The Greenway Artists: Green is not the only colour for Greenway Artists

Thursday, October 6, 2011

Green is not the only colour for Greenway Artists

The first official group exhibition by Mayo art collective The Greenway Artists opened on Thursday last, September 29, in the Mulranny Park Hotel, by Catherine Marshall, senior curator at the Irish Museum of Modern Art. Twenty eight visual artists are participating in the exhibition, and the contrasting styles and techniques showcase the exciting diversity of artwork being produced in the county.
The show includes work by artists John Rowland, Ger Sweeney’s, Tony Pilbro, Brigitte Groth Neumann, Pam Gray, Maureen O’Neill, John Brady and Jane Dunn. Photography is well represented too, with Michael McLaughlin, Michael Gannon and Conor McKeown showing some engaging pieces.
The Greenway Artists Initiative involves at present a total of 55 professional Mayo artists – and they are always looking for more. The project, the brainchild of Maureen O’Neill, has grown at a ferocious pace in the ten weeks since its birth.
The art exhibition in Mulranny Park Hotel is just the beginning for this dynamic and zealous group. In the coming months, they will be starting new ventures in Newport and Westport and running classes, talks, workshops and art and sculpture trails around the areas.

The Greenway Artists exhibition in the Mulranny Park Hotel will run until October 13. For more information on the Greenway Artists Initiative, contact Maureen O’Neill on 085 721 1863 or e-mail derrycooldrimmm@yahoo.ie .

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Welcome

Greenway Artists Initiative:

The Greenway Artists Initiative was established in July 2011. It is a way to honour those artists whose work has made an outstanding contribution to the arts in Co Mayo and to encourage andassist members in devoting their energies fully to their art.

The Greenway Artists Initiative involves artists and innovative people who are developing their own artistic skills as well as providing arts workshops or working on projects within a community context. It will include a dynamic management committee, an administration team, staff artists and the Greenway Arts Society.

The Greenway Artists Initiative is open to all visual artists in the countyand every artist involved in the initiative has a valid opinion and full input into the initiative and anyactivities which take place.

The starting point is the monthly exhibitions which take place in Mulranny Park Hotel on a monthlybasis with a different artist exhibiting each month but further into the project we would hope toinclude lectures and artist’s retreats in purpose built accommodation along the Greenway.

We envisage that it will greatly enhance Mayo’s rich cultural traditions and will be a centre for creative excellence in the applied arts, contributing significantly to the development of social, educational and economic opportunities in and the around county. The Greenway Artists Initiative will endeavour to give visitors to the area a chance to sample the many cultural aspects of the areawhich will complement all the recreational activities available.

Business Concept:

Becoming established as a professional working artist in Ireland is extremely challenging and the Greenway Artists Initiative will endeavour to provide an innovative solution to the costs associated with renting appropriate premises and of purchasing specialised equipment which is often prohibitive as an individual artist. This collective environment aims to provide a facility and support for emerging Artists and to promote and assist them in establishing themselves as a professional. We hope to provide a contemporary, innovative, vibrant and stable arts environment.

As more and more people come to terms with the shallowness of status and see all the things life has to offer, they’re going to adjust their priorities. I think we’ll see some or all of these resume their importance in daily life: family, recreation, traditions, “the best things in life are free,” spirituality and of course the arts.

We portray what’s important to us in our art; people will want the energy that original art brings them. We believe that — once the economic dust starts to settle — we’ll see a renewed interestin (and support of) the arts.

However, between now and then, The Greenway Artists Project is an ideal way to show people what is available to them on their own doorstep. It is an amalgamation of all the good things in life,leisure, art and outdoor activities.

For more information on The Green Way Artist Project please visit our Facebook page Greenway Artists Initiative. Thank you for visiting.

Mission Statement:

Create a cultural initiative for the county using The Great Western Greenway as a catalyst to encourage local, national and international art initiatives.

Aims:1. Develop a network of local professional artists.

2. Create opportunities and employment for local professional artists.

3. Develop local/national/international arts initiatives for the benefit of local communities in County Mayo.

4. Develop local/national/international arts initiatives to encourage cultural tourism for the county.

5. Develop skills and capacity of local artists through mentoring. Create educational opportunities for artists and the local community through developmental arts initiatives.

6. Develop links with local, national and international arts organizations to promote arts in County Mayo.

7. Develop links with local, national and international cultural, health, social agencies and organizations to promote the Greenway as a symbol of County identity.