The Shed: A Year Long Visual Arts Programme of Projects, Events and Exhibitions By Adapt Galway

The Shed:  A Year Long Visual Arts Programme of Projects, Events and Exhibitions
By Adapt Galway
The Shed, Middle Pier of the Galway Docks
March 2012 – March 2013

During the next 12 months Galway's visual arts organisations are teaming up to highlight local creativity in the middle of Galway's harbour with an ambitious programme of exhibitions and projects. 


Adapt Galway are delighted to introduce a new artistic space in Galway city: The Shed.  Facilitated by the generous support of the Galway Harbour Company, Galway City Arts Office and The Harbour Hotel, The Shed is a large 4,000 square foot warehouse space located on the middle pier of the Galway Docks. The space will be used for the duration of 2012 and into 2013 for a wide variety of projects and exhibitions, all instigated by local artists affiliated with Adapt Galway's organisations. Adapt hopes that by doing so, it will provide a unique platform for local artists to showcase their talents at a local and national level. Adapt also hopes to highlight the great potential of such vacant spaces around the city and how they could be used in the future.


The Forge beginning March 13th, will use The Shed as a work space which will be open to the public to view the work as it develops.  There will also be an official reception held on the 5th April at 7pm to launch the space.


Adapts philosophy behind this initiative is a belief that empty properties spoil town centres, destroy economic and social value, and waste valuable resources. By working collaboratively with local business, developers and local authorities we hope to create vibrant interim uses for these spaces led by local communities which will benefit existing businesses, as well as the wider town centre.  Adapt Galway is a coalition of local visual arts organisations. These groups are working together to create a united vision for the visual arts in Galway.


Adapt Galway is comprised of representatives from and supported by Engage Art Studios, 126 Artist-Run Gallery, The Space Between, Lorg Printmakers, Artspace, Niland Gallery, The Forge, Rosa Parks Gallery, Kitchen Table Collective, Expanded Draught, Angry Hammers, and welcomes the support of other interested organization involved with visual arts in Galway.


Adapt Galway has to date identified and supports the following key campaigns:

1. The use of appropriate vacant spaces in the city centre for creative purposes.

2. The development of a Centre for Contemporary Art in a prominent and accessible city centre location.  The facility, weather temporary or permanent, should be purpose built with the aim of creating a permanent Centre and prominent position of visual arts on an international scale.

3. The purposing of the Connaught Laundry as a working arts facility to house existing arts infrastructure and studios, a sculpture centre, residential studios, meeting rooms, offices, exhibition space and more. This can be achieved in a phased development and would facilitate the sharing of resources and information in the visual arts.

4. The creation of a festival of independent practice that for a month freely associates groups of artist-led projects.

For more information please email adaptgalway(at)gmail.com, The Shed blog at theshedgalway.blogspot.com or follow us on Facebook.


Programme of Events for 2012 – 2013


13th March - 20th April
The Forge – Open workspace


During this time, Forge artists plan to use The Shed space to create a series of experimental large-scale sculptural works. The space will be open to the public throughout for those who wish to see the work develop and the Shed Project will be officially launched with reception on Friday 6th April at 7pm.
www.theforgegalway.blogspot.com




21st April - 22nd May
ArtSpace Studios – Open workspace


Artspace artists will make use of the large space of The Shed to create ambitious new work for the duration of their stay while open to the public throughout.
www.artspacegalway.com


23rd May - 14th June
Kitchen Table Collective


This collective of local artists wishes to explore the use of this space and how it can be of benefit to all participants as a collective and as individuals.


15th July - 7th August
126, Artist run gallery in association with the Galway Arts Festival
www.126.ie


8th August - 25th August
Unrequited Hatred


Curated by emerging artists Darren Barrett and Tadhg Ó Cuirrín, Unrequited Hatred is a group exhibition of contemporary visual art, under a unifying theme, encompassing a wide variety of media and retaining an element of play and humour.
www.tadhgocuirrinvisualartist.blogspot.com

26th August - 16th September
The Space Between


A creative collaboration between Galway based arts and crafts practitioners.  Participants will confront the space between art, craft and design and through cross-disciplinary collaboration, create work on site in direct response to this debate. Participants include: Berni McCabe, David Bog, Jenny McKenna, Joanna McGlynn, Rachael Webb, Roisin Gregory, Owen Quinlan, Vivienne Martin and more.
thespacebetweengalway.blogspot.com


17th September - 7th October
Engage Art Studios


Members of Engage Art Studios will respond to the space of The Docks and The Shed itself in collaboration with a curator, to stage a diverse exhibition of work in a wide range of media. Made possible with the support of the Arts Council
www.engageartstudios.com


November 2012
Tulca: Season of Visual Art Festival
www.tulca.ie


March 2013
Expanded Draught


Expanded Draught are an artist collective founded in Galway city in 2006. They have worked internationally and for this project will create under a unifying theme, work that responds to the Shed itself and also the participants various distant geographical locations.
www.expandeddraught.com


April 2013
Lorg Printmakers


For the 2013 International Exchange Print exhibition, Lorg aims to include another four countries bringing the total to eight from around the world. The Shed will provide the perfect location for what we hope to become one of the largest and inclusive international print exhibitions hosted in Ireland.
www.lorgprintmakers.com


May 2013
Angry Hammers