Ballina Salmon Festival is delighted that as part of this year’s festival programme, Ballina Arts Centre will present Perspectives 11: Ballina Open Exhibition 2017 at the Ballina Civic Offices Gallery Space. The Perspectives 11 Exhibition, will be a major showcase for visual art talent in the Ballina region, featuring the work of artists who were born or currently living in the greater Ballina area.
The open exhibition offers a platform to emerging, as well as established local artists, and work is accepted in all media – paint, print, photography, digital media, sculpture etc.
Said Director of B
allina Arts Centre, Sean Walsh: “Perspectives is a major part of Ballina Arts Centre’s commitment to local artists. It was the very first event we presented after moving the Centre to its current Barrett St. location – in what had been the Newman Institute building – in 2006. It has remained a very special event for us and I’m delighted that it is now going to be a part of Ballina Salmon Festival, which is, of course, another huge event for the Ballina community.”
The first Perspectives exhibition was opened in November 2006 and featured the work of over forty artists from, or living in, the Ballina region. The exhibition was an instant hit, and over the following years, with huge crowds attending the official opening nights, became a loved and anticipated fixture on the arts calendar for the area.
Sean explains the philosophy of the exhibition: “The idea of perspectives was to show the work of artists based locally. We wanted it to include established artists alongside those who were maybe just starting off or just ‘dabbled’ or saw art as a hobby or pastime.
What that meant was that you had a big variety – of styles, practices, techniques and that’s why it is called ‘Perspectives’. The show can be good for emerging artists – for their CV and it gives them maybe their first experience of being in an exhibition in a publicly-funded professional gallery.
For me, it was also a way of finding or drawing out artists in the area. And it worked well in that regard. Making art can be a solitary pursuit, and people can often be out there doing it, without others being aware of it. So, something like this exhibition can be a beacon to them, bringing them out into the daylight, and offering a chance to meet others in the same boat.”
The exhibition was presented an as end-of-year show at Ballina Arts Centre for ten years (from 2006 to 2015), and last year was the first time since inception that it did not happen. Moving to the spacious Ballina Civic Offices gallery space will now allow the exhibition to include large-scale work, as well as taking more pieces from artists (previously limited to three). Forming part of the Ballina Salmon Festival will also give the exhibition a new dimension, as well as giving the festival a strong visual art presence.
We in Ballina Salmon Festival are really delighted to be working with Ballina Arts Centre to include the Perspectives 11 Exhibition as part of the official 2017 Festival programme. Ballina Arts Centre lies at the very heart of our community, and nurtures the talent and creativity of our people all year round, as well as giving us opportunities to enjoy the very best of arts content from elsewhere in Ireland and abroad. The Perspectives exhibition is a wonderful opportunity for local artists to showcase their talent and work to a wider audience, and it is fantastic for us to have an event of this calibre to promote to visitors to Ballina as part of the Ballina Salmon Festival.
More info on the Perspectives 11 Exhibition:
Perspectives 11: Ballina Open Exhibition will run every day in the Ballina Civic Offices on Lower Pearse Street from 10am – 4:30pm during the Salmon Festival in July. Admission is free.
Applications are now invited by Ballina Arts Centre. Artists are required to submit applications to the Centre, comprising a number (6) of representative images of their work as well as an Artist’s Statement explaining the work. The closing date for applications is 4pm on Friday 23rd June.
Artists must be from, or living in, North Mayo and must be aged 18 or over in order to be eligible for consideration for the Perspectives 11 Exhibition..
For further information, please contact Ballina Arts Centre, Barrett St., Ballina, Co. Mayo. Tel: 096 73593, www.ballinaartscentre.com
