This summer Kilcoe Studios have teamed up with Skibbereen Arts Festival to present an exhibition of nature based arts and crafts across two venues. The exhibition seeks to explore the creative potential of local Irish materials in the work of contemporary makers. It will first run as part of the Arts festival in Skibbereen town toward the end of July and then take up residence in Kilcoe Studios’ Ballydehob premises for the month of August.
We would like to receive submissions from artists and crafts people who work with natural materials sourced from their local environment (ie collected or cultivated nearby)
As the exhibition title suggests we aim to give a platform to work that originates from the environment and artists that explore the creative application of materials from our natural surroundings
About Kilcoe Studios is an Arts and Crafts business based in Ballydehob,West Cork that celebrates our native plant life and cultural heritage. This collaboration with Skibbereen Arts festival aims to further our support of heritage crafts and working with nature. Skibbereen Arts Festival is committed to presenting the best local, national and international artists across all genres. Both venues benefit from being in popular tourists destinations at the height of the season.
Materials
Work need not be exclusively from local materials but it must be the primary medium of the work and process for example
– if you are working with natural dyeing the cloth need not be hand made
– if you make your own inks then the paper you use may be bought
– In essence the more local the materials the better as that which is sourced within Ireland is the priority
Materials may be of a Plant origin – Willow, wood, wild grasses, rushes, flowers etc …
Animal origin – Feathers, leather, wool etc
Mineral origin – clay, stone
We are only selecting work made with natural materials – recycled synthetic materials do not meet the criteria
Type of work and selection criteria
This is an example of the type of work we are looking for. It may be part of an on-going practice or more experimental work. The work may be functional craft based or of a more decorative/ fine art leaning.
Textile dyeing / Spinning / Weaving / Embroidery / Knitting / plant fibres from native sources { ie nettles }
Home made ink making
Wood work of all types
Local clay for ceramics
Weaving and basketry using any cultivated or wild plant material
Straw craft
While we welcome work of an experimental nature, ideally work will be more craft focused with the emphasis on a finished piece. All work will be selected on the basis of relevance to the brief and standard of artistry.
All submissions must be accompanied by some information about the process which will be displayed along side the work – max 200 words
Size
All work must be of a moderate size as the exhibition space is modest in size. Please contact us directly if you have any queries.
Other
20% commission will be charged on any sales
The work need not be for sale
We also welcome you to let us know if you have 2 ranges of work for consideration – one that is more commercial and the other more experimental so both may possibly be included
Although not an essential requirement of the exhibition, if you live in the west cork area and would be willing to give time during the arts festival week to invigilating the exhibition please do let us know. Skibbereen Arts festival largely relies on community volunteering.
Proposals Deadline
We welcome expressions of interest prior to final submission.
Deadline for submissions 15th April
Submit via email to include the following:
-200 words max about yourself and your work.
-5 images of previous work (not more)
-Approx dimensions of the work proposed and the quantity you propose to send. Quantity selected will depend on the scale of the work, final decisions will be made by the curators.
-200 words max about the work proposed
-all information is to be emailed to events@kilcoestudios.com
Selection and dates
If your work is selected there is a fee to contribute towards costs of €20
You will be notified about your selection by April 29th
Work will need to be delivered by July 1st
Work can be posted or sent by courier at your cost to Kilcoe Studios, Kilcoe, Skibbereen, Co Cork P81YA22 .
Work will be returned by post / delivery – max 10 kg and cost of this will be covered by the exhibition fund.
You will be informed of exhibition opening dates once finalised closer to the time.
All queries about anything mentioned above to be sent to events@kilcoestudios.com or to 086 3823135
This exhibition has been supported by the Crafts Council External Exhibition Fund
Please circulate this information to anyone who has work that fits the brief or may have an interest in exhibiting.