‘EMERGE’ NEW MAKERS EXHIBITION

Launch Event 4th Aug, 6pm

An exhibition that celebrates the work of graduating makers and embracing them as part of the community of Irish craft and design.

Featuring selected works from graduating makers from Crawford College of Art & Design (Applied Arts), Coláiste Stiofáin Naofa (Furniture Design), St. John’s Central College (Jewellery Making), West Cork Campus Skibbereen subsidiary of the Cork College of Commerce, and Kinsale College. The work produced by these talented emerging designers marks the beginning of an exciting career in craft & design.

Curated by Ava Hayes.

DATE & TIME

5-28 August

Mon - Fri - 10:00 am - 4:00 pm

MTU Gallery at 46 Grand Parade
Cork, T12 VN56

Artists Details

Heidi Etsell / St. Johns College - Douglas Street FET

Artist bio: Making things has been my jam for as long as I can remember. I am a self-taught mixed-media artist,
occasional children’s book author/illustrator and now, since my two years at St. John’s College, I am also a budding jewelry designer/maker.

My garden of rusty flowers is a first step towards illustrating the latest children’s book I’ve written
called ‘Junkyard Jane’. Beautiful things can grow from what seems to be mere junk. I let this story spill over into my jewelry designs and this past year I set out to explore the theme ‘From City to Sea:
Street Combing and Beach Combing’ by combining precious metal and semi-precious stones with sea glass, sea pottery and rusty pieces of metal found on the streets and beaches of Cork.
In the garden I added some of my own intentional surface treatments (enamelled copper and patinated brass) to Mother Nature’s beautiful rusty patinas. I included steel wire in the fabrication of each piece
so that nature can carry on and the flowers will rust over time.
I’ve also started an oxidized silver series of jewelry. Nothing but texture and consciously blacken areas giving it depth and an antique, weathered look.

Oh! and I play with resin too. I just can’t help but combine everything I can find!

Ruta Ivanauskaite / CCAD Art Textiles Special Purpose Level 8

Artist bio: Ruta Ivanauskaite works with the Four- Shaft table loom exploring the Traditional Lithuanian weaving patterns and the connection with the patterns of the relationships in her mothers and fathers’ families. Through recognition of the patterns and giving intentional space and place to honour her ancestors, she hopes to bring closure and peace, and restore the beauty of her Family Weave.

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Baiba Sisene️
 

Artist Bio: With my work I'm trying to take you for a journey of Cork through my eyes. In a sense it’s my “Love letter to Cork”.

I use photo transfer on found, discarded wood. I think that they already have a story to tell, and by reusing salvaged materials, I add an extra layer of emotional value to these pieces and pass on the ever-changing story of the material.

Regina Fruitos/ CCAD Contemporary Applied Art
Artist bio: Regina Fruitos is an art ceramist from Barcelona, Spain and based in Cork, Ireland.
She graduated in Interior Architecture in Barcelona. She has recently studied art at Kinsale College, FETAC level 5, at Coláiste Stiofain Naofa, FETAC level 6 and she graduated with BA (Hons) Degree in Contemporary Applied Art in Ceramics from MTU Crawford College of Art and Design in Cork. Regina has also taken a Feng-Shui course at the Barcelona Superior
School of Architecture and a Permaculture course at Kinsale
College.

As a nature lover she likes to work with ceramics since she uses the four elements, earth, water, fire, and air.
She likes to touch the clay with her hands, get dirty with it and feel the transmission of the earth to her body, which she then tries to
transmit in her ceramic works.
She wants her pieces to be unique, simple, and natural, very slightly manipulated, just as our Pachamama, Mother Earth, shows us. They can be murals to hang on the walls as well as sculptural, functional,
or decorative. She works with different types of clay and uses electric, gas, or raku kilns at low and high temperatures, with oxidation and reduction techniques.

Bernie Hennessy/ CCAD Contemporary Applied Art

Artist bio: As a child I spent a lot of time observing nature, recreating what I saw with pencil and paint. When I started art college, I realised my true calling is towards 3-D work. Using porcelain paper clay and merino fleece, I found myself drawing from nature to create delicate shapes. This evolved into a series of sculptures that evoke an awareness of the fragile relationship between coral and its algae inhabitant; a relationship which can so easily be disturbed by global warming leading to coral bleaching. Combining both materials in my work enables me to enact the story of coral bleaching and in so doing, highlights the threat to this natural wonder. From the drawing board to the final piece, the journey has been exciting and I look forward to further creative sculptures.
 

Niamh Baker/ CCAD Contempoary Applied Art

Artist bio: I get a great feeling of peace from the Irish Sea and shore; my work is inspired by the power of water and how it engulfs the shoreline in sea foam and bubbles. My recent pieces are detailed with a combination of glazes and oxides that I have researched and experimented with. The aim of my work is to depict that crisp beachy feeling you get when standing at the seashore.

Chris Tuohy / Coláiste Stiofáin Naofa - Tramore Road FET

Artist bio: I am a designer/maker from West Cork. Stuck at home during 2020, I rediscovered a dormant passion for woodwork and for making. While creating primarily through wood, I am interested in exploring how techniques and ideas from other craft disciplines can inform my work and offer new approaches.

I created this sculptural piece while exploring the potential for forms and expression within a fan arrangement. Inspired in part by lace hand fans which were once made in Cork near Youghal, the piece aims to capture the sense of potential movement and flow within these objects. The identical rectangular elements of the fan in this piece are stitched together with rope, but there are no permanent connections between the pieces. The upward curve of the fan is defined by the tension between the fan elements as they each try to spring back to flat and the rope stitching them together which is wrapped around a jam cleat on the wall and another under the shelf. This construction allows the fan to be manipulated into different forms depending on the placement of the cleats and the tension set in the rope. I hope to continue exploring the possibilities offered by this construction method in future work.

Angela Wilson / Kinsale College - Kinsale FET

Artist bio: Born 1981, Belfast, Northern Ireland
My inspiration often comes from nature. I love wide spaces whether it be the fields outside my window in beautiful Kinsale, a hard won mountain top panorama or a dive in clear tropical water. The light and colour of such scenes bring me joy that I’d like to share. I aim to bring a little happiness and a reminder of a fantastic world into the lives and homes of others.
I often return to Batik. As a wax resist textile medium, colour is locked in as soon as wax is added. It’s a boost of energy adding lots of colour quickly, especially when working on larger pieces. I also work in felt, mixed media, cyanotype and for smaller pieces I enjoy etchings too. Learning the restrictions of various techniques and working with or around them for my desired outcome means I’m engaged and invested in each piece.

Holly Hunt / Kinsale College  

Artist Bio: Holly Hunt is an artist working in various mediums with a specific interest in environmental connection and the human body. She is currently attending the Kinsale College and has previously contributed to exhibitions in Johannesburg, Dublin and Kinsale.

Shelly O'Mahony/ St.Johns College - Douglas St FET

Artist Bio: 2022 Graduate of St.John's College, level 6 Fine Art

As many creative people, my love of art started in childhood. I grew up wild and free under the big, open skies and warm, colorful prairies of Kansas. Every day my beautiful mother would draw our attention to something that was creative and wondrous around us. It's this wonder that intrigues and inspires my work. I'm exploring all the various mediums and enjoying oils especially. Also, I have a real gra for raw materials such a old weathered wood and copper, which patina and age in their own unique way. I want to make things we want to touch and feel and reflect upon, full of color, and reminiscent of what makes humans happy.

Mary Duggan /  Coláiste Stiofáin Naofa - Tramore Road FET

Artist bio:  I am currently studying Arts and Crafts in Coláiste Stiofáin Naofa, College of Further Education in Cork City. My background is varied, ranging from horticulture to fitness and wellbeing. This is the first time I have ever done art and feel very privileged to have the opportunity to work in this area.
The thought of bringing a seed of an idea from my mind and developing it into a finished piece of art fills me with a mix of emotions, including excitement and fear. I find the process rewarding on so many levels especially since I never dreamed I would be involved in this field.

My interest in nature and this world we live in is what inspires me. The balance between restraint and growth, struggle and rebirth, the need to constantly learn, adapt and evolve to survive. We are all striving for the same thing, happiness, and inner peace but we sometimes get distracted and look in the wrong directions. If we listen well and are listened to we may understand that with communication (interaction) comes respect and harmony.

My personal experiences have brought me in this direction, and I am both interested and eager to see where I can go from here! My hope is that I can continue this path to further my knowledge and gain experience at 3rd Level Education. 

Maureen O'Sullivan

Artist bio: I grew up in London to Irish parents and spent many summers on farms in deep rural Cavan and Kerry in 1960’s and 1970’s Ireland . Farm animals and cows seemed like exotic creatures to a city child and I still think of them as wonderful sentient and gentle animals. After an international career in Human Resources I have returned to my love of making art with my main themes taken from nature and the countryside. I live in Bantry, am vegan and my preoccupying life interests are animal welfare and the environmental emergency.

Jordan Whelan / Coláiste Stiofáin Naofa - Tramore Road FET

Artist bio: I am a young and invested maker, inspired by a family of engineers, architects and carpenters. Having just finished my two years in furniture making CSN Cork I am eager to continue learning more about my craft. I try to create unique patterns and shapes that draw you in. I am particularly passionate about exploring different materials and using them in new ways to create something that enriches and expands the way we think about the environment around us.

Niamh Power / St. Johns College - Douglas St FET

Artist Bio: My name is Niamh Power, I'm 23 years old. I've just finished a 2 year cours in jewellery design and metalcraft in St. John's College. I have always loved art and design but making jewelry in particular has been always been something that I've been really interested in. Doing this course in St. John's has been amazing. Making and creating jewellery is my passion and I hope to keep doing it for as long as I can.

I mainly use a lot of silver, brass and copper but I am also trying to incorporate wood into my work. Using wood and silver is what I'm trying to craft at the moment. I would love to have my own business in the future. At the moment I'm just really enjoying trying new materials and I'm just really enjoying the creative process. 

Lauren Boland / St Johns College - Douglas St FET

Artist bio: I am nineteen years old and just finished a year of Art,Craft and Design in St Johns College Cork. I really liked the jewellery side as it’s very intricate and interesting. I love anything to do with nature and wildlife that’s where I get my inspiration from.
 

Showing in the microGALLERY

Paul Burke

About the Artist: Along with EMERGE 2022's 15 exhibiting makers we also have one very special maker in our midst.
Scrolling through cork beo (like all Corkonians do on the daily!), emerge curator Ava Hayes stumbled upon a particularly touching article about Cork woodcarver Paul Burke @irishhomecraft

Paul worked as a carpenter for 30 years but unfortunately, fell on tough times 6 years ago after he could no longer continue working when he began suffering from seizures.

Mr.Burke is now using his artistic skills to turn his life around and try to secure a home of his own once again. 

Ava has thus invited Paul to showcase his work in EMERGE 2022 in our MicroGallery window, in conjunction with the main show!!
Ava comments,

"Paul, like all of our makers is just so talented. He, like all of us at some stage in our lives, just needs a helping hand right now. A maker like Paul deserves his work to be seen and where else is better than in the heart of Cork City in the mtu gallery at 46 grand parade"