This exhibition revisits the Women Artists Action Group (1987-1991) through their archive and examines the lasting legacy and impact of the group on Irish Art. WAAG was founded in April 1987 in Clonmel, so it is timely to bring this exhibition and this conversation back to where it all started.

Active until 1991, WAAG was a collaboration of women artists, art historians, and professionals working in the arts, which was established in response to the exclusion of women artists in Ireland. The main purpose of WAAG was to highlight the work of female artists, to redress the imbalance in the selection process of that time, and to organise exhibitions and publications.  Women Artist Action Group was a hugely successful organization throughout Ireland and became part of the International Association of Women in the Arts. (IAWA)

All the archival material in this exhibition is on loan from NIVAL (the National Irish Visual Arts Library) located at NCAD, Dublin and artist Pauline Cummins. NIVAL is a public research resource dedicated to the documentation of 20th and 21st century Irish visual art and design. NIVAL collects, stores, and makes accessible for research an unparalleled collection of documentation about Irish art in all media.

WAAG Symposium will take place on Saturday 10^th May at STAC Chapel. This 1 day symposium will focus on themes around the legacy of WAAG, the power of collective agency and the importance of archives. Panellists will include; Pauline Cummins, Siobhan Geoghegan, Ruth Hallinan, Catherine Marshall, Niamh Moriarty, Eve Olney and Louise Walsh, with more to be announced.

Tickets are free but BOOKING IS ESSENTIAL – (link here)

Supported by Arts Council of Ireland, Tipperary County Council and Bealtaine Tipperary.