An exciting exhibition and accompanying one-day symposium (live streamed) by the all-female collective 'Na Cailleacha' is one of the flagship events of our 2021 programme.
An exciting exhibition and accompanying one-day symposium (live streamed) by the all-female collective 'Na Cailleacha' is one of the flagship events of our 2021 programme.
Na Cailleacha (The Witches) are a collective of eight older women, all based in Ireland but coming from Holland, England and Switzerland, as well as Ireland – six artists, one musician and an art writer/curator – bent on exploring ways of working together, taking stock of collective experience over many years, attitudes to ageing and to the wider community, their bodies and how they relate to culture and heritage, and their experience of Covid-related isolation. This exhibition, the first ever showing of work from the collective, is the result of a month long residency they undertook together at the Ballinglen Arts Foundation last September.
Na Cailleacha is the Irish word meaning witches or hags. The collective set out to explore their experience of being creative women in a collective way. In that way, they are doing what women have always done – working, sharing and supporting, arguing and debating with each other, owning their space, and their visibility. They are made up of Therry Rudin an artist and film maker based in Co. Tipperary, Helen Comerford, a painter and educator based in Co. Kilkenny, Barbara Freeman, a painter and new media artist based in Belfast, Gerda Teljeur, an artist based in Co. Wicklow, Patricia Hurl a painter and performance artist based in Co. Tipperary, Maria Levinge a painter based in Co. Wexford, Carole Nelson a composer, pianist and saxophonist based in Co Carlow and curator, art writer and art historian, Catherine Marshall, based between Dublin and Kilkenny.
South Tipperary Arts Centre will also host an accompanying one day symposium. The symposium, The Age of Reason/Unreason will be live streamed from STAC on Saturday, May 29th and will include guest speaker, Rose Ann Kenny, Professor of Medical Gerontology at Trinity College. Na Cailleacha members will present a series of workshops around their practices. They hope to interrogate Gloria Steinem’s idea that women become more radical with age and to open their experiences to a wider cohort, to people who are interested in creativity, to its impact on health and to those who wonder where the feminist activists of the 1970s, 80s and 90s stand now, to the places of witches and wise women in contemporary society and to the way collectives help to forge friendships and to make art.
The Age of Reason/Unreason symposium will be live streamed via our website and YouTube channel – no booking required.
Na Cailleacha Symposium - Morning Session
Na Cailleacha Symposium - Afternoon Session
Booking for the exhibition is not essential however only 4 persons allowed in the gallery at any one time in line with Covid-19 guidelines. Groups of 4+ – booking recommended - info@southtippartscentre.ie
South Tipperary Arts Centre is kindly supported by the Arts Council of Ireland and Tipperary County Council.
