Artist in Residence

This term our 5^th year art students got the chance to work with practicing artist Kiera O’Toole as part of the BLAST Artist in Residence programme. During January Kiera visited the school to discuss and plan the project with the students. She showed the students her own work and the 5^th years were particularly taken with site-specific work – that is art work that was done at chosen sites, and using the environment as a canvas.  The artist and students discussed a few possible sites around Sligo and on a very stormy day they went on a reconnaissance visit to some of the possible sites for the project. Eventually the pier at Rosses Point was selected, and, on a very sunny morning in early March the students and Kiera set to work on the pier and it’s surroundings. Using environmentally-friendly materials – chalks, charcoals and chalk pastels – the students recorded and responded to the forms and colours in the environment, using the pier, slipway, steps and rocks as their canvas. The beauty of the work was that it was transitory and, by now, will be washed away by sea and weather. The students really enjoyed the work and found the experience very eye-opening, challenging the accepted notions of what Art is all about. Several of the students hope to apply for Art College next year and the experience of working in this very exciting way will stand to them in the making of their portfolios. Thanks to Kiera for her wonderful work with the students and to Angela Currid in Sligo Education Centre for organising the BLAST project in Sligo.