Artist Alice Maher to speak at Mayo museum for Culture Night 2024
ONE of Ireland’s most respected and influential contemporary artists, Alice Maher, is set to speak at the National Museum of Ireland in Turlough Park, Castlebar, to celebrate Culture 2024 on Friday, September 20.
Mayo-based artist and musician Breda Mayock will interview Alice for an ‘in conversation’ style evening from 7 to 9 p.m., titled 'Alice Maher - ART at the Museum'.
Culture Night is an annual all-island event organised by the Arts Council to celebrate Ireland’s diverse and appealing culture in its many forms. The National Museum of Ireland is a long-time participant in the initiative.
This year’s Culture Night event at Turlough Park explores Alice’s work, including the ‘Bee Dress’ which is going on temporary display at the museum for The Murmur of Bees exhibition.
‘Bee Dress’ is constructed from honeybees, wax, cotton and wire and reflects on themes associated with feminism, mythology and childhood.
“We are really excited to present this unique event for Culture Night 2024,” said Clodagh Doyle, Keeper at the National Museum of Ireland - Country Life. “We will be exploring Alice’s hugely influential artistic career and, of course, ‘Bee Dress’, which we feel so privileged to exhibit at Turlough Park.
“This is a rare opportunity to view ‘Bee Dress’ and hear from the artist about the materials, inspiration and processes involved in creating this beautiful artwork and others.”
‘Alice Maher – ART at the Museum’ is a free event for Culture Night 2024. Booking is required as places are limited. Please email BookingsCountryLife@museum.ie or telephone the bookings office on (094) 9031751.
One of Ireland’s leading artists, Alice Maher works within the realms of nature and culture, subversion and transformation, mythology and memory. Her work spans drawing, painting, sculpture, photography, installation, and moving image.
She represented Ireland at the Sao Paolo Biennial in 1994. In 2007, a large survey show of her work, Natural Artifice, was held at the Brighton and Hove Museums. Also, in that year, she completed a major drawing installation, The Night Garden, for the Royal Hibernian Academy in Dublin.
In 2012, the Irish Museum of Modern Art presented Becoming, a retrospective of the artist’s 30-year practice. She has made many collaborative works in theatre, dance, film and social activism.
Her works can be seen in the collections of the Neuberger Museum, the Hammond Museum, the Irish Museum of Modern Art, the Crawford Gallery Cork, the Fogg Museum, Museum of Fine Arts Boston, the British Museum, the Ulster Museum and the Georges Pompidou Centre Paris.
Breda Mayock is a visual artist and musician from Mayo. Her artistic practice is influenced by traditions in music and language, as well as connections across cultures and time.Collaboration with other artists and community groups serves as both inspiration and a source of insight for her work.
Throughout her career, Mayock's artistic expression has consistently centred on the theme of belonging and the universal desire for connection through shared experiences and languages. Mayock's work in music and visual art has delved deeply into the experiences of women from minority cultures residing in the west of Ireland.
Mayock is working on new music and a body of art work which will be shared in 2025.