Press release 18/5/2018
Drawing Day 2018 at the National Gallery of Ireland
On Saturday 19 May 2018 (10am-4pm), the National Gallery of Ireland celebrates National Drawing Day with activities for all ages. Events begin from 10am, and include art challenges; a virtual reality animation; an ASD-friendly children’s workshop; umbrella-making - plus sketching tours, drawing trails, pop-up talks and more. From 12-3pm on Drawing Day, visitors can see the exhibition Emil Nolde: Colour is Life free of charge. The critically acclaimed exhibition Drawing Dublin is on view in the Print Gallery, and Joe Caslin’s monumental newly-installed mural Finding Power is in the Courtyard. Admission is free and all materials are provided. Some events must be booked in advance, see www.nationalgallery.ie/drawing-day-2018
Commenting, Joanne Drum, Education: Adults, Families & Administration said: “Drawing Day is one of my favourite days of the year! Not only does it give us the opportunity to connect with our colleagues in other cultural institutions, but we also work with an amazing array of talented artists to make sure that there’s something for everyone on Drawing Day. There is so much energy in the gallery, and it’s wonderful to meet so many people - of all ages - who come to observe and to take part on the day.”
As part of a packed programme of events at the Gallery, students from the 2018 Transition Year work experience programme will run a ‘Time Trial Challenge’ and ‘Creative Wall’ activity. Families can join Sarah Edmondson and Katy Milligan and make their own personal umbrellas in a drawing activity that defies the Irish weather. Visitors can immerse themselves in the magic of Aurora, the first ever virtual reality animation produced in Ireland, by award winning Dublin based animation studio Pink Kong. Artists from GUM Collective will run drop-in sessions inspired by Emil Nolde: Colour is Life. Artists, designers and illustrators such as Nick Roche, Eve Parnell, Chris Judge, Sarah Ward and Jack Hickey will respond to the National Gallery collections and building. A tailored family session at 10am, The Sensory Session, will appeal to children with heightened sensory awareness and is ASD friendly – to book free tickets, see www.nationalgallery.ie/drawing-day-2018
National Drawing Day is supported by the Department of Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht.
Contact:
Emma Pearson, Press and Communications Office, National Gallery of Ireland.
Tel: +353 (0) 1 633 3519 / +353 (0)87 918 7941. Email: [email protected].
Notes to Editors:
Images available on request from [email protected].
About Drawing Day:
National Drawing Day is an annual celebration of drawing and creativity, with events and activities for all ages held in Galleries, Libraries and Cultural Centres across Ireland. It was first developed by the National Gallery of Ireland in 2004. National Drawing Day 2018 will be held on Saturday 19 May.
2018 Venues:
Casino, Marino / Castletown House / Crawford Art Gallery / Creative Spark / Cork Public Museum / The Dock / Dublin Castle / Dublin City Gallery the Hugh Lane / Dublin City Public Libraries / Farmleigh House / F.E. McWilliam Gallery and Studio / Fermanagh County Museum / Galway City Museum / Glebe House and Gallery / Hunt Museum / IMMA / Kerry County Museum / Knock Museum / The LAB / Limerick Museum / Lismore Castle Arts / Little Museum of Dublin / Monaghan County Museum / National Design & Craft Gallery / National Museum of Ireland – Archaeology / National Museum of Ireland, Decorative Arts and History / National Print Museum / The Naughton Gallery at Queens / Newry & Mourne Museum / Northern Ireland War Memorial / The Pearse Museum / Presentation Arts Centre / Rathfarnham Castle / RUA RED / St Audoen's Church / The Braid / The Butler Gallery / The Chester Beatty Library / The Highlanes Gallery / The Lewis Glucksman Gallery / Tin Jug Studio / Ulster American Folk Park / VISUAL / West Cork Arts Centre / Wexford Arts Centre
Full Programme of Drawing Day 2018 activities at the National Gallery of Ireland:
Drawing Live
11am-3pm (Drop-in; throughout the Gallery)
Artists, designers and illustrators respond to the collection and building in their own unique way: with Nick Roche, Eve Parnell, Chris Judge, Sarah Ward and Jack Hickey.
The Sensory Session
10am-10.45am (Free Ticketed Event, Room 20)
This tailored family session will appeal to children with heightened sensory awareness and is ASD friendly. Book free tickets: www.nationalgallery.ie/drawing-day-2018
Drawing for the Virtual World
12pm - 2pm (Drop-in; Lecture Theatre)
Meet award winning Dublin based animation studio Pink Kong and experience the magic of Aurora, the first ever virtual reality animation produced in Ireland.
Life Drawing
11am - 1pm (Drop-in; Room 44)
Artist Fintan Mahon will facilitate this life drawing session for teens and adults.
Illustrate Together
1pm-3pm (Drop-in; Room 22)
Illustrator Tarsila Krüse will facilitate this fun, inclusive family activity inspired by our new exhibition Drawing Dublin.
GUM Open Studio
11am-4pm (Drop-in; Millennium Wing Studio)
Join the artists from GUM Collective for drop-in sessions inspired by Emil Nolde: Colour is Life.
Teen Events
12.30pm-2.30pm (Drop-in; Rooms 1–5, and in the Maples and Calder Creative Space in the Atrium)
Students from the Gallery’s 2018 Transition Year work experience programme will run two special activities – ‘Time Trial Challenge’ in Rooms 1-5 and ‘Creative Wall’ in the Atrium.
Drawing Dublin FULLY BOOKED
11am-12.15pm (Print Gallery and Merrion Square)
Art historian Dr Katy Milligan and artist Sarah Edmondson will lead a tour of the Drawing Dublin exhibition followed by a sketching workshop in Merrion Square.
Sketch the Sky FULLY BOOKED
2pm - 3pm (Free Ticketed Event; Merrion Square)
Sarah Edmondson and Katy Milligan will show families how to make their own personal umbrellas in a drawing activity that defies the Irish weather! Book free tickets: www.nationalgallery.ie/drawing-day-2018
Emil Nolde: Colour is Life
Free entry to the exhibition from 12pm-3pm on Drawing Day.
PLUS: Sketching Tours | Drawing Trails | Pop-Up Talks | Drawing Challenges | Exhibition Tours and more!
About Joe Caslin Finding Power:
Joe Caslin is a Roscommon-born street artist, illustrator, art teacher and activist who is best known for engaging directly with the social issues of modern Ireland through his beautifully rendered drawings which manifest as towering murals. As part of the education programme supporting the major retrospective exhibition Frederic William Burton: For the Love of Art, curated by Dr Marie Bourke, Caslin was invited to participate in an exciting long term project. Finding Power, on display in the Gallery’s Courtyard from 18 May 2018 until the end of summer, is the result of this project, and the culmination of Caslin’s in-depth investigation of Burton's work and the role of the artist or public persona.