n e w s l e t t e rM A Y / J U N

Potter's ChoiceThe Gallery in PowerscourtTownhouse Centre hosted "ThePotter's Choice" from early Marchto late April. The exhibition wasbased on the private collections ofthirteen well-known Irish potters andfeatured the work of distinguishedinternational potters including LucyRie; Angus Suttie: Ewen Henderson(whose work is now regularlyauctioned through Christies) and thelate Japanese potter, Hamada,whose well- documented pots havebeen the source of inspiration topotters all over the world.

The inspiration for this exhibitioncame from a conversation betweenChristine Ross and Kilmacanoguepotter, Geoffrey Healy over a yearago when Geoffrey suggested thata look at the private collections ofpotters would give a fascinatinginsight into their own work ascontemporary Irish ceramists.

The exhibition, which was curatedby Peter Lamb proved very popularwith both press and public alike.

" while the exhibitiondoes not claim to be even remotelya survey of recent or contemporaryceramic work, it does cover a greatdeal of ground. There are austere,elegant pieces of the type you tendto associate with Scandinavia,intimate, sensitive domestic work,florid and ornamental items, whichalmost exude mannerism, and alsowell - made, sincere pieces of thetype which any collector would beglad to own" , said Brian Fallon, ina review of the Exhibition in the IrishTimes.

Horse and Rider by Barry O'Brien

Exploring The LatheThe Crafts Council of Ireland is hosting "Exploring the Lathe" at theCrafts Council Gallery, Powerscourt Townhouse from 1 lth May -24th June. Exploring The Lathe focuses on how a variety ofdesigners and craftsmakers have related the varied techniques oflathe turning to their creative thinking and activities. The exhibitionincludes furniture, various kitchen vessels, jewellery andaccessories, presentation trophies and, incredibly, a design for amountaineers match box container in turned brass!

Frances Davis - hand-bag in brass,black nylon and perspex.

I Crafts Council ExhibitionsFocus On Floors

Ann Sutton, English textile designer

and weaver; Tony Dickson,

managing director of V Soske

Joyce: architect Sam Stephenson,

and Peta Levi, design correspondent

for Cassa Vogue Milan were

amongst those who addressed the "

Focus on Floors " conference held in

Blackrock over the weekend of 25th

& 26th March. Organised by the

Crafts Council of Ireland, it brought

together weavers, interior designers,

architects and corporate

manufacturers. A Workshop on

different aspects of weaving and

rug making continued right through

the week.

"While floor covering is often the

last interior design feature to be

chosen for a room, it is a crucial

element in the human interaction

with the space, the sense of balance

and the general aesthestic of the

room," said Ann Sutton, who has

written a number of books on the

subject.

Tony Dickson of V'Soske Joyce told

the conference that modern design

will overtake traditional geometric

and floral patterns in Ireland in the

next ten years. He added that wall

hangings, which have been

neglected in the past, will undergo a

huge explosion of interest in years to

come. He predicted that people will

put a more daring design and

colour scheme on the wall than they

will on the floor.

Sam Stephenson complimented the

enormous design talent emerging in

Ireland in the past ten years and

said that standards of taste and

visual appreciation had also

improved.

Peta Levi spoke about the interest in

individually designed floors, "Lino

used to be plain and dull, but now

there is a wonderful variety of

designs. Carpet tiles have computer

injected dye and lino is being cut

with lazers, " she said. She added

that in England even the local

authorities were showing an

appreciation of interesting floor

coverings for public space.

DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

NATIONAL APPRENTICE COMPETITION

Cabinetmaking

iAMES SMITH

B OUVER GIBSON

5 GRAHAM BROWN

•WtKDOWNES

R.T.CGALWAY

R.T.C GAIWAY

D£S CAUIFIEID

JJM K&XY

Organic Surfaces:

The Crafts Council wishes to hold an

exhibition of work open to makers

in all areas of crafts from 6th July -

9th Sept. The exhibition will

concentrate on work where the main

focus of attention in the making has

been given to the surface of the

work.

By "organic surfaces" the Council

means:

1. surfaces that are built up so that

they take on an organic way of

growth, for example, the way in

which a fibre artist might

collage together different

elements to build up an

interesting surface;

2. surfaces that seek to reproduce

the organic patterns found in

nature through controlled use of

particular techniques;

3. surfaces that occur due to the

use of techniques that don't

produce predictable results but

depend on a master technique

to control what happens within

a range of possibilities, for

example, oxidisation.

If you are interested in taking part in

the exhibition, please notify the

Crafts Council Gallery as soon as

possible with an indication of the

type of work you intend to submit.

Your contact is Catherine Jordan at

(01)6797 368.

The Crafts Council are happy to be

associated with Connemara West at

anytime but especially now as two

Letterfrack students have won prizes

in the Cabinetmaking section of the

National Apprenticeship

Competition. Jim Smith (pictured)

came first and Oliver Gibson came

third. Congratulations to both.

The Crafts Council of Ireland

provided some funding for the

Letterfrack College in the past.

During a recent visit there Chairman

Cyril Forbes progressed talks with

Kieran O'Donoghue on a future joint

venture. Watch this space

I Crafts Council AnnouncementsEUROVISIONTROPHYThe Crafts Council is delighted to

announce that the trophy for this

year's Eurovision will be

commissioned by the Council.

The trophy will be executed by

silversmith Kevin O' Dwyer and

glass blower Jim Griffiths, both from

Dublin, assisted by Michael

McCrory at the University of Ulster.

Announcing RTE's decision, the

Chairman, Mr Cyril Forbes said that

he was confident such exposure for

excellent Irish craft work would

boost the Council's world wide

marketing effort.

"We are delighted to have this

opportunity to work with RTE in

putting the best of Irish craft before

the world. We are confident that

this kind of exposure on Eurovision

will be extremely beneficial to our

members and enable them to reach

a wider audience and help them sell

their work."

So don't forget to tune in to RTE on

the night of Eurovision to see the

Crafts Council commissioned trophy.

New ReferralService at shopWith regard to Special

Commissions, the Council Shop will

initiate a Referral Service as soon as

possible. This will be of particular

interest to furniture-makers, tapestry

weavers, one-off ceramic artists,

jewellers, or anyone who does a lot

of commission work. In order to run

this effectively, Hilary Morley needs

a comprehensive display of these

makers' portfolios. The Council will

house these in a special library and

show them to prospective clients.

Once a client has chosen a maker,

Hilary will phone that maker with

their details and follow-up at a later

date to see if an order has

materialised. A Council referral fee

of up to 10% will be negotiated.

Kevin O'Dwyer pictured in his studio.

The gallery would welcome input

from makers at any time and looks

forward to receiving portfolios. It

should be A4 size and contain a

good selection of photographs

showing a diversity of work. It is

important to remember that on

occasion portfolios will be the only

representation of a craftspersons

work the Council may have.

CERAMICS WORKSHOPfor Professional makers will be

taking place in the near future. All

involved will be contacted directly

from Kilkenny.

CONGRATULATIONSto Bernie Me Coy Knitwear who was

the South East Regional winner of

the "Young Business Woman

Award" sponsored by the Irish

Permanent Building Society and

organised by the Business and

Professional Womens' Club.

"Budget 1995 -Implications ForSmall CraftsIndustryEnterprises".Notes prepared by Craig Gardner

& Co. Chartered Accountants &

Registered Auditors on behalf of the

Crafts Council of Ireland. Please

See Insert

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World Christmas ExhibitionRome 1995Natale nel Mondo - National andother European Union countriesHandicraft Show to be held inRome. The price of the stands persquare metre is 220.000 lire. Forfurther information contact:- MylesTierney Tel. 01-6760835 Fax 01-6760712.

Conservation Workshops atDrimnagh Castle.One day, on site, covering stonemasonry, stone conservation,thatching and window repair. Forfurther information contact :-Conservation Workshops DrimnaghCastle Restoration Project, LongMile Road, Dublin 12 Tel. 01-4502530.

Hibernia:-Niall Fallon plans to open a secondstore in Atlanta Georgia in June.Atlanta will present a largemetropolitan market and asophisticated public accustomed tohigh quality crafts. It is hoped tobring over a great amount of galleryquality work. This should provide anexcellent location for Irish

Craftspeople to gain exposure to amajor USA market.

For further information contact :-Niall Fallon 363 - 12 AtlanticBoulevard, Atlantic Beach, Florida32233 Tel. (904)249-7321 Fax(904) 241-4789.

Summer Courses :

Arts Break week-endsat Annesbrook, Duleek, Co. Meathincluding landscape painting in oil,screen painting, woodcarvings,pottery and fabric screen printing.Contact Kate Sweetman,Annesbrook, Duleek, Co. Meath Tel.041-23293 Fax 041-23024.

Glencairn Pottery Tallow,Co. Waterford - Summer and ShortCourses. Mainly wheel based andincluding food & accommodation.Contact Marcus O' Mahony,Glencairn Pottery, Tallow, Co.Waterford Tel. 058-56694.

Violin Making Course(3rd - 14th July) and (17th - 28th July)under the guidance of William DPatterson. Contact John Roche, MeithealCharman Workshop, Foresters Hall,Church Lane, Wexford. Tel. 053-44105Fax 053-23765.

Jewellery Summer Courseswith Cormac Cuffe at Shandon Cottage,Monkstown Road, Co. Dublin. Trainingat all levels and in various aspects ofdesign. Contact 01-2846037.

Mayo Potters Associationinvites you to a Raymond Kinghan Rakuweekend in Foxford, Co. Mayo on theweekend of 27th, 28th May. All arewelcome. Bring along pots for firing. Forfurther information call (094) 56641between 10am - 6pm.

The ManagementCommittee 1995

Chair Mr. Cyril ForbesVice Chair Ms. Hilary PrattMr. Ed KevinMs. Suzanne MayMr. Michael McCroryMr. Rudolf HeltzelDr. David Shaw-SmithMs. Breda HaughMr. Knut KlimmekMr. David HargadenMr. Brendan FloodMr. Neil ReadMs. Kaethe Burt-O'DeaMs. Mary JacksonMs. Bernadette Madden

Crafts Council Staff

DublinChief ExecutiveCraft Development ConsultantAdministrative OfficerTelephonist/Receptionist

Exhibitions AssistantRetail ManagerShop Assistant (PT)

Christine RossSean O'Farrell

Margaret JonesSusan Byrne/

Michelle FrenchCatherine Jordan

Hilary MorleySally Dunne

The Crescent WorkshopTraining and Education OfficerSupervisor/Information OfficerAdministrative Assistant

Leslie ReedEmer Ferran

Nuala McGrath

Thomastown Pottery Skills CourseTrainer Gus Mabelson

Jewellery Design and ProductionSkills CourseTrainer Jane Huston

CAD/CAM Training for the IrishKnitwear IndustryCoordinator Julie Griffith

The Crafts Councilof Ireland

DublinPowerscourt Townhouse Centre

South William Street,

Dublin 2

Tel. 0 1 6 7 9 7368

Fax. 01 679 9197

KilkennyThe Crescent Workshop,

Castle Yard

Kilkenny

Tel. 056 61 804 or 62734Fax. 056 63754

All information is published in good faith but without research, so please check carefully before committing yourself to work or financial outlay

Please forward all information to Nuala McGrath. The copy date for the next issue is 9th June. The Print date is 16th June