8 Brendan Gleeson Helps Offaly Celebrate
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VISUAL ARTS MUSIC & DANCE ISSUE & FILM THEATRE THE WRITTEN WORD A REVIEW OF THE ARTS IN LAOIS, LONGFORD, OFFALY AND WESTMEATH SPRING 2014 21 FREE 15 Wayne Brennan to Release 23 Longford Welcomes Second Studio Album Public Art Projects 8 Brendan Gleeson 24/25 Nick Miller – Helps Offaly Celebrate Portrait of an Artist and his forthcoming visit to 21 The Muse of the Laois Arthouse Francis Bacon & Lucien Freud who lived 33 Neil Delamere in Roundwood House Smart Bomb Tour Longford public arts projects...........................................Page 3 When I grow up I want to be... • Briefs Tullamore author pens best seller ................................Page 4 Delvin Book Fair seeks writers • Briefs Midlands Heffernan nominated for major award.......................Page 5 andCulture Kinnegad postman publishes first novel • Briefs Human Chain – Remembering Seamus Heaney ....Page 6 A Word from Arts Magazine From little acorns grow big trees Tullamore graduate wins top design award ...........Page 7 Portlaoise artist publishes book to the Editor Oscar Wilde, in his 1889 essay The Decay of celebrate Joyce • Briefs Lying said that, “Life imitates Art far more than Brendan Gleeson helps Offaly celebrate................Page 8 Art imitates Life”. Hollywood star Brendan Gleeson That may be true but in this edition of Midlands praises FilmOffaly .......................................................Page 9 Arts and Culture magazine is fair to say that there is a lot of art imitating life. A Little Mór .............................................................................Page 10 5 HEFFERNAN We have artists such as Eoin MacLochlainn, Web & Social Media Strategies Kate Heffernan and Maisie Lee expressing NOMINATED FOR for Visual Artists • Briefs their differing idea of home and what home is. MAJOR AWARD Jack L launches School of Rock & Pop ...................Page 11 And in an extension of home, or home and Commemorative coin to celebrate environment influencing art, which in turn mimics John Count McCormack • Briefs life is the work of Veronica Nicholson. In this issue she talks about being an artist on a farm Contemplation on a residency ......................................Page 12 and how she seeks out its relevance to her Bealtaine festival 2014 in Laois practice through international online rural art Celebration of positive mental health......................Page 13 dialogues. Second book for Longford writer Then there are those such as Kate Heffernan using her own experience of hitting the big 3-0 Percent for Art Scheme for Loreto College ............Page 14 in her in her comic production In Dog Years I’m 6 JEAN O’BRIEN Leinster Fleadh Cheoil for Moate • Briefs Dead; she considers her life and what these REMEMBERS SÉAMUS Wayne Brennan to release second album ............Page 15 passing and future decades offer and how they Tullamore man voted best in the world should be viewed. Art, very definitely imitating HEANEY life or at least exploring life and using the Poetry in the park ..............................................................Page 16 feelings life brings to the surface to form ideas Longford artist contributes to new and shape writing. art publication • Briefs Jean O’Brien’s poem penned in memory of Eoin MacLochlainn explores the Seamus Heaney is very much shaped by life notion of Dídean (home) ................................................Page 17 experiences of knowing and sharing moments with the former Bellaghy poet making use of Artists explore the idea of home.................................Page 18 some of his own poetic language and turns of The relevance of rural art dialogues .....................Page 19 phrase about a life that was his. Sean-nós dancing makes steady progress And there’s MÓR – where a number of Midland musicians from different musical backgrounds Dun na Sí Amenity & Heritage Park opens ...........Page 20 have come together to form Public Access Arts’ 8 BRENDAN GLEESON Longford teen hitting all the right notes historic collaborative house band. The band HELPS OFFALY The deeply troubled London socialite aims to develop how original music is made, who lived in Roundwood House ..................................Page 21 performed and brings art to life by pulling CELEBRATE down barriers and performing amongst the 1,500 children are singing.............................................Page 22 world – art and life intertwining, becoming one. Orchestra on tour wins accolade Others are trying to visualize what life will be like Visual art projects in Longford .....................................Page 23 in one Per Cent for Art project for a school from Olive Cuskelly “When I grown up I want to be…” Portrait of an artist – Nick Miller.........................Page 24-25 This is a simple, yet intriguing concept of how Face to Face – John Ennis......................................Page 26-27 children view themselves in a future world and Slamming doors, open mics ...................................Page 28 also goes a long way to revealing what they have Seek and you shall find also absorbed. Every one of the 187 pupils was involved making the scheme truly inclusive – Snap happy.............................................................................Page 29 and perhaps one worthy of a follow-up survey Hoggs latest exhibition.....................................................Page 30 as to the most common professions chosen by Events at Belvedere House & Gardens those involved! So while Wilde said that “Life imitates Art far Museum keeps tradition of embroidery alive......Page 31 more than Art imitates Life” I feel that without Luan gallery events 24/25 33 NEIL life’s experiences and the emotions its conjures Midsummer music at the mill ......................................Page 32 up there would be less art – or less good art. ARTIST DELAMERE Helium – children’s arts & health organisation Whether conscious or subconscious life influences what we see and how we see things NICK SMART Neil Delamere – Smart bomb tour ............................Page 33 and how we express things and ultimately in MILLER BOMB TOUR Small landscapes at the bottom of the tea cup .......Page 34 many, many cases the art that is born from it. Work from the middle And, As far as the Midlands goes there is TALKS TO BY ANN plenty of Art imitating life! Structures of devotion & other stories.....................Page 35 ANGELA MARIE Angela Madden, Editor Dunamaise Arts Centre celebrates 15 years ...........Page 36 MADDEN KELLY Download new Lakeland Treasures app Wayne Brennan is pictured on the front cover. A look inside Photo by Jon Hernandez. YOUR LOCAL ARTS OFFICERS County Offaly County Westmeath County Laois County Longford WHO: Sinead O'Reilly, WHO: Miriam Mulrennan WHO: Muireann Ní Chonaill WHO: Fergus Kennedy WHERE: Offaly County Council, WHERE: Westmeath County Council WHERE: Laois County Council, WHERE: Longford County Council, Charleville Road, Tullamore County Buildings, Mullingar Portlaoise, Co Laois Great Water St. Longford. CONTACT: Telephone 057 9357400 CONTACT: Telephone 044 93 32016 CONTACT: Tel: 057 8664109 CONTACT: Tel: 086 8517595 [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] www.offaly.ie/arts www.westmeathcoco.ie www.laois.ie/arts www.longfordcoco.ie/arts_office.html 2 Briefs Chatroom Longford welcomes showcases at Dunamaise public art projects Laois Youth Theatre presents Chatroom at the Dunamaise Arts Centre on by Aoife Carberry Saturday, April 12 at 3pm. Featuring the Portlaoise and Stradbally Strokestown Road. The brief for the The areas were carefully selected by an 2014 is already shaping up to be groups, along with members from piece received a lot of interest and the adjudication committee, who chose the an exciting year for art in county Kildare Youth Theatre, Chatroom, by adjudication committee was deadlocked villages that hadn’t benefited recently Longford, with three huge projects Enda Walsh, features six teenagers in their deliberations so re-evaluated from public art. in the pipeline. who communicate in Internet two short-listed artists, before deciding In the end, Ballymahon, Kenagh, Ardagh, chatrooms. The first of the public art pieces is set to on the piece. be installed this month. Abbeylara, Granard, Newtownforbes, Their conversations range in subject The winning proposal was from the Drumlish and Aughnacliffe were chosen Longford County Council’s Public Art from Willy Wonka to Britney Spears to creative partnership of two Dublin for the project. JK Rowling to – suicide. Committee commissioned a sculpture for brothers Joe and Pat Walker. The Walker the new N5 bypass, and submissions Brothers proposal in highly abstract and The committee is expecting a good Jim is depressed and talks of ending were made by artists throughout the conceptual in that it will be a casting in response to the brief, which is seeking an his life. He ventures into cyberspace country and abroad for the project. stainless steel of the negative space artist to create eight unique pieces, each seeking advice and soon encounters In the end, it was Cork artist Alex Pentek between the letter “I” and “f” in the with a common thematic or design a faceless twosome who do their who impressed the committee, with a conjunction “If”. feature. utmost to convince him to make good his escape... M sculpture of a violin, designed to look as The artists are fascinated by the often un- When all eight pieces are created and though it is embedded in the ground. The noticed abstract spaces