In Ireland, Arts Shine Bright Amongst the Blight
August 19, 2010 3 Comments
Current turmoil in terms of world economy has not been so kind to Ireland.
The country finds itself a bit worse off than most, with a 13% unemployment rate (3-times higher than it was two years ago). A walk through the urban cores of the two largest cities in the Republic of Ireland, Dublin and Cork, gives a glimpse into this reality. Entire sections of these cities which were once vibrant financial, technology, or commercial centers are now completely abandoned. Even the prime shopping districts are increasingly dotted with long-since-shuttered storefronts.
A Long-Abandoned Pub in Cork, Ireland (2010, P.Lydon)
One highly noticeable bright spot amongst the blight, however, is the tenacious arts community.
As difficult economic times continue to worsen in Ireland, something strange and unexpected is happening: dark, empty storefronts which used to feature cobwebs and piles of garbage now feature paintings, rock bands, dancers, and crowds of young Irish who flock to see it all.
This unlikely renaissance means that cities such as Dublin, Cork, Galway, and Limirick have each seen alternative exhibition, performance, and studio art spaces popping up all over their urban cores.
Most of these spaces cobble together some combination of personal resources, government funding, and/or community donations in order to have some type of reasonable budget for the basics. Real basics. Rent and utilities are at the top of a list which you can count on three fingers. The rest is often the result of a great deal of donated time and materials by members of each organization.
I’d like to highlight two particularly resourceful spaces I visited while in Dublin and Cork.
Basement Project Space – Cork, Ireland
It took several young artists months to transform a long forgotten commercial space into what is now called Basement Project Space (BPS), a street-front gallery with multiple artist studios. They run a complete schedule of monthly shows and, on the evening of my recent visit, were celebrating the opening of their first “Studio Members’ Showcase” with works from the founding members.
In the case of BPS, the down economy actually helped their cause. According to member Lorraine McDonnell, the number of empty, unused storefronts in Cork aided in securing a very reasonable lease, albeit with a promise to the building owner that they would completely renovate a space which was in very poor condition.
The result — a bright, clean space for both local and International artists to display works — is a result of many hours of volunteer work.
The space continues in this tradition and members recently celebrated their first year of operation in July 2010.
Basement Project Space Members Showcase, Cork, Ireland (2010, P.Lydon)
The front of the Basement Project Space in Cork, Ireland (2010, P.Lydon)
A visitor takes in works by Lorraine McDonnell at the Basement Project Space Members Showcase in Cork, Ireland (2010, P.Lydon)
Exchange Dublin, Collective Arts Center – Dublin, Ireland
The Exchange Collective Arts Center in Dublin is similar in organization to their smaller spiritual-sister in Cork. Their mantra: no corporate sponsorships, no paychecks for members, just a community-driven wide-open space for the arts. Although they have reportedly turned down possible corporate sponsorships, Exchange does receive partial funding from the Arts Council.
The space, a former upscale furniture retail showroom, is large. Large enough, in fact to house both a gallery and performance space, the latter of which serves as a self-service community cafe during the day.
In terms of management, well, there really isn’t any. It’s a collective, and decisions, at least at the beginning, were made by way of round-table group discussions.
These days, the collective has gotten so large that is splits responsibilities into several smaller groups, with names like “Exchange Reel” (film), and “Stitch and Bitch” (knitting).
The members say it’s gone smoothly since responsibility was decentralized, and takes ‘less effort’ for the individuals, which is important as they are 100% volunteer driven.
The gallery and performance spaces were in-between shows when I visited, but next week the collective features an exhibition by Spanish painter Maria de la Rosa Soriano, and a “Spontaneous” jazz performance featuring several prominent Irish Jazz musicians.
Exchange Dublin Statement to the City (2010, P.Lydon)
Exchange Dublin Gallery Space, Dublin, Ireland (2010, P.Lydon)
Exchange Dublin Performance and Event Space, Dublin, Ireland (2010, P.Lydon)
