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| Blueprint Gallery at Buzz's, June 2012 Textile work featured by Julie Ward |
Spring 2012: Plans for the year started early for Blueprint, with an invitation to meet with Eigse's new director, Hugo Jellett in February 2012. Much discussion took place about how Blueprint might approach Eigse 2012, who we were and who might be involved this year. Many ideas were mulled over, fueled by the proposal that a new venue might be on offer for Blueprint and some of the other groups regularly exhibiting at Eigse. It emerged that the former Buzz's Bar premises on Tullow Street, Carlow would be Blueprint's home for this year's festival. This opportunity was welcomed by all, mixed with some trepidation about the size of the venue and how we might tackle it!
Carlow Arts Office: Blueprint applied for support from the Carlow Arts Office http://www.carlow.ie/arts/Pages/arts-and-culture.aspx through the Arts Acts Grant Scheme 2012, and we were delighted when Arts Officer Sinead Dowling approved our project for funding. This support is of huge importance to groups such as ourselves.
Pop-Ups: While plans were still being made about the venue and the artworks to go in to it, Carlow Enterprise Board offered artists, crafters and others the opportunity to run their gallery or craft shop as a Pop-Up Project www.eigse.com/programme/the-tullow-street-popup-project. The decision to go ahead with this Pop-Up opportunity shaped the plans for Blueprint at Eigse 2012, and Brandon McLane took on the role of Manager of the Blueprint Gallery.
Eigse 2012: The Blueprint Gallery opened it's doors for 13 days in June 2012, with over 20 artists exhibiting in the Gallery, which took up the large ground floor of the venue. This Tullow St. location ensured a constant flow of visitors and exposed Blueprint to a greater audience than ever before. Artists included Blueprint regulars Stephen Mynhardt, Mairead Holohan, Rachel O'Hara and Adam Bohanna and previous exhibitors Saidhbhin Gibson and Sinead Quinn. Blueprint organisers Brandon McLane, Anthony Walsh and Mary Cullen showed some artwork and new exhibitors included Louise Concannon, Michelle Conway and Katie Watchcorn.
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| Blueprint Gallery is open, with work by Ian Mannion (left) and Louise Concannon |
Performances: One of the great things about the large venue was that Blueprint could get involved with other artists and performers, so during the week the venue hosted performances by the Spinning Boy and Sinead McCormack.
Video clip of performance by The Spinning Boy at Buzz's Gallery
The Romantic Collective: Upstairs at Buzz's Gallery housed an exhibition of images depicting lines from Yeat's poem 'September 1913'. 28 artists had contributed to this impressive collection, which proved to be popular with visitors of all ages.
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| September 1913 by the Romantic collective |
They also had a short film linked to this exhibition, which was shown at different times downstairs during the exhibition:
ArtHive artists joined the Blueprint Gallery experience, you can read more about Eigse 2012 at Blueprint on their blog at http://arthivegroup.blogspot.ie/2012_06_01_archive.html
