Artists Studios in Laois

 The Arthouse Stradbally, County Laois

The official opening of The Arthouse Studios and Library, Stradbally County Laois took place on 13th May 2011.  The opening was performed by Minister Jimmy Deenihan, Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht.   The development, costing in excess of €1.2million, commenced early in 2010 has been assisted with funding from the Department of Tourism, Culture and Sport Access 11 scheme.  Construction work was completed in December 2010. The architects for the development were Milligan, Reside and Larkin and the contractor was L&M Keating.

Facilities include a community library, artists’ studios and living accommodation, an exhibition gallery, an equipped music rehearsal space, a kiln, and a garden space with a commissioned Percent for Art wall mounted artwork and a meeting  room for the Laois Heritage Society. Under the percent for art scheme a stainless steel relief wall piece was created by Wicklow based artist James Hayes and it graces the garden wall of the studios.   A limestone sculpture by Henk Korthuys was purchased for the front of the building, also funded by the Percent for Art scheme.  This sculpture was made in Mc Keon’s Stone, Limestone Yard in Stradbally by Henk when he participated on their international artist visiting programme last Summer.

The new gallery programme is up and running and it showcases:  drawing, painting and sculptural works in contemporary and traditional mediums.  Visiting children are invited to complete arts worksheets to broaden their imaginations.  Or visit the Arthouse garden and view the percent for art sculpture.  For any info call Laura Byrne on 057 86 41740 or email stradballyarthouse@hotmail.com

In the process of setting up the artists’ studios there was wide consultation and links were formed with the Arts Council,  NCAD and the Crafts Council of Ireland and other artists studios in Ireland and abroad.  Links also have been made with the County Enterprise Board and other developmental agencies.

Muireann Ní Chonaill, Arts Officer is managing the studios. Muireann says, “It is a privilege to be associated with such an exciting venture and I look forward to the many new experiences it affords us to provide for artists and the general public, enriching their lives through the arts

Artists at the Arthouse studios include:

Laois based artist, Karen Hendy.  Karen is a Visual Artist working in the medium of drawing and painting. A graduate of the National College of Art and Design and she has studied Fine Art at the Burren College of Art. Exhibitions include Dunamaise Arts Centre, Eigse, Royal Ulster Academy, Royal Hibernian Academy and most recently at Ev+a.

Karen  commented ”I am honoured to be selected as one of the first  recipients  of the Professional  Artist Studio scheme  at the   Arthouse , Stradbally, Co. Laois. This is an important development in the Arts in Laois. I feel privileged to be chosen to be part of this new and innovative project. I look forward to developing my art practice and engaging with the wider community in one of these specially appointed studios.

Vera Mc Evoy is the recipient of the Laois County Council/NCAD Bursary Award, (funded through the percent for art scheme and worth €10,000). She said she was thrilled to be chosen as the NCAD recipient and that it would enable her to explore her art practice which is multidisciplinary (video, print and installation) and explores a wide range of sustainable, environmental and social issues. “I use universal, everyday materials and scenarios to encourage an alternative reality, incorporating practices of recycling and remaking into the realm of human interactions and social context. My work responds to the growing consumer problems and lifestyle trends in contemporary society: in particular to our many discarded consumer products and their reproductive values. I look forward to engaging with the wider community in County Laois.”

The NCAD Bursary Award will enable Vera McEvoy to set out to explore, with a small group of women, the Irish economy and whether creativity and recycling can serve as a means of reclaiming identity, as well as regenerating skill and belief back into Irish society. 

Helena Malone is using the craft studio facility to develop new designs, concepts and prototypes for new collections.  Helena is a jewellery designer working in precious metals and precious stones using traditional methods.  Helena refers to her style of work as “simple and discreetly different, elegant and feminine with an edge”. Helena Malone Goldsmith is thrilled to be part of the new Arthouse and is a recipient of the Crafts Council of Ireland Studio Bursary.  ‘The new studios are beautiful spaces and I can’t wait to develop many new designs and collections there.  I am very proud that an Arthouse of this calibre is in my native Laois and I feel it will encourage people, young and old, to become involved in the areas we represent.’  Helena is a professional jeweller and designer working in precious metals and unusual precious stones.  Influenced by the balance of nature, her work style is elegant and feminine with an edge.

Laura Byrne has been appointed as Administrator at the Arthouse.   Laura graduated from Edinburgh College of Art in July 2010 with a BA( hons) in drawing and painting. Laura says, “Coming back to Ireland was very important to me after being away for 7 years.  I thought becoming part of the art world in Ireland was going to be difficult but the Arthouse has welcomed me with open arms, I feel it will be a place for artists and the community to engage in a new type of visual language and push the boundaries of what art studios mean in Ireland today.”

Currently the Arts Office, Laois County Council are advertising for to fill one of the artists’ studios with accommodation which has recently become available.

The Arthouse studios represent an important resource to add to the strong Arts Programme and strategies already present in the County, under the direction of Laois County Council. The initiative will be of real value to the ongoing Arts Programme, the community and the visual arts and design sector in Ireland.  It will also represent an important pathway for artists from outside Ireland to make a valuable contribution to widening and deepening public experiences and direct involvement in the arts. The combination of crafts workers and artists using the Arthouse Studios will be lively and exciting.  Every support and assistance will be given to artists and craftspeople through mentoring, programming and exhibition opportunities.

Strong links have also been established with Cosby Hall and with Thomas Cosby on collaborative events in the year including the Electric Picnic with the Greencrafts project and later in the year for the Leaves Literature Festival.

Since the facility opened a number of events and activities have taken place including:

A film crew from TG4 visited Laois on Wednesday 6th April to do a feature on outdoor public art in Laois. They filmed at the complex, where artist James Hayes was in the process of installing his percent for art sculpture. They filmed a number of other outdoor sculptures and visited McKeon Stone and it aired on  “Imeall” TG4 on Thursday 14th April at 10.00pm.

The Arts Officers Spring Conference took place at the Arthouse on Tuesday 12th April – attended by 14 Arts Officers and 4 representatives from the Arts Council and they were given a tour that included a visit to the Malthouse Artists Studios, Cosby Hall and the Electric Picnic site and McKeon Stone. 

A series of open days for visitors have taken place at the Arthouse on Saturday 16thApril from 7.00pm-9.00pm and Sunday 17th April from 12noon -2.00pm. A large number of people came to meet the artists, see the studios and facilities and enjoy a cup of tea.

Stradbally Youth Theatre and Laois School of Music performed at the official opening on the 13th May.

The National Campaign for the Arts - meeting with Laois/Offaly TDs and Arts representatives took place on Monday 16th May in the Library and Arthouse.

A Meeting  between French artists and Laois artists to explore the possibility of exchanges in the near future. 

Artist and Graduate Award winner Vera McEvoy has commenced community workshops with local women in Stradbally and already has a waiting list of people interested in further workshops.

Resident artist Vera Mc Evoy ran very successful weeklong Summer Arts Workshops for young people at her studio as part of Laois County Council Summer Arts Programme.

Artist Laura Byrne has also completed a very successful three week series of workshops for children at the arthouse studios in July.

In July the resident artists facilitated workshops at the studios for children visiting from Chernobyl.

A number of exciting events are scheduled to take place for National Culture Night on 23rd September.

 The Arthouse studios represent an important resource to add to the strong Arts Programme and strategies already present in the County, under the direction of Laois County Council. The initiative will be of real value to the ongoing Arts Programme, the community and the visual arts and design sector in Ireland.  It will also represent an important pathway for artists from outside Ireland to make a valuable contribution to widening and deepening public experiences and direct involvement in the arts. The combination of craftsworkers and artists using the Arthouse Studios will be lively and exciting.  Every support and assistance will be given to artists and craftspeople through mentoring, programming and exhibition opportunities.

Laois County Council has forged a number of key partnerships to ensure the success of this new enterprise.  These include the National College of Art and Design where a bursary is available to a graduate from the NCAD to the value of €10,000. The Craftsperson Studio Scheme is in association with the Crafts Council of Ireland. Mentoring and business support will be given to the successful candidate to grow his or her enterprise.  The remaining studios are available to professional artists, local, national and international. The Arts Council has given great encouragement and advice at all stages of this project.  A number of development agencies will also form an integral part of this project including, the County Enterprise Board and Fás.

Under the percent for art scheme a stainless steel relief wall piece is being created by Wicklow based artist James Hayes and will be erected on the garden wall of the studios. Laois County Council invited submissions Under the percent for art scheme for a Public Outdoor Visual Arts Relief Piece for the Library & Arthouse Studios, at Stradbally, Co Laois.

 One of the wonderful aspects of this development is that the future of a high quality heritage building is now secure with the establishment of this new community arts facility and refurbishment of the existing library.
The project team is lead by Milligan Reside Architects, Co Down and the main contractor is L& M Keating Ltd, Co Clare.

For further information, please contact Muireann Ní Chonaill, at The Arts Office, Laois County Council, 057 8674344/42 or email artsoff@laoiscoco.ie.

James Hayes

This commission was awarded to Wicklow based artist James Hayes.   The proposal which is called "GROWTH" presents a large eye-catching contmeporary sculpture and is erected on the garden wall of the studio, which was completed in  March 2011.

Front view of wall

Side view of wall