Library Forum

A series of Public Art projects will be happening in Galway County during the late summer and Autumn, focusing on the Aughty region stretching from Gort to Woodford and Loughrea, commissioned by Galway County Council Arts Office.

Artists from the Ground Up Artists Collective(GUAC) Marie Connole, Emma Houlihan and Jim Ricks will be creating temporary art works that engage creatively with the communities of the area.

Marie Connole's Weed or Knotweed? is a series of drawings and paper sculpture installation based on the proliferating Japanese Knotweed plant. She will examine the knotweed as a metaphor for being 'transplanted' or a 'blow-in' to or from the region.

Emma Houlihan's Aughty Walk: Rural Futures is a community engaged project involving a slow and discursive public walk over 7 days with her camping gear, exploring the boundaries and identities of the Aughty region inviting all those she meets along the way (and via the internet) to join her. She will also invite guest speakers to give talks along the route.

Jim Ricks' Poulnabrone Bouncy Dolmen is an interactive bouncy inflatable soft-sculpture for children and adults to enjoy and play on touring four towns and villages of the Aughty region during August & September 2010.

A final exhibition in Woodford Library and Woodford Heritage Centre running from 2nd to the 17th December 2010 will showcase the work and a small publication will be produced for free distribution. The project is curated and managed by Aine Phillips, Head of Sculpture at the Burren College of Art.

The three artists are all ex students of the Burren College of Art, Ballyvaughan County Clare. Marie Connole and Emma Houlihan are from Clare and Jim Ricks is from California, now based in Galway city. All are members of the Ground Up Artists Collective and have been exhibiting contemporary visual art nationally and internationally since graduating in 2007.

Aughty Public Art Projects is also supported by Slogadh Eachtai, the steering group of communities in the Aughty region. For more information see http://www.aughty.org

For more information on the Ground Up Artists Collective see http://www.groundupartists.com
email us at groundupartists@gmail.com