especially grateful to Comhaltas and the Vintners' Federation for supporting the Street Entertainment competition."

With artists from all over Ireland descending on Tralee for three days over Easter, the annual Easter Arts Festival has become a favourite bank holiday treat for lovers of the Arts, Culture and Craic. This year the festival promises to whip up a whirlwind of fresh, exciting music, dance, literature, street theatre, workshops, children's activities, markets, a parade and much more.

Finnegan's Hostel on Denny Street Tralee, which is a long time supporter of Samhlaiocht, has offered a discount rate to entertainers that come from outside of Tralee. To book a room please call 066 712 7610 or log onto www.finneganshostel.com

Anyone interested in taking part in the competition should contact Mike Foley or Michelle Sheehan of Samhlaiocht on 066 712 9934 or through email on mike@samhlaiocht.com

Costelloe, Cunningham and Usher to Exhibit in Samhlaiocht

Exhibition Titled 'Made in Kerry' to Open on Thursday March 12th

From the delicacy of watercolours to the vibrancy of acrylics by way of sculpture in both wood and ceramics, the latest exhibition from Samhlaiocht, the premier Arts organisation in Kerry, showcases three of the very best Kerry-based Artists. The exhibition, titled 'Made in Kerry', features work from Judy Costelloe, Marjorie Cunningham and Jacinta Scully Usher.

"Kerry is an absolute inspiration," said Jason O' Mahony, Director of Samhlaiocht, "from the beautiful scenery, to the colourful characters to the weather, there's no denying the undoubted influence that the county has on all our lives. This is doubly true for Artists that are lucky enough to live here."

Take Jacinta Usher, for example, she's a textile artist, living and working on Banna Mountain in North Kerry. Working in woven tapestry and felt, her art is created from natural fibres including merino wool, silk and silk filaments. She draws inspiration from the natural environment, in particular from the beauty found in the distinctive costal grassland, or Machair, found on the sand dunes just above the shore line. "My work is inspired by the shore, the sea and sky," says Jacinta, "and I hope that through my work, I can raise awareness about the threats that exist to the flora and fauna and help preserve the wonderfully delicate balance of nature."

This balance is something that is echoed in the work of Marjorie Cunningham. Her work, in wood and ceramics, was created with the broad them of 'Balance' in mind. "It occurred to me that life is balanced around a sphere and everything flows from that," says Marjorie. "My ideas are very influenced by Celtic design and I love the fact that wood grows from the ground, from clay, and, ultimately, returns to clay when the tree dies. So my work achieves that same balance, that journey, as clay and wood are one."

She prefers, however, to say little about her work, allowing the viewer to form his or her own interpretation. Marjorie graduated from the Crawford School of Art in 1982, having received a Guinness Peat Aviation Award for her sculpture. She has worked in her studio in Blennerville for the past 18 years and the ceramic work in the current exhibition has been created thanks to a Kerry County Council Creative Work Bursary.

Judy Costelloe is no stranger to working in different media and her Art is also a jouney. She has, over her long and illustrious career, worked with watercolours, acrylics, oils, clay and printmaking. "Working in a variety of media has been a wonderful learning process for me and has afforded me a wealth of experience, many challenges and even a little success," says Judy. "My silk-painting continues to evolve and the creation of each individual piece acts like a stepping-stone on my longer journey. The delicacy, but also the resilience of the silk fabric and the jewel like colours of the paints provides tremendous opportunities for expression."

Her work in the current exhibition explores colour as a visual element that defines our world and our moods.

"The exhibition definitely offers the viewer something a little different," says Trish Thompson, Gallery Coordinator. "With a selection of beautifully handmade silk painting by Judy Costelloe, tactile woven tapestries and felt work by Jacinta Scully Usher and fascinating organic sculpture pieces by Marjorie Cunningham, it neatly encapsulates the magical experience of living in Kerry."

The exhibition opens on Thursday, March 12th in the Samhlaiocht Gallery, in the Old Presbytery, on Lower Castle Street, in the heart of Tralee and runs right through until Friday 3rd of April.

Opening times at the Gallery are from 9.00am to 5.00pm from Monday to Friday, the gallery is open to everyone and is free to visit.

For more information on Samhlaiocht please log on to www.samhlaiocht.com

Samhlaiocht is supported through grant aid from The Arts Council, Kerry County Council, Failte Ireland and generous corporate sponsorship from Kerry Group.

For more information on Samhlaiocht please log on to www.samhlaiocht.com