‘Bee Pollinators ‘

Running From March 10th – April 5th

Tipperary Excel Centre is a centre of excellence in the promotion of arts and culture in Tipperary Town.

The Centre serves the community of West Tipperary and beyond in providing a programme of Theatre/cinema/visual arts &workshops in a variety of disciplines.

The Tony Ryan Community Foundation funded a project entitled ‘Loving our Land’ which Tipperary Excel has been lucky enough to receive funding for working with various stakeholders in our community, on an environmental project, and we gratefully acknowledge the support received from this fund.

One of the many functions of the centre, is to look at different ways, we can protect and raise awareness around heritage. This covers much more than just the built environment and also includes the natural world, and people’s interaction with wildlife. The board of management of the Excel, are always looking for new ideas and projects that helps achieve this aim, and this year we are helping pollinators.

The early decades of the 21 century have brought a growing realization that nature, and especially pollinators are facing massive declines. There are many reasons for this loss, including habitat loss, a lack of pollen and nectar rich flowers and a general lack of awareness around what actions can be taken to reverse this decline.

Using the National pollinator plan as a guide, each school had the opportunity to have a workshops on pollinators. Here the staff and students learn all about pollinators, why they are declining, and actions they can take to help. Outdoors in the school grounds, the students are sowing pollinator friendly plants.

This consisted of nectar and pollen rich flowers/shrubs that flower throughout the bee year, and ensure a succession of food. Students also explore the school grounds for bees, and the Tipperary Hills. The national pollinator plan was launched in 2015 with a junior version available for schools. This gives information on bees, and different actions that done be done in schools.

Schools have been very positive in their feedback, with the whole school having a greater awareness of bees. The students are encouraged to head out after school, and the weekend and discover nature in their community. It is so important that the upcoming generation are aware of pollinators, their importance and how they can protect them.

Over 75% of what we eat as part of our daily diet is due to the hard work of pollinators. Bees make our diets interesting from fruit, chocolate to wine. Life would be just tolerable without these precious insects, although some would say that no chocolate or wine would make life impossible.

Our gardens and countryside would look bare as bees are responsible for the colourful displays of spring and summer flowers. The effect on our mental health would also be felt, as nothing lifts the mood like the sight of meadow full of flowers, or a garden in tune with nature.

This project has played its part in ensuring bees continue to part of our culture. Mead was a traditional drink made from honey and is still served at medieval banquet and fairs. Today we have local bee keepers who continue the strong tradition of producing honey. This is a growing way of life as people recognize the importance of conserving bees.

The culmination of the project was an exhibition in the Excel Heritage Centre. This generic project will know travel the country and be displayed in schools, community halls and Libraries. This will ensure that future generations of young people will learn about pollinators ensuring a lasting legacy.

We have been lucky enough to enhance our exhibition with the original artwork of the  Native Irish Bees Stamps the property of An Post for the duration of the our exhibition and wish to acknowledge their support.

The launch of the pollinator exhibition takes place on March 8^th at 11.30am in the excel heritage centre, and continues thereafter until April 5^th. All are welcome and further enquires to the reception or on 062-80520

Admittance Free

‘Nature’

Running Until Nov 7th

‘Nature’ is the latest exhibition at Tipperary Excel Gallery. The exhibition is now open to the public and will continue until Nov. 7th. The Gallery is open Monday-Friday from 10a.m to 5 and by arrangement on Saturdays (enquires at reception /062-80520)

Catherine Veares is the artist who hails from Ballynonty, Thurles and says of her work
‘My inspiration comes from the amazingly beautiful colours and scenery I see in nature, I love the ever changing sometimes turbulent skies, the tempestuous, serene, radiant colours of the trees, mountains, seas etc., I would hope that my ideas, emotions and visual experiences engage you, the viewer and encourage an awareness of the spirit of nature. I try to portray the emotions I feel during the painting process, so that I can instill in the viewer a sense of calmness and serenity.

 

A Bygone Era

July 19th – August 19th

The history of glove making in Tipperary Town and Bansha is to be recalled in an exhibition that will open at the Tipperary Excel in Tipperary Town on Thursday July 19th at 7.30pm.

The exhibition will include photographs, press cuttings and memorabilia from a time when glove making was a key industry in the area.

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‘Picking Up the Threads: Remaking the Fabric of Care Maternal Deaths Remembered’ showing at Tipperary Excel Gallery

Come see the multimedia exhibition commemorating the lives of women who have died in our maternity services.

Includes Documentary Screening: ‘Picking Up the Threads’ which tells the stories of the women’s families and the legislative campaign for change.

A dynamic group of local community activists from the Tipperary area have invited The Elephant Collective to bring the multimedia exhibition, Picking up the Threads: Remaking the Fabric of Care to the Excel Arts and Cultural Centre, Tipperary town.  They are working together to raise awareness of maternal deaths and the urgent need for legislative change to secure mandatory inquests for all maternal deaths.

Between 2008 and 2014, there were inquests for eight women who died in our maternity services, all of which ended in verdicts of death by medical misadventure. This multimedia exhibition commemorates the lives of these eight women. It also honours the women who died and whose names we do not know and who are recorded only as statistics in annual clinical reports from our maternity units and hospitals.

An inquest is not automatically granted when there is a maternal death. The Elephant Collective believes that this must be changed and so they are actively campaigning for mandatory automatic inquests into all maternal deaths to be drawn up in a separate piece of legislation soon to be introduced to the Dáil, in the Coroners (Amendment) Bill 2017.

Exhibition Runs:  2-8 February, 2018

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What’s the photostory? Syria-Tipperary!

This exhibition will show on Friday evening in Tipperary Excel Centre, Mitchell street Tipperary at 7.30p.m

Youth Work Ireland, Tipperary’s Thurles project have worked with young people from Syria who have been through the refugee experience and are happy to announce “What’s the PhotoStory?” Syria-Tipperary. Working with young people and building relationships with them and their families in an ongoing youth work process has produced great stories and insights. With strong and trusting relationships already in place, Augusto Boal strategies created an opening for stories to emerge.
#Youthvoices #youngsyrianvoices

“I would like to say to all of those who have come here, you must make sure that you add your stories and experiences into ours and we will be the richer for it, you are required to forget nothing, the opposite is the case, the more you tell us and the more you bring to us so that we can do something new. Those who arrived here……..they are inheriting the strands not just of two rich cultural heritages that will contribute to their identity but also the remaking of both of the cultures and the emergence of a new one… we weave new patterns…in modern Ireland.” President Michael D Higgins. July 2017.

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A Tower’s Tale  !

A tower’s Tale is an exhibition of Ceramic work by the Transition class at the Abbey C.B.S. school Tipperary Town. The class under the tutelage of their teachers Ms Jolene Carey working along with artist Thomas Wollen will display their work in the Gallery Tipperary Excel from Nov.30^th– December 9^th 2017.

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DEIRDRE DUNNE – Shades of Irish Light

Deirdre Dunne is an Irish born Artist who obtained her honours degrees in Fine Art Painting at Crawford College of Art in Cork, Ireland. Since her studies she has bicycled through Asia, Europe, The Middle East and Central America, as well as working as a tour guide in Australia and Africa.

Throughout these experiences she has been continuously sketching and painting images from each of the countries she has passed through, including her native Ireland.

She is now living near Kilbeheny, Mitchelstown surrounded by the beautiful Galty mountains. This is where her studio is situated.She also teaches art to both children and adults.

Artist Statement

My subject matter varies throughout my paintings. What attracts me to a certain subject is the fleeting effects of light and atmosphere.I use intense colours and contrasts to achieve a strong impact on the viewer. From winter sunshine to stormy skies, I try to capture the moment in nature where everything is highlighted.My preferred medium is oil on canvas, and I work on a red ochre background to create rich tonal contrasts.

www.deirdredunne.weebly.com

Commissions are available on request

The Gallery is open Monday-Friday 10am – 5pm (some restriction on Monday morning) and admission is free…All are welcome.

Please check with reception on 062-80520 for further details

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‘Delight is Tempered by Hidden Fears’ is the latest exhibition at the Gallery Tipperary Excel.

RAYLEEN CLANCY Delight is Tempered by Hidden Fears

My work utilizes a cast of iconic figures with strong, enigmatic and central protagonists.   The characters and their essence come and go through luminous portals, transported through an imagined reality across multiple dimensions.  Just like them, the proscenium they inhabit is in a constant state of flux, fragile, shell-like and in danger of crumbling, reverberating to half-lit worlds. My work taps into the unifying energy that is common to all life, the universal soul or Anima Mundi. Plato describes it as,  “A single visible living entity containing all other living entities, which by their nature are all related.”

Rayleen Clancy studied at the National College of Art & Design, Dublin; San Francisco Art Institute, California; Dun Laoghaire Institute of Art, Design & Technology and Waterford Institute of Technology. She currently lives and works in Co. Waterford.

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Screened’ for Tipperary Excel Gallery

‘Screened’ is an exhibition of work by local artist Amy Richardson showing currently in the Gallery Tipperary Excel and running until February 28th. Amy is a graduate of Limerick Print and design with a master’s in interactive media.

The Gallery is open Monday-Friday from 10-5p.m with some restriction on Monday morning. Please check with reception on 062-80520 for further details.

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“Large ruined houses of Ireland” by Photographer Robert Smith

Robert Smith photographer presents a series of photographs of large ruined houses of Ireland in an exhibition to run at Tipperary Excel from April 2nd- April 30th.

Robert has been taking black and white photographs of some of Irelands large ruined houses over the past year, inspired by a meeting in 1998 with Mark Bence Jones, and he wanted to display these photos so that as many people can see and understand what is vanishing around them. Robert says ‘while there are many books dedicated to this, but only people who already know about these houses and can afford these books have access to them. Robert says of his photographs ‘I have photographed these houses in a more sympathetic style. If by showing these houses to the public I encourage one young person to be interested in these houses then I will have achieved my goal.

Tipperary Excel Gallery is open Monday –Friday (with some exceptions please check with reception 062-80520 ) Admission free : All welcome!

Exhibition running from April 2nd- April 30th

Guidelines for submitting exhibition proposals:
The Excel Gallery, Excel Centre, Mitchell Street, Tipperary Town, Co. Tipperary, Ireland is now looking for submissions for exhibitions to take place in its gallery space from for 1916- The gallery welcomes innovative and challenging proposals from established artists and from artists who wish to present a debut exhibition. Group submissions are also welcome.

Submissions should include:
A) 8 slides (or a CD with six images) of recent or previous work
B) an Arts-related C.V.
C) and an exhibition proposal relating to the artists intention for the show
D) submissions should be marked ‘Gallery Submission’ and posted to the above address.
For further details contact 062-80520

Mary Alice O’Connor, Gallery Administrator

________________________________________________Tipperary Excel Art Gallery is delighted to host “An Alien View” an art exhibition by local based artist Michael Hunter from 29th October to 18th November 2015.

Michael Hunter, a Fine Art graduate of Reading University in 1973, has since then worked in many occupations in a variety of locations. Three years ago came to settle in Tipperary to a long-overdue full-time career as a painter. The paintings in this show are sufficiently literal that they require no verbal explanation from this painter, who is accustomed to being a stranger everywhere, so sees everything with the eye of an outsider. That, after all, is the painter’s job. As Michael Hunter says himself “ Hung my first solo show (60 yrs learning the trade..) at Tipperary Excel. Special thanks to helpful staff. Looks ok”

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‘Cornucopia’ From Sept 15th – October 26th

This beautiful collection of art work is by Ester Fearnley.
Esther is from Doon in County Limerick and lives near the lovely village of Murroe.

She is retired from the University of Limerick where she worked for many in the Graphic Design and I.T. Department.

Esther is married to William and they have two grown up sons.
Esther did not attend formal art college, but has studied under Maurice Quillinan Artist in residence at the University of Limerick.
Esther has also attended workshops with Philip Grey in Cobh, and Frank Clarke in Dublin, and has attended art classes with professionally trained art teachers.
In the past four years Esther has had three exhibitions at the University of Limerick, one as part of the University’s 40th anniversary celebrations.
She has also participated in local exhibitions with some success.
She paints in Watercolour, Acrylic and Oil, at the moment mainly using oils.

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‘Impressions’ from August 14th – Sept 14th 2015

Christina Foley a native of Tipperary town has her first solo show at the Gallery Tipperary Excel. This talented young woman who is a graduate of Limerick College and design, received her degree in Fine Art in 2013.
She has also participated in workshops in experimental knitting and children’s art camp in both Limerick and Tipperary.
The exhibition runs until Sept. 14th and opening times are Monday-Friday 10a.m-5p.m (there are some restrictions on Monday and Tuesdays so please check with reception on 062-80520.
This is a beautifully presented show from a very talented young artist and well worth a visit.

‘Christina says of her work ‘The main focus of my work is on the subject of shape and the impression that it leaves on us. Our world is formed by shape; geometric, organic and abstract. In this collection of work I bring into play the use of geometric shapes against theorganic background of nature. I believe that the juxtaposition of the colourful, simple geometric shapes work well with the free flowing lines of the landscapes. These two elements combined together, leave an impression that we are all connected by shape which form our reality’
Medium of Work
Photographs were taken in the Glen of Aherlow. These were printed on fabric and paper, with a combination of both stencil and drawing.

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The Kitchen Table Collective Exhibition from 22nd June to 20th 2015.
The Kitchen Table Artist Collective was founded in 2011 by fine art graduates from GMIT. It currently consists of seven artists who are Galway and Westmeath based. Its present members are Eithne Ryan, Helen Caird, Jean MacSorley, Judith Bernhardt,Anne Harkin-Petersen, Terri Mitchell and Vicky Leonard. The media used ranges from drawing and painting to performance and sculpture.In recent months the group has collaborated on a project inspired by the drowned forest in Spiddal uncovered by the storms of winter 2014. The storms exposed remnants of oak, pine and birch stumps and extensive root systems and bog, which were once part of woodlands located along the west coast of Ireland.