GMIT Mayo launches Artists' Summer Residency 2018

The Mayo campus of GMIT is delighted to once again run its summer residency programme in Castlebar, providing opportunities for artists to research and develop their practice through the provision of studio space, access to GMIT’s Library facilities and participation in an exhibition on site in the historic Mayo Campus. The residency will take place over six weeks from 2 July to 10 August.

“This is the fifth year the residency is running, and it has now become a firmly established part of the artistic landscape of County Mayo”, says Dr John Mulloy, Programme Chair of the part-time BA in Contemporary Art Practices at GMIT Mayo.  “We currently offer the only part-time art degrees available in the country, which creates a unique atmosphere here, and it was fantastic that the three artists selected last year were all graduates of GMIT Mayo.”

The results of last year’s residency were exhibited in a group show last November called Wanderland. Hazel Walker, a lecturer on the BA in Contemporary Art Practices, explained that this theme was chosen as the work meandered around the history of the building inside and outside of the walls. Alan Gavin’s work explored the absurdity of the Victorian ‘madhouse’ through an engagement with the Cheshire Cat from Lewis Carroll’s Alice in Wonderland, while Marliese Hertfelder’s starting point for the residency was the concept of a ‘sense of place’, based on the knowledge and experience of the building’s transformation from a psychiatric hospital into an educational institution. Katie Delaney’s work reflected life beyond the walls, thinking of the families of the patients of the early 1900s, their living conditions and daily life.

Hazel Walker says that by working in a shared space “the selected artists will have the opportunity to develop an informal exchange of ideas and influences and to share expertise. Participating artists are encouraged to explore possible future independent creative collaborations locally, regionally and nationally, especially through contacts with local arts organisations which may arise over the course of the summer.”

Dr Deirdre Garvey, Lifelong Learning Coordinator at GMIT Mayo, describes the ongoing residency programme as a “very successful example of GMIT Mayo’s community engagement through the arts” and looks forward to welcoming a new group of artists to the campus this summer. “The residency will be of most benefit to artists seeking space and quiet time to focus on their artistic development and is aimed at both emerging and established artists. It will also be of interest to arts professionals who plan on taking a summer break from academic duties and who wish to explore and research from the West of Ireland”.

For further information on the part-time  third level art courses delivered in GMIT Mayo, the BA (Hons) in Fine Art, and the BA in Contemporary Art Practices, see http://www.gmit.ie/lifelong-learning/lifelong-learning-mayo

Intending applicants for the summer residency programme are invited to email John.Mulloy@gmit.ie  by Friday 25 May 2017 for more information and to arrange an interview.