To celebrate Cruinniu na nÓg – National Day of Free Creativity for

Children - Chapel Hill School of Art invites children and young people to

perform, exhibit, and reveal their talents as part of a creative showcase

celebrating young people and their gifts on June 10 th 2023.  

Families and friends are invited to attend the Showcase, bring a picnic to

enjoy on the lawn and enjoy the celebration which will not only includes

performance by your children and young people but also demonstrations,

workshops, music and plenty of opportunity to get involved in a variety of

creative activities in a fun, family friendly atmosphere.

This is a youth film competition in two categories 14 to 18yrs and 18yrs to 25yrs. We are looking for films with an identifiable Irish language element of 3-to-5-minute duration. This competition is open to young people all over Cork. We are looking for your experience of your cultural environment expressed through film.

The competition opens on August 20th and closes November 14th at 5pm.

The 2nd Annual Open Day at Chapel Hill School of Art

August 20th 12.30 to 4pm

The 2nd Annual Open Day at Chapel Hill School of Art

The second annual Open Day at Chapel Hill School of Art in collaboration with August Craft Month, Cork Craft Month and Heritage Week celebrates the re-opening of the Art school for classes. The variety of craft and heritage based demonstrations, talks and workshops on site explores and recognises the diversity and wealth of the heritage crafts around us. Join us for a lively day of creative exploration from clay modelling and throwing, willow and textile weaving, bee hive and lace making with music from The Fresh Air Collective and food from local Artisan producers.

Our workshops, demonstrations and talks will provide greater awareness of heritage craft and recognise it’s cultural importance locally, regionally and nationwide by collaborating with our project partners Heritage Week and Cork Craft Month.

Demonstrations

Demonstration 1: Sustainiability

Peadar O Riada

Best for Bees - Ancient Technology – Skep Traditional Beehive Weaving

Using locally harvested mountain Sege grasses Peadar O Riada demonstrates this ancient craft long proved best for Bee health. Skeps are baskets that have been used for about 2000 years by Bee keepers. Initially they were made from wicker plastered with mud and dung but from the Middle Ages they were made of straw. In northern and western Europe, skeps were made of coils of grass or straw. Join us at Chapel Hill as we learn and explore this ancient craft.

Demonstration 2: Warp Weft & Weave

Circular Weaving with Ann Mechenlick

Inspired by the ancient alluvial forest of The Geragha and the environment around her Ann has responded with beautiful weavings in a forest floor series of work. Join us at Chapel Hill school of art on August 20th to see Ann at work and learn this ancient technique that explores the rich variety of materials that can be used in Circular Weaving.

Demonstration 3: August Craft Month Event

Pottery Throwdown Creative Shout Out !

Ceramic Artists Jim Turner and Bernadette Tuite

Chapel Hill School of Art in central Macroom is delighted to take part in August Craft Month 2022. As part of the heritage based celebration of the school Open Day this lively and fun interactive Demonstration will take place on the front lawn of the spacious and historic former convent of Chapel Hill School of Art.

From 1.30 to 3pm on August 20th you can join in the fun with Ceramic artists’ Jim Turner and CHSA Coordinator Bernadette Tuite as they mesmerize you with the hypnotic wonders of throwing clay forms on the potter’s wheel. Fun for all the family as Jim and Bernadette invite you to challenge them in a Creative shout out to ‘throw anything’ !

Workshops

Workshop 1

Abhainn na Laoi

Traditional Felting Techniques – Abhainn na Laoi - exploring with the River Gods.

Join textile artists as she weaves the tale of River legend and the Gods associated with this ancient lore Ten thousand years ago, before the coming of Christianity in Ireland, the rivers served a very important role in the lives of the people living along its banks. It was their source of food, and a place where their cattle and crops thrived. People saw the rivers as powerful objects and worshiped river gods.

Workshop 2

Portrait Modelling in Clay - sculptor James Horan

Head Modelling workshop -The planes and features of the Human face provides the spring board for participants to explore the ancient and craft of sculpting in clay. with sculptor James Horan- Using a traditional armature to encourage participants of all ages to have a go at this ancient skill in a fun explorative atmosphere.

Workshop 3

Willow Weaving with Wildrose Basketry

Rosemary Kavanagh of Wildrose Basketry will transport you on a journey from Willow cultivation to a completed piece of willow basketry to take home.

Two Workshops – 12.30 to 1.45 pm kids – 2.30 to 4pm afternoon adults

· One for children up to the age of 13 (with their parents or guardians help being essential) making a willow fish with some storytelling about our native salmon and fish --this would be for an hour and 15 minutes. Ideally not more than 10 children.

· The other would be for older children over the age of 14 and adults where we would make a willow star. A willow star can be used as a wall hanging, table ornament, or hot plate. This would be about an hour and a half. Ideally not more than 10 participants

Learn & Explore

Lace Making past and present at Chapel Hill School of Art

Irish Needlepoint Lace revival at Chapel Hill School of Art

In its former life Chapel Hill School of Art was home to a busy lacemaking industry. Records from 1906 show payments to makers of over €2000 pounds in 1906, that almost €250k in 2021!

Enjoy an Open Day of Lace with us and The Traditional Lace Makers of Ireland. The international award winning Veronica Stuart, and the lacemakers will be here for the day sharing and enjoying this exquisite craft with you.

The most beautiful of materials, lace was worn by the wealthiest women across Europe, yet produced by some of the poorest women in Ireland. Lace was a luxury commodity, used to decorate elaborate wedding dresses, christening robes, and church vestments, but it also played a vital part in saving many families from starvation and destitution. Irish lace reflects the social and political changes that took place between 1700 and the present day.

Music

Fresh Air Collective

Chapel Hill School of Art,

Macroom, Co. Cork

Saturday August 20th 1pm to 3pm 2022

Ruti Lachs (accordion/voice) and Edel Sullivan (fiddle) are members of The Fresh Air Collective, a group of musicians who play an eclectic and lively mix of folk and klezmer music. They deliver a wonderful cross range of acoustic music from around the globe, including France, Argentina, Eastern Europe and America, as well as some original compositions.

They are delighted to perform as part of the Open Day celebrations at Chapel Hill School of Art in Macroom. For this special event they will be including some participatory dances and songs.

They promise a fun performance for EVEYONE OF ALL AGES!

A leap of faith, for art's sake

In Macroom seven years ago, two sculptors took a chance on an old convent in need of extensive repairs; as ambitions for Chapel Hill School of Art grow, the exhibition space is opening to the public.

f.Project is a group of analogue photography artists, graduates from Crawford College of Art & Design. It was formed in 2017 in association with Cork Film Centre, who were in the process of setting up a darkroom facility.

In 2018, the group received a long-term loan of vintage camera equipment from the Hermann Marbe collection (courtesy of Jessica Carson), enabling them to further expand their experimentation in the realm of analogue photography.