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Midland Arts and Culture Magazine | WINTER 2010/2011Pictured are staff of Laois County Council, Arts Council,NCAD and CCOI at the unveiling of the plansSET TO OPEN DOORS IN MARCHTHE ARTHOUSE Stradbally is due to draw back the curtains in March followingfunding from Laois County Council and the Department of Tourism, Culture andSport. The refurbishment and development of the Arthouse Studio and Libraryhas cost €1.5 million. Grant aid of €440,000 was awarded through the AccessProgramme from the Department of Tourism, Culture and Sport. The balance of€1.06 million has been invested by Laois County Council.A grand unveiling of plans for the ArthouseStudios, Stradbaly took place in mid November inStradbally Hall where guests on the day includedrepresentatives from Laois County Council, TheArts Council, the National College of Art andDesign and the Crafts Council of Ireland.Guest speaker, Ms Pat Moylan, Chairpersonof the Arts Council described the plans as“ambitious and exciting”. She said: “Thepossibilities are endless. The arts are for us.It’s who we are. It’s our culture. Arthouse isanother jewel in Laois’s crown that will twinkle52 weeks of the year.”Professor Declan McGonagle, Director NCAD,stressed the importance of the Arthouse. “Thisis a serious, well conceived, strategic project…a very imaginative partnership. The economy isbroken in Ireland at the moment, not the culture.It’s the culture which will sustain us.”This development includes the refurbishment andextension of Stradbally Courthouse to provide astate of the art community library, artists’ studiosand living accommodation, an exhibition gallery, arehearsal space, a kiln, and a garden space with10“The creation of this newresidency programme is alsoimportant to ensure that artistsare able to remain in the regionas well as attracting outsideartists to come and participatein the vibrant cultural life of thesurrounding area.”a commissioned PerCent for Art wall mountedartwork.Spaces in the complex will be available for use bylocal community groups and the library, decoratedin attractive and appealing colours, has specialareas for children to read and familiarisethemselves with its treasures.Despite the refurbishment and modernisation,the Arthouse retains all its original features.The detached late-Georgian building, its doublepitched,hipped roof, limestone coping, plinths,sills, surrounds, pedimented door cases andsash windows are restored to their formercrafted elegance.Arts Officer Muireann Ní Chonaill explained:“The Arthouse studios represent an importantresource to add to the strong Arts Programmeand strategies already present in the county,under the direction of Laois County Council. Theinitiative will be of real value to the ongoing ArtsProgramme, the community and the visual artsand design sector in Ireland.“It will also represent an important pathway forartists from outside Ireland to make a valuablecontribution to widening and deepening publicexperiences and direct involvement in the arts.”Pictured is Chairwomanof the Arts Council, Pat Moylan
County Manager, Mr Peter Carey stated: “Laois isa county very proud of its history and Stradballyhas history in abundance. Stradbally (AntSráidbhaile: Town with One Street) is set in aspectacular location of natural beauty and is justover an hour from Dublin - a hub of activity as farback as 600AD when it was called Mon-au-Bealing, Colman Uí Laoise, Columcille’s disciple,established his monastery here.”He added that the luminaries of Peter BurrowsKelly, Canon John O’Hanlon, Cecil Day Lewis andKevin O’Higgins were all from Stradbally or itsenvirons.”Information on the Studio Award and Schemesand for the PerCent for Art Commission attachedto the development can be downloaded from thewebsite www.laois.ie“Arthouse is another jewel in Laois’ crownthat will twinkle 52 weeks of the year.”Working in partnership toensure successLAOIS County Council has forged a number ofkey partnerships to ensure the success of thisnew enterprise and that every support andassistance will be given to artists and craftspeoplethrough mentoring, programming andexhibition opportunities. These partnershipsinclude working with the National College of Artand Design where a bursary is available to agraduate from the NCAD to the value of€10,000. The Craftsperson Studio Scheme isbeing set up in association with the CraftsCouncil of Ireland where mentoring andbusiness support will be given to the successfulcandidate to grow his or her enterprise. Theremaining studios are available to professionalartists, local, national and international.A number of development agencies will alsoform an integral part of this project including,the County Enterprise Board and FÁS.Project welcomedin Laois and BeyondNEWS of the ambitious development has alsoproved a welcome resource for those outsidethe county. Noel Kelly of Visual Artists Ireland(VAI) enthused: “VAI welcomes the news of thenew studio programme as it is critical that asmany new residency programmes as possibleare established in areas such as Stradbally,and in the Midlands in particular, because ofthe central role that residents play as guidesand role models for the arts in local areas.“The creation of this new residency programmeis also important to ensure that artists areable to remain in the region as well asattracting outside artists to come andparticipate in the vibrant cultural life of thesurrounding area.”The new galleryThe outside of Stradbally Courthousewhere the new arthouse is set to openA proud tradition in StradballySTRADBALLY COURTHOUSE is home to theCosby family for more than 400 years and ishost to the annual Stradbally Steam Rallyand the Electric Picnic, which is widelyaccepted as the most innovative and popularmusic festival in the national cultural calendar.It is also home to McKeon Stone, thelimestone yard known to sculptors nationallyand internationally.A look at the gardens outside the new arthouse. 11
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