Midland Arts and Culture Magazine - Register.ie

Midland Arts and Culture Magazine | SUMMER 2012Miriam in front of the AthloneCastle (left of picture)Meet MiriamTHE NEW ART AND HERITAGEMANAGER, ATHLONEMiriam Mulrennan may well have the most illustrious arts news this year with the opening of Westmeath’s new art gallery anda renovated Castle in the old town of Athlone – but what is for sure is that she has her work cut out writes Angela Madden.Miriam has returned to her place of origin inTulsk, County Roscommon to take up thenew position of Art and Heritage Managerfor Athlone.Having lived in London, Dublin and the anRinn Gaeltacht she is excited about beingback - as she said “closer to home, family,friends and familiar places”.She is already well advanced in the task ofmanaging Athlone Castle (under renovation),Athlone’s new Art Gallery (underconstruction), Abbey Road Artists’ Studios(opened in September 2012) and The JohnMcCormack Experience (awaiting fundingapproval).For those who don’t know, Athlone Art andHeritage Ltd is a company of Athlone TownCouncil responsible for managing theaforementioned attractions and facilities.At present, Miriam is the only employee ofthe company and so as she says herself sheis an interesting hybrid of “chief bottlewasher and chief executive curiouslyintertwined”.The lively launch of Abbey Road Artists’Studios in September in 2012 featured inour last edition of Midlands Arts and Culturemagazine and the studios have sincebecome a hotbed of creative activities withresident artists, school groups, communitygroups and a programme of exhibitions andeducational activities putting it firmly on themidlands artscape.The scale and variety of these projects isundoubtedly an enormous challenge, butclearly Miriam has always been up to achallenge, having managed to combineextensive studies and a varied managementcareer over the past 20 years.She told Midlands Arts and CultureMagazine: “I studied advertising andmarketing way back in Rathmines College ofCommerce. Even then I was always awarethat I needed some touchstone with creativeendeavour – be that through TV, film, art ormusic. How we identify ourselves throughstory has always appealed to me, so I guessI have found myself somewhere in thatspace between the business of managingcreative sectors and the creatorsthemselves. It’s a space I feel verycomfortable occupying.”From 2000 to 2004 Miriam was theFinance and Operations manager of ScreenProducers of Ireland, the representativebody for film, television and animationproducers. “This sector had alwaysinterested me. I love TV and film as a viewer– or a consumer, if I can use that muchloathedword when talking about film and TVand it was a great opportunity to learn aboutadvocacy and crucially - about providing realand tangible support for a creative sectorand what that really entails.”In the late 90’s while in London Miriamworked for a global marketing company inLondon gaining some internationalexposure, managing heavyweight brandssuch as Ford Motor Company, GE Capital,Aston Martin and NBC.In 2004 Miriam took some time out. “I knewit was time for change in my work especiallywhen you work in a role where you areyourself advocating ‘change’ so moving onfrom Screen Producers Ireland was the rightthing to do. I knew I wanted to remain closeto a creative sector, if I can call it that, butmy next step was unclear.”Miriam went travelling for a year andexplained: “It was the ideal time to takesome time out; this was 2004 remember - itwas that crazy time in Ireland where it wasactually true that it was a ‘candidate’smarket’. So I took a leap of faith and decidedI could manage to take a year out, andreturn to the job market in 2005.”It worked out well and on her return Miriamtook up a position as Learning andDevelopment Director with Irish LanguageTV Production Company, Nemeton Televisionwhich is based in the an Rinn Gaeltacht.Nemeton produces a large variety oftelevision programmes. “It’s one of thebiggest production companies in thecountry,” Miriam explained, clearlyremembering her former role and employersfondly, “and employs around 30 people fulltime with up to another 50 part time andwhen crewing up for big gigs”. Miriamremained with the company, setting up andrunning an education arm as an add-on tothe core TV business, for some seven years.Miriam also carved out the time to completea Masters in Pedagogy in the last two years.“I was working so intimately with third levelcurriculum design and I was so interested inhow teaching and learning had evolvedsince I had last studied… I guess it wasinevitable that I took up some course ofstudy.”Cranes on the skyline of Athlone are visuallytelling the story of the much anticipatedcastle redevelopment. Athlone art galleryis a completely new departure for thebuilding which has had many formercarnations. It will be a purpose builtmodern facility, incorporating the oldbuilding, sympathetically restored, andcombining the new wing and a modern glasssection over a cosmopolitan boardwalk area.It is intended that it will cater primarily butnot exclusively for the visual arts, with anemphasis on meeting local audience needsin terms of art exhibitions and engagement.It will also target national/internationalprojects.“This is a really exciting project, and theperfect compliment to the neighbouringcastle development on the other side of thebridge. We are making great progress withprogramming the first series of exhibitions.Obviously - until the exact date of the buildcompletion is tied down, aspects ofexhibition logistics, timeframes are tricky tobed down – but it’s a really exciting time, forAthlone, for artists from the region and forthe wider catchment area.”The gallery is due to be open later this yearand Miriam said she is “looking forward togetting into the building, getting to know thespaces and how the planned exhibitions will‘sit’ in them in the coming months”.To assist in developing these attractionsMiriam describes a volunteer project she isdeveloping with Westmeath VolunteerCentre, which aims to have localambassadors involved with the day todayactivities of the various venues.“These ‘ambassadors’ might “one day be inthe town centre welcoming people toAthlone from the river boats, and the next bein the Artists’ Studios helping to organise acreativity workshop with students or leadingan International tour group around AthloneCastle,” said Miriam.The Tulsk native is adamant that Athlone’s“cultural renaissance” will place Athlonevery firmly on the map.For further information seewww.athloneartandheritage.ie M26Athlone Art Gallery projects.