THREE EXHIBITIONS AND A BIG GIG!

Tá Aras Eanna ag ceiliúíradh 21 bliain i mbliana. Grianghraf le / Photograph by Hiroyasu Daido.

As the country opens up again, Aras Eanna Ionad Ealaine is delighted to announce that we will be celebrating our 21^st birthday next month with three art exhibitions and a big gig!

The story of how a disused weaving factory was turned into the most westerly arts centre in all of Europe is definitely worth celebrating, as we look back on 21 years of hosting wonderful artists, concerts, and exhibitions.

All three exhibitions will take place outdoors in line with Covid19 restrictions and the concert will take place on the GAA pitch, where we had a wonderful night of celebration featuring local artists from the island and The Raines for Culture Night last September.

“This year is very special. We were hoping to celebrate our 20^th anniversary last year, but with the Covid19 restrictions we decided that now is the time to celebrate as Ireland begins to open up,” says Artistic Director Dara McGee.

“We got a feel for exhibiting outdoors last year, when the restrictions lifted for a few months, and we see the island as a palate for the arts centre to put art out there in front of the community.”

The main exhibition, called ‘Curracha’, will see paintings by 21 artists on six foot sculpted currachs, covered in canvas, placed all around the island. These canvasses will be placed around the island for people to go and see, like an art trail.

All 21 artists are working on their pieces in their own homes or studios right now.

The second exhibition is ‘An Criú’, featuring former and present Macnas artists who are coming out to Inis Oirr to exhibit their work for the fourth year in a row.

And the third art exhibition features local people from the island, including people who attend Dara’s regular art classes and school children from Inis Oirr’s primary school.

Please stay tuned to the Aras Eanna website and Facebook page for more details about all three exhibitions and the concert on Saturday, July 17, in the coming weeks. We hope to broadcast the concert live on our Facebook page for those who aren’t lucky enough to be on the beautiful island.

And we also hope to announce the winner of our fantastic ‘Éalú Draíochta’ fundraising draw on July 17. https://www.idonate.ie/raffle/araseannadraw

Stay tuned!