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Tralee man Fionn Van der Noll contributed to the ‘Make Your Mark’ exhibition.
A NEW free art exhibition, ‘Make Your Mark’, a free art exhibition featuring works by local and national printmakers, is running at Siamsa Tíre until January 15.
The exhibition has just been launched in its gallery to showcase its new brand identity. This identity draws on Siamsa Tíre’s history, its connection with its local community, and its commitment to sustaining our shared cultural heritage for the generations to come.
Like many arts centres across the world, Siamsa Tíre closed its doors in March 2020. They decided that the time had come to reimagine how it represented itself to the world.
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They worked with graphic designers to test and tease out all sorts of ideas, before eventually agreeing on one central image – that of the well.
“During lockdown, we returned to our metaphorical well to rejuvenate and draw inspiration, solace, and sustenance for the soul,” says Siamsa Tíre’s Artistic Director Jonathan Kelliher. “This metaphor of the well, from which we all draw, became the focal point of our conversations.”
Designer Louise Kiernan created a linocut depicting a well, the printed version of which is Siamsa Tíre’s new icon.
The design process involved so much creative effort that by the end of it, Siamsa Tíre’s Executive Director Róisín McGarr could see that it would make for an intriguing art exhibition.
“By the end of the process, when we looked back at the designers’ work, we realised we had the makings of a fascinating exhibition that focussed on the progression of the ideas as well as on traditional artisan printmaking techniques,” she says.
Siamsa Tíre decided to broaden the exhibition even further by asking professional artists to respond to the theme of the elements in creating print artworks of their own.
Artists such as Tralee-based Sally Ryle, Dingle native Deirdre McKenna, and Tralee man Fionn Van der Noll are among 13 printmakers to have done this.
Their work is now on display alongside the hand-crafted artwork that forms the basis of Siamsa Tíre’s new brand identity.
This exhibition will be free to the public and open from 10am to 4pm every Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, and Saturday until January 15th, excluding December 25th to 28th and January 01st. If you want to get a taste of the exhibition online, enjoy the virtual exhibition on www.siamsatire.com over the Christmas holidays.
