Chairman Re-elected Miss Blanaid Reddin, Bord Failte, was re-elected Chairman at a meeting of the Management Committee of the Crafts Council of Ireland, held immediately after the Annual General Meeting. The elections to the Management Committee resulted in two new members joining the Management Committee: Mrs Helena Brennan of the Craft Potters Society of Ireland; and Mr Michael Jackson of Hands Cooperative. NEWSLETTER MAY/JUNE 1981 LTD.
NEWSLETTER MAY/JUNE 1981 RAFI H LTD. Published by the Crafts Council of Ireland, Thomas Prior House, Merrion Road, Dublin 4. Telephone 680764 Annual General Meeting The Annual General Meeting of the Crafts Council of Ireland was held at Thomas Prior House, Dublin 4, on 14 May. Representatives of thirty organisations affiliated to the Council were present to hear the Chairman's statement and to consider the Annual Report and the audited Accounts. New members welcomed by the Chairman, Miss Blanaid Reddin, were Michael Jackson of Hands Cooperative; Muriel Beckett of Marlay Craft Cooperative; Open College, Belfast; Kildare Craftworkers Guild; Katriona Brennan of North Dublin Craftworkers Association; Waterford Crafts Limited; and Comeragh Crafts Cooperative. Reports from the various member organisations were heard with interest and it was evident that a new and more positive attitude was being taken towards the Council's work, particularly among professional craftsmen. The work on the Management Committee of both Mrs Patsy Duignan of Slieve Bawn Cooperative Handcraft Markets, and Mr Tom Sheedy of Bunratty Castle and Folk Park, was praised by the Chairman. Neither were, for reasons of the pressure of work in their own organisations, going forward for re- election. The elections to the Management Committee resulted in two new members joining the Management Committee: Mrs Helena Brennan of the Craft Potters Society of Ireland; and Mr Michael Jackson of Hands Cooperative. Chairman Re-elected Miss Blanaid Reddin, Bord Failte, was re-elected Chairman at a meeting of the Management Committee of the Crafts Council of Ireland, held immediately after the Annual General Meeting. Honorary officers elected were: Vice-Chairman, Mr Gerald Tyler, Kilkenny Design Workshops; Honorary Secretary, Miss Betty Searson, Royal Dublin Society; and Honorary Treasurer, Miss Mary Coleman, Country Markets. Top, the re-elected Chairman of the Crafts Council of Ireland, Miss Blanaid Reddin; and above the two new members of the Management Committee: left, Mr Michael Jackson, and right, Mrs Helena Brennan.
Transcript
NEWSLETTER MAY/JUNE 1981
RAFIH
LTD.
Published by the Crafts Council of Ireland, Thomas Prior House, Merrion Road, Dublin 4. Telephone 680764
Annual General MeetingThe Annual General Meeting of the CraftsCouncil of Ireland was held at ThomasPrior House, Dublin 4, on 14 May.
Representatives of thirty organisationsaffiliated to the Council were present tohear the Chairman's statement and toconsider the Annual Report and theaudited Accounts.
New members welcomed by theChairman, Miss Blanaid Reddin, wereMichael Jackson of Hands Cooperative;Muriel Beckett of Marlay CraftCooperative; Open College, Belfast;Kildare Craftworkers Guild; KatrionaBrennan of North Dublin CraftworkersAssociation; Waterford Crafts Limited;and Comeragh Crafts Cooperative.
Reports from the various memberorganisations were heard with interestand it was evident that a new and morepositive attitude was being taken towardsthe Council's work, particularly amongprofessional craftsmen.
The work on the Management Committeeof both Mrs Patsy Duignan of SlieveBawn Cooperative Handcraft Markets,and Mr Tom Sheedy of Bunratty Castleand Folk Park, was praised by theChairman. Neither were, for reasons ofthe pressure of work in their ownorganisations, going forward for re-election.
The elections to the ManagementCommittee resulted in two new membersjoining the Management Committee:Mrs Helena Brennan of the Craft PottersSociety of Ireland; and Mr MichaelJackson of Hands Cooperative.
Chairman Re-electedMiss Blanaid Reddin, Bord Failte, wasre-elected Chairman at a meeting of theManagement Committee of the CraftsCouncil of Ireland, held immediatelyafter the Annual General Meeting.
Honorary officers elected were:Vice-Chairman, Mr Gerald Tyler,Kilkenny Design Workshops; HonorarySecretary, Miss Betty Searson, RoyalDublin Society; and Honorary Treasurer,Miss Mary Coleman, Country Markets.
Top, the re-elected Chairman of theCrafts Council of Ireland, Miss BlanaidReddin; and above the two new members
of the Management Committee: left,Mr Michael Jackson, and right, MrsHelena Brennan.
CorkCraf tsmans Guild The Cork Craftsmans Guild invites applications from craftsmen and artists for selection for Associate Membership.
The selection committee meets in Cork every month to consider applications for Associate Membership.
To facilitate craft workers in the Dublin area, however, we are holding a selection committee meeting at the Crafts Council of Ireland offices- Thomas Prior House, Merrion Road, Ballsbridge, Dublin 4—on Tuesday 16 June 1981 To become an Associate Member of the Guild, and able to sell your work through its outlets, your work must fulfil the standards required in all of the following categories:
1 Design and Originality 2 Craftsmanship 3 Presentation and production
capabilities (Originality is not necessary in traditional crafts).
Your application, including representative work, should be delivered to the Crafts Council of Ireland offices, no later than Monday 15 June and collected from Wednesday 17 June onwards.
Applicants will be notified by post.
Further information may be obtained from 021-26053.
DUBLIN SHOP OPENING MID- JULY In July of I98I, the Cork Craftsmans Guild will open a Dublin shop at the Powerscourt House Development in South William Street. This extension of the Guild's activity to the capital comes seven years after commencing a retail business in a ramshackled premises on a Cork back street. The intervening years have seen the Guild grow from this back street shop, originally representing a few dozen craftsmen, to the present shop in the Savoy Arcade off Patrick Street-Cork's main thoroughfare—and now representing some two hundred and fifty craftworkers.
A common misconception concerning the Guild is the belief that, because of its name, it only represents the craftworkers of Cork. Nothing could be further from the case. Having drawn its original support from the needs of the craftworkers of the South West to find a satisfactory outlet for their work, it now has members from all over the country representing a great diversity of crafts.
It is this diversity and the fact that the Guild shop is not a seasonal enterprise that distinguishes the Guild from the average privately-owned craftshop, primarily interested only in the tourist trade. As the Guild is a co-operative, geared towards marketing of its members' work and not purely for profit, the fact that some have a large volume of production and others very little can all be accommodated into its scope. From ceramic studios, employing apprentices, to a single basket maker working alone, the Guild is there to provide a link between the maker and the public. The number of crafts represented runs to a list of almost all that is now being made in the country and takes in both those traditional crafts which have not died out in the countryside, and those more art-school based, many of which represent something relatively new in the Irish market.
The day-to-day business of the Cork Craftsmans Guild is run by the shop manager who is in constant contact with the craftworkers, relaying orders and ensuring that stock is maintained. The manager works also in conjunction with a management committee elected from the full members, with the usual officers of Chairman, Secretary and Treasurer. These full members, whose task it is to make major decisions, are comprised of some of the founder members as well as those who subsequently became involved in the Guild. The distinction between full and associate members is that many of the latter are small or semi-professional producers, and would be unable or unwilling to devote time to running the shop. As the associates are not shareholders, they are not required to provide personnel for the management of the Guild.
Many of the new full members have come from the ranks of the associates and, although this entitles them to become shareholders, the Guild has not ever paid a dividend, the small annual profit being used to improve the shop or to give grants to members for seminars, etc. For example, the organisers of the Potters' weekend in Bandon in I980 received a grant from the Guild's funds, to cover their organising expenses.
What are the reasons behind the desires of the Guild members to open a Dublin shop? Twofold, really: despite a fairly stringent selection committee which vets
around a dozen applications per month for membership and to whom only the highest standards are acceptable, the membership continues to grow, bringing in new crafts as well as more practitioners of those already represented. This creates a situation in which it is not possible to do justice in terms of.the desire to put more display space at their disposal. The solution is the opening of another shop and for such an outlet, Dublin is the obvious location.
The other reason for opening in Dublin is a desire to add to the already wide range of crafts in the Guild those not yet represented and to provide the craftworkers of the Dublin area with the same facility as has proved so successful in the South. The Guild hopes that any craftsmen looking for a new outlet for their work will become involved in this new project. The health of a such a cooperative depends entirely on the professionalism and idealism of its members and on being open to new crafts and change in whatever way it may benefit the craftworker.
The Powerscourt House development, uniting as it does the traditional of 18th century craftsmanship at its high point of development with the living craftsmen of today, should provide Dublin with an exciting new forum for those interested in seeing what Irish craftsmen, past and present, can produce.
Brian Lawlor
Christmas Fair Organised by Siobhan Cuffe and others, a Christmas Art and Design Fair will be held in the Mansion House Dublin from 17 to 20 December. The purpose stated is to expose to the general public a number of individual studies of original talent producing work suitable for the Christmas seasonal market, and also to encourage inventiveness in those taking part. Participating, as well as craftsmen and artists, will be art galleries and collections both from this country and from abroad.
"Slavish Copying"-A ReplyNotes on reading the report of the CraftsCouncil of Ireland's Annual Conferencein the January/February Newsletter 1981How very stimulating to read the state-ments and criticisms, particularly aboutthe "slavish copying of letters, motifsand bits" (?) from the Book of Kells, theArdagh Chalice and so forth. This hasbeen a long-standing criticism and Iwould like to reply, not only formyself but for other artists whose workfrom that source has thrilled me and themany people who have bought it.
Taking from nature surely is what artistsand craftsmen have done right downthrough the ages. All art is copied fromone source or another. Creation isalready with us, the artist merely exploitsit—experiences beauty, joy, depth offeeling etc— in other words, theexperience, through their own particularfield of work. How this is done mustremain with the individual, otherwise nogreat artists, craftsmen or designers willemerge.
How often we hear: "Ireland mustpreserve its heritage." What is heritage?The dictionary says, "that which isinherited; conditions of one's birth;anything transmitted from ancestors."All Ireland's treasures are embraced inthese words. Does it only apply tomuseums? The artists and craftsmen oftoday are of that heritage and it is theirprerogative to keep it alive by takingfrom it and utilising it for the enjoymentof mankind. That is what arts and craftsare about. Where else can one seekguidance? Hence the preservation, surely.How else can one learn? What is new?
This brings me to the question: whyproduce facsimiles? Museums all over theworld sell them to the general public.Not only books and prints, but artefactsrepresentative of ancient cultures. Why becritical of those artists who try to bringsome excitement from the Book of Kellsto the general public? It is there to becopied from, and loved, and enjoyed byeveryone, and it is very necessary from acultural aspect. Without this there can beno natural growth of design. It will takemany, many years; what is a mere twentyin the scheme of things? The flowers takelonger than the weeds to grow.
We must work harder at the "slavishcopying" for in so doing one learns somuch more than in the casual glance—todo it with one's own hands is veryimportant.
Teachers should be glad to get theirstudents on Celtic designs from the Bookof Kells, for only then will they realisewhat a great task is before them to learnfrom this wondrous work by those greatmonastic artists and craftsmen. "Slavish"is perhaps right, for I often think thatsome of the work was done as penance!Let us be enslaved. The greater the artist,the more enslaved he or she is. Only thencan one produce a forward trend in thecultural aptitude of the future artists andcraftsmen of Ireland. We must gather thebest from the past for without it theroad is not clear. Technically andemotionally, it is never easy.Amelia BayntunBallydehob, Co Cork
Artist Craftsman in LetteringBeverley Courtney has recently come tolive and work in Dublin. She specialisesin lettering on stone and wood: housenames, inscriptions, signboards, evenhead stones.
Taught by Dorothy Mahoney, a pupil ofcalligrapher, Edward Johnston, who alsotaught Eric Gill, Beverley was selected in1980 for the UK Crafts Council's "NewCraftsman" scheme, and slides of herwork are in their library collection.
Commissions have included a sign boardfor the Beer Gardens Museum inSouthwark in London; a carved woodensign for the parish of East Knoyle inWiltshire; headstones; a restaurant sign,carved and gold-leafed; and carved housenames in wood and stone. Her work hasbeen included in a number of Londonexhibitions.
CARVINGS BYBEVERLEYCOURTNEY
Above, Knoyle House Ground(Wiltshire, England): commemorativeplaque in Nabresina (carboniferouslimestone), V-cut incised and tinted,approximately 24" x 15".
Left, Queen's Crest Centre: oak,relief cut, approximately 30" x 12".
Kinsale ExhibitionAn edited version of the Crafts Council'stravelling exhibition was mounted at therequest of Kinsale Tourism to coincidewith the Kinsale Wine Week. Thepromoters of the week had hoped to havethe exhibition last year but could notbecause of a clash of bookings. Acton'sHotel was the venue.
Craftsmen represented included pottersGeoffrey Healy and Vivienne Foley; hotglass craftsmen Keith Leadbetter andPaschal Fitzpatrick, a newcomer to theglass scene; Inga Reed, jeweller; AliceRoden, weaver; and batik artists MattO'Connell and Bernadette Madden.Janet Lane, who handpaints on silkscarves; master wood craftsman MartynOrram; enameller Jan Zanoni, basketmaker Joe Hogan and rushworker MaryLandy were others whose work wasdisplayed. Work by Kinsale Arans, AvocaHandweavers and Irish Dresden birdsdesigned by Danny Osborne completedthe exhibition which was indicative ofthe best of Irish commercial handcraftand readily assimilable by the public.
Attendance at the exhibition during theweek was excellent and many enquirieswere made about retail outlets where theproducts on display could be purchased.
CPSI Second ExhibitionP J Carrol Is headquarters was the venueagain for the 1981 Craft Potters Societyof I reland exhibition. The space lendsitself to exhibitions of this sort and themounting was well designed and simple,giving every exhibitor equal importance.The catalogue was excellent.
The exhibition itself was successful,judging by the number of red dots, andwhile sales are no doubt not the maincriteria, the fact that sales are madeshows a public appreciation which isgrowing.
Not all members of the Society wereshowing; not all potters in Ireland wereshowing; the mixture was one of full-timeprofessionals and part-timers. Theprofessionals had obviously the surertouch. There were, however, few purelyexhibition pieces in the gallery sense, andnothing dramatic.
Perhaps drama should not have beenexpected. The exhibition showed the
strength of pottery as a craft in Irelandwhich is now a strength in depth, andreveals a professionalism which must be avery secure base for the future of thecraft and for the well-being of thoseinvolved and for newcomers hoping tosurvive.
Such a yearly review of studio pottery isvaluable indeed and, while in a twelve-month period there may not be adiscernible improvement in standards,led of course by the full-timeprofessionals in whose interest,obviously, such an improvement isessential.
As with all exhibitions, the tendency isfor it to be patronised by the converted,and the fact that Carrolls headquarters isnot in the city centre does not draw thebroad mass of those who need conversionand who need to regard such anexhibition as a source not only ofinspiration but of fine gifts.
1981 CRAFT POTTERS SOCIETY OF IRELAND EXHIBITION
Featured at the second Craft Potters Society exhibition:
left, pot by Peter Brennan, Dun Laoghaire
centre, jug by Jane Forrester, Bandon
right, stoppered flagon by Paddy Weston, Lusk
far right, stoneware pot by Brian Keogh, Bray
Minister Opens Strokestown CentreThe Minister for Industry, Commerceand Tourism, Mr Desmond O'Malley,officially opened the Strokestown CraftCentre on Monday 27 April.
The Minister drew special attention tothe tradition of crafts which had been sofirmly established in Strokestown due tothe work of Slieve Bawn Co-operativeHandcraft Market, and the fact that thecommunity was one which was preparedto set up and make things happenthemselves.
The combination of artistic involvementand community cooperation had, theMinister stated, given the bricks andmortar of the craft cluster the breath oflife and he felt sure that those nowworking in the new workshops werefully aware of this fine tradition andwould build on this spirit.
The new Centre at Strokestown comprisesof seven units of which six are alreadyoccupied. The Centre was speciallydesigned for craft projects. The units faceinwards around a rectangular courtyard,the whole concept being visually veryeffective as well as functionally so.
The six craft workshops are:
Paul Doyle, LuthierMaker and restorer of Baroque andRenaissance stringed instruments forprofessional players, collectors andinstitutions where music and the historyof music are studied. Mr Doyle alsocarries out commissions from folk musicinstrumentalists.
Glebe Cerama LimitedJeremy and Pauline Tyndale-Biscoe areprincipals of this pottery which is thecraft cluster's only overseas project.Between them they bring a vastexperience in teaching, production anddesign, as well as the refinement and useof local clays.
Kilteel CoppercraftJohn Cassin is the principal of this firmwhich specialises in wall plaques, unitsand displays in copper. The products arewidely exported, especially to the UnitedStates, and have a distinctive designappeal which makes them suitable forhomes, hotels, entrance halls and publicplaces.
Paschal Fitzpatrick, Glass CraftsAccommodation in the cluster givesopportunity to the first young artistcraftsman in glass produced in Ireland.His education and training indicate a highmarket potential for products designed,blown and decorated by the one person.Later, trainees who have achieved higheducational standards in glass work willjoin the Paschal Fitzpatrick Workshop.
Strokestown CraftsA unit is reserved for Strokestown Craftswhich will be the production branch ofthe existing Slieve Bawn Co-operativeSociety. The Co-operative is noted forthe excellence of its work in the field ofrural crafts. The strength of the localcraft tradition and pioneering work ofSlieve Bawn were a decisive influence onthe IDA in the selection of Strokestownas the location for the first IDA purpose-built craft cluster.
Loughlea WoodcraftThe principal of this specialist wood-turning workshop is Martin Sweeney. Hewill execute woodtuming to his owndesign or to the design of others.Mr Sweeney produces decorative free-standing objects in a variety of nativeand foreign hard woods.
RDS National CraftsCompetition 1981
SPECIAL £1,000 AWARD FOR 1981COMPETITIONTo commemorate the 250th anniversaryof the foundation of the Royal DublinSociety in 1731, a special prize of £1,000will be awarded for work of outstandingmerit in the Society's 1981 CraftsCompetition.
The Competition, which is open to allcraftworkers and designers in Ireland,irrespective of age, consists of twentyclasses. The awards in each class are asfollows:
Further special awards are the CaliforniaGold Medal, the Crafts Council of IrelandMedal, together with Royal DublinSociety Certificates.
The Competition includes the followingclasses: Embroidery; Enamelling; StainedGlass; Lace; Ceramics; Rod and RushWork; Glass; Leatherwork; Metal work;Gold, Silver and Copper Work; FabricPrinting; Woodwork; Weaving; RugMaking; Batik; Basketry; Jewellery;Macrame; Pottery; Tapestry; Straw Work;Musical Instruments.
The closing date for receiving entriesis Friday 10 July 1981.
All prize-winning works and other itemsof a good standard will be exhibited atthe Royal Dublin Society's Arts andCrafts Stand in the Industries Hall duringthe forthcoming Dublin Horse Show(Tuesday 4 to Saturday 8 August 1981inclusive).
Details and entry forms available from:The Arts AdministratorRoyal Dublin SocietyBallsbridgeDublin 4Telephone 680645, ext. 312.
IRISH GUILD OF SPINNERS, DYERS AND WEAVERS At a meeting held on 12 May, the following honorary officers were elected: Joint Chairmen—Mary O'Rourke and Terry Dunne; Honorary Secretary-Valerie Cullen; Honorary Treasurer-Terry Reid; and Committee members, Muriel Beckett, Lillias Mitchell and Jenny Haughton who also acts as Arts Liaison Officer.
Lillias Mitchell's retirement from the National College of Art and Design and an active role in the whole fieid was felt by her to be the time when the younger generation of weavers, spinners and dyers should play their part in ensuring the continuation of the Guild, with its valuable connections in the UK and USA. In the event, the younger members were not slow to respond and Lillias Mitchell herself is undoubtedly pleased to see the work she has developed now in good hands for the future.
Lillias Mitchell's contribution to the craft of weaving and its associated skills goes back certainly to when she was asked to set up the Department of Spinning, Dyeing and Weaving in the National College of Art in the early fifties. Her dedication to the preservation of these traditional crafts and to the standards of good teaching has never waned, as so many of her students will bear witness. Her research into and knowledge of traditional spinning and dyeing has been translated in part into a readable and valuable guide, the book: Irish Spinning, Dyeing and Weaving and it is to be hoped that in her retirement from the NCAD she will set down, for the younger generations to come, a lot more of her own knowledge and so continue what she has so ably demonstrated in her teaching work.
NEWRY CRAFT WORKSHOPS Newry and Mourne Co-op opened their new unit on 18 May. This is the Newry craft workshop. It is owned by the cooperative and comprises three craft workshops, each run by a craftsman and employing in all fifteen young people. The workshops produce pottery, jewellery and leatherwork.
The venture is funded partly by the Northern Ireland Department of Manpower and partly by the European Social Fund.
KILWORTH The Kilworth Craft Training Workshops came into operation on 4 May when the first four participating young craftsmen (see March/April Newsletter) commenced work in their respective studio space. They are all living locally in the village and have been made very welcome by the Kilworth Community Council which owns the Old Market House building in which the Crafts Council has set up the Workshops. Already they have become part of the life of this small village which has quickly made them feel at home.
The Workshops will be formally opened at a suitable date.
Training Manager Miss Lynne Glasscoe formally took up the special contract position of Supervisor-Training Manager at the Kilworth Craft Training Workshops on 18 May. Living close by in Fermoy, Miss Glasscoe has a background in administration with strong overtones of marketing and promotion. She has operated her own public relations company and will be able to be of considerable help to the young craftsmen participating in the Workshops. Their task, in their nine month stay, will be to build up a track record of production and sales which will enable them to qualify more readily for workshop and equipment grant aid when they finish.
AnCO, which is cooperating with the Crafts Council in this unique venture, is providing training allowances and a number of formal training programmes in such subjects as overall finance, bookkeeping, and stock control.
The Crafts Council will be organising training programmes in specialist areas by visiting craftsmen.
MEATH CRAFTS SCHOOL COMPETITION Meath Craftworkers Association has organised a craft competition for school children, the first competition of its kind in the county. Members, to ensure a good entry, volunteered to visit all the schools in the county to make them aware of the competition and to ensure a wide entry. They see that only through participation and competition will the standard of crafts in the schools begin to improve.
GLEBE CERAMA LIMITED Cerama, the ceramics workshop run by Pauline and Jeremy Tyndale-Biscoe at the Strokestown Craft Centre, is planning a week's residential course in pottery during August/September, to give those with some experience an opportunity to concentrate on whatever aspect interests them most. Demonstrations will include throwing, various methods of hand building and decoration, as well as lips, handles and spouts. A raku firing is also planned.
A week's residential course for experienced potters is planned for September. The main subjects to be covered are kiln building, waste oil firing and raw glazing, as well as throwing square, rectangular, hexagonal, oval and large pots.
As numbers are to be limited to six, those interested should send now for details, enclosing stamped addressed envelope, to Pauline and Jeremy Tyndale-Biscoe The Craft Centre Strokestown, Co Roscommon.
IDA AND UDARAS AID CRAFTSMEN TO EUROPE Both IDA and Udaras na Gaeltachta have grant aided craftsmen to attend workshops being organised by the World Crafts Council's European Regional Board in Denmark, as part of the WCC European Conference. Craftsmen are attending these workshops under the grant schemes available for upgrading skills.
The IDA granted craftsmen are Brian Clarke, silversmith; and Niall Harper, Peter Wolstenholme, Helena and Peter Brennan, potters, all attending various workshops in their own disciplines. Marie and Dermot Toland, craftsmen from the Donegal Gaeltacht, are being grant aided by Udaras.
REPORTS Reports of the opening of Ballycasey Courtyard Workshops and the Galway Craftworkers Exhibition will be carried in the next issue of the Newsletter.
