Model gears up for new exhibition

A new event guide featuring a multitude of activities, events and projects for children, adults, school groups, and communities, has been published by the Model Sligo to coincide with the much-anticipated exhibition The Keeper.

The guide includes some firm favourites such as Sligo Global Kitchen, the Art of Drawing with Michael Wann, Family Days at The Model, as well as a number of exciting new offerings for art practitioners and enthusiasts alike.

A Breakfast Club for artists to connect, network and chat over complimentary tea, coffee and a selection of pastries will take place once a month on Thursday mornings. The first session will take place on Thursday, 7 th February at 10.30am and Education Curator, Marie-Louise Blaney, will be there to welcome artists. Two more breakfast sessions are also planned for March and April offering art practitioners a space to meet, discuss art and chat about what’s happening locally.

A series of informal discussions on artworks from The Keeper exhibition will take place in the galleries once a month. In-Focus, led by Marie Louise Blaney, will focus on a different artwork from the Niland Collection each month. The Keeper exhibition features over 100 works and represents the biggest showcase of Sligo’s municipal collection to date. On February 12 th at 11.30am Blaney will discuss the work of Irish artist Mary Swanzy in the context of her cubist artwork on display. Two more sessions will follow in the galleries on March 12 th, and April 19 th. The sessions will culminate in a lunchtime lecture in May. There is no charge to attend the sessions.

A number of gallery tours will take place throughout the duration of The Keeper. The exhibition will open on February 9 th with an introduction to The Keeper with Curator Emer McGarry talking place at 6.30pm. Three further gallery tours with The Models Curators will take place throughout Spring and are free of charge to attend. On Wednesday 27 th February Heike Thiele will present a tour on The Folkwang Idea which advocates an approach to the arts as a unified whole, rather than divided into separate disciplines. Artworks on display from The Graeve Collection can be viewed through the lens of the Folkwang principle that originated with Karl Ernst Osthaus in early twentieth century Germany.

A tour on Collections in Contemporary Art with Marie-Louise Blaney will take place on Wednesday 13th March at 1.30 and on Wednesday 27 th March Shannon Re will lead a tour on The Niland Collection.

To keep the kids entertained, The Model have a number of offerings for children and families. To coincide with The Keeper, fun and interactive artworks from The Niland Collection by Mark Clare, Connolly Cleary and Eamon O’Kane will be on view throughout 2019. February will also see the opening of an exhibition entitled The Essentials of Cranmore which will be on display from 27 th February to 20 th March. This community exhibition features work by residents of Cranmore who took part in a series of art sessions facilitated by Sligo-based artist Ken Gunning. For this exhibition, residents and participants used the lens of photography to give a generous insight into their community. Throughout a series of workshops, the participants responded to themes of belonging, space and place.

The Model welcomes the Cranmore community back a year after their brilliant 2018 exhibition of children’s drawings and comic Illustrations, from the young budding artists in Cranmore. Both projects were supported by Sligo Leader, Cranmore Community CO OP, Cranmore Regeneration and is funded by the International Fund for Ireland.

The Model welcomes the return of community favourite Sligo Global Kitchen who invite the community to come together to experience food and music from around the world. Everyone is welcome so bring along some friends and family to discover a taste of culture at Sligo’s most communal table. While each plate is filled free of charge, donations are always welcome and your generosity ensures that SGK can continue to serve the wider community. Sligo Global Kitchen is funded by the Community Foundation for Ireland.

Also funded by the Community Foundation for Ireland, PUNC 1x1 continues to unfold in the participating schools. A work from The Niland Collection is installed each month in Sligo schools. Children, staff and the school community have an opportunity to observe and experience these unique works in their own school environment for four weeks, before they are rotated with a new work. Now in its third year, The Model are inviting expressions of interest for the 2019/2020 academic year.

School tours of The Model’s galleries are available throughout the school year. Each tour is led by an experienced member of the Education team and from February will consider themes in The Keeper. Tours cost €2 per pupil or €3 including a hot-chocolate from The Model Café.

The Model is now taking bookings for a Family Day Special with Sinead O Hanlon on Sunday March 10 th and an Easter Children’s Yoga and Creative Art Easter Camp with Ana Faye and Louise Waters from April from 24 th – 26 th. Sinead O Hanlon’s workshops are always a favourite on The Model’s calendar of children’s events. All craft materials provided. This Family Day Special is a steal at €3 per person. The popular Children’s Yoga and Creative Art Camp, costs €70/€65 per child and will take over three days. Children will enjoy a nurturing, supportive and relaxed environment in which to explore movement, sensation, mindfulness and creativity. All art and yoga materials are provided.

For adult art enthusiasts, Graphite and Easel takes place on Friday mornings. These peer-led drawing sessions are facilitated by artist Emma Stroude and her team, and take place in the inspiring surroundings of The Model’s education room. From beginners to advanced level students, everyone is welcome. For more information on these sessions, contact emmastroude@gmail.com. Sessions are €10 per class and please bring your own drawing equipment.

The Art of Drawing with Michael Wann will also return on 29 th January and will run until 5 th March. Led by artist and experienced teacher Michael Wann, who has just returned from a group exhibition in New York, this intensive six-week course will see students experiment with different techniques and styles of drawing in charcoal. Suitable for beginners and advanced level students. This six-week course is €120. Booking is advised.

The Model Spring programme is packed with workshops, talks, exhibitions, tours film, music and much more. Further information on all activities is also available on the Models website www.themodel.ie