The Model

Comfort Zone

‘Comfort zone’ is a drawing installation by Michael Wann comprising one large-scale charcoal drawing on the gallery wall, and ten small pencil studies on board.

The themes of ‘comfort zone’ are the notions of memory and nostalgia. The inherent permanence and sometime transience of these are intrinsically questioned by the temporary large-scale drawing itself, knowing it and all its efforts will vanish in a matter of weeks with only memory to hold it. This is the main focus of the installation: the temporary nature of memory. Over time memory is distorted or erased; through erasure the desire for permanence surfaces in a simple picture.

The installation runs for the month of May 2013 at ‘room’ @The Model Sligo.

‘room’ @ The Model is a contemporary exhibition space designated to the resident studio artists, and is independently programmed and curated.

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Clea van der Grijn 'ambivalence'

Exhibiting in Dublin 23 May- 22 June

The Reception will take place on the 23th of May, 6-8pm in the Cross Gallery on Francis Street Dublin 8 and the exhibition itself will be opened by our very own Deputy Director Emer Mc Garry.

Dublin friends of The Model we highly recommend you go see this..

Clea van der Grijn is a highly regarded contemporary Irish artist. She has employed various medium including site specfic installions, film, large format photography, collaborative projects, drawing and paiting. For futher information, link on to www.cleavandergrijn.com Clea is represented by the Cross Gallery Dublin.Life Drawing classes with Model artist Clea Van Der Grijn

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Announcement

9th May 2013.

The current Director of The Model Sligo, Mr. Seamus Kealy will be leaving The Model on the 31st May 2013 as his contract comes to an end. The Board of The Model Sligo wishes to acknowledge the contribution of Mr. Kealy to The Model over the term of his tenure.

The vision and mission of The Model remain the same and The Model Board wishes to announce that the post of Director of The Model will be advertised in the coming months, in the meantime an Acting Director will be appointed.

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Live Music Rocks The Model

Foot-stomping, hair-flying, fist-pumping, high-octane, hard-rocking! It has been just over a month since Rackhouse Pilfer’s now legendary album launch of “Back to the Country” at The Model.

The free gig in the bluegrass Americana band’s hometown over Paddy’s weekend led to an electrifying atmosphere that was packed to the rafters with a crowd that traversed every age and ilk. Entering The Model, revelers were greeted by the spectacular sight of the band’s reliable talisman- a scarlet tractor entangled with colorful lanterns. The Model transformed into a little slice of Americana, a perfect tableau for a rollercoaster ride through some of the best sounds Sligo music has to offer.

Supporting the group on the night were the mellifluous tones of Sarah Crummy, an up and coming star on the Sligo music scene. Though the venue was packed the intensity and beauty of Crummy’s songs managed to evoke an intimate atmosphere and send shivers down the spines of the audience. Sligo rock veterans Those Nervous Animals followed delivering a powerful, funk-laden set which included all their big hits and
one of the highlights of the night: a duet with Sarah Crummy. This collaboration of musical styles and generations was a special moment for Sligo music and a great prelude to the night’s headliners.

Rackhouse Pilfer’s set started as it meant to go on- bursting with a blistering energy and brimming with confidence and the crowd lapped it up! The six-piece performed original, bluegrass folk, old-time country songs showing not only how accomplished they are as musicians but as performers too. Their energy is infectious and the crowd was like putty in their hands! Each member of the six-piece performed out of their skins! It was a night of Model legend! The album launch reinforced Rackhouse Pilfer’s reputation as one of the Northwest’s finest bands.

If this has wet your appetite for live music, Collette Sheerin will be launching her second album “Making Grace” this Friday the 10th May in the Model/ 8 PM (Admission €5). Though not a native of Sligo (originally from Croghan/ Offaly) – Collette has been immersed in the eclectic and inspiring Sligo music scene for some time now. Her sound is an amalgamation of a vast array of influences from “Sligo style flute and fiddle music, the harp tunings of the great Turlough O’Carolan […] The poetry of the great Patrick Kavanagh and American poet, Robert Frost. No Crows, Planxty, Kila, Declan O’Rourke, Neil Young, Dervish, Tom Waits, John Martyn, Prince, Gail, Lyric FM, Robert Burns, Bob Dylan, John Spillane, Mick Flannery, Tracey Chapman, Radiohead, Alison Krauss, Anna Houston, Leonard Cohen, da Paul McCloon show, Fleetwood Mac, Bruce Springsteen, Crowded House, Christy Moore, Tori Amos, Peter Tchaikovsky to name but a few….”

On the night Collette will be accompanied by Anna Houston, Steve Wickham, Seamie O’Dowd, Leslie Jones & Willie Kelly (Rackhouse Pilfer) Ray Coen, Hugh Feely and Eoin Troy and support will be played by Dean Gurrie. The night is shaping up to be a cracker- not to be missed!!!

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Clean Coasts Week -10th May to 17th May

Thanks to the hard work from An Taisce and the Clean Coasts Officer for the North West, as a series of beach clean ups will be happening along our coasts from 10th May to 17th May for Clean Coasts Clean-up week. For anyone who would like to get involved in this great initiative, there will be free screenings in The Model Cinema on 12th May at 6pm and this will be a chance to connect with a beach clean-up group in your area.

As part of this initiative, The Model Cinema is screening North of the Sun, a film about two Norwegian surfers, who make their way to an isolated island within the Arctic Circle to live for nine months; where they build a shack and surf the freezing waters, and although within this stark landscapes, there are pristine beaches, rubbish and waste products are still being washed in from the sea. The two surfers decide to clean the beaches during their stay.

Included in this screening will be three recent short films on surfing and bodyboarding. These films were recently screened at the ‘Shore Shots Irish Surf Film Festival’ in Dublin and included are James Skerrit’s short film on Sligo body boarder, Shane Meehan, titled A Man Named Shane. Peter Clyne’s film, North of Nowhere, starring local body boarder Seamus McGoldrick, with great footage of the night sky over Sligo bay and Marion Poizeau’s film about Easkey Britton’s journey to Iran, Surfing in Iran which shows Easkey as the first woman to surf in this country. Easkey and Marion are currently running a fundit campaign to raise monies to continue this journey and make this into a full length documentary.

Drinks will be served on the night and all that attend will be entered into a raffle.

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Free screenings from the IFI Irish Film Archive

During the month of May, there will be a series of free lunch-time screenings from the archival Collection of the Irish Film Institute and this is to celebrate Ireland’s Presidency of the EU (until June 2013). The IFI Archive presents a collection of short films exploring impressions of Ireland and Europe in film and this programme is titled, Euro-Paeans: Celebrating Ireland and Europe in Film and it includes a rare chance to see some of the first films made in Ireland from 1897 by the pioneering French company Les frères Lumière.

The footage from Les fréres Lumiére give a tantalising glimpse of nineteenth century Ireland and include scenes of Dublin’s O’Connell Street (then Sackville Street) and firemen’s manoeuvres in Grafton Street. These are some of the oldest films preserved in the IFI Irish Film Archive. Also screening is a selection from the Amharc Éireann newsreels, which include an exhibition of photographs from the ‘then’ newly constructed Berlin Wall in 1962; the first Aer Lingus Winter sunshine flight to Malaga in 1963; a Scandinavian Ceremony of Light; and an exchange programme for French and Irish school children.

Other highlights of the programme include The Saints Went Marching Out (1967) which celebrates the spread of Irish missionary activity in Europe and revisits Ireland, as a vibrant young country in Ireland’s Presidency of the E.E.C in 1979. Tribulations Irlandaises is a whirlwind tour of Ireland by a French film crew in 1965, which notes the people’s pious adherence to the Catholic Church under Eamon de Valera and Sean Lemass.
Finally the last shorts on the programme are two beautiful films set in small Irish schools, one from the Danish documentary-maker, Jon Bang Carlsen, which follows his son’s experience as a visitor in Ballyvaughan, Co. Clare in My Irish Diary from 1996 and Michael Ryan’s recent short film The Polish School.

Sunday, 12 May at 1.30pm
Free screenings from the IFI touring programme. Films of les frères Lumière (1897) Selection of Amharc Éireann newsreels (1960s)
Irland und seine Kinder (1961)
Tribulations Irlandaises (1965)
(Total running time – 57 minutes.)

Sunday, 19th May at 1.30pm
Free screenings from the IFI touring programme. The Saints Went Marching Out (1967). Ireland’s Presidency of the E.E.C (1979). My Irish Diary (1996). The Polish School (2012).
(Total running time – 77 minutes.)

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The Action School of Film: Summer Camp

In the first two weeks of July, the Action School of Film, will hold a Summer Camp at The Model. There will be a range of workshops and activities in the art of filmmaking and this Summer Camp is designed to help you learn about filmmaking in a fun way. There certainly will be plenty of opportunities to unleash your imagination.

With Action School of Film, you will get to produce short films and experience many elements of making movies, including: Scriptwriting, Directing, Acting, Cameras, Sound, Lighting, Set Design, Makeup, Wardrobe, Soundtrack Composition and much more.

Keep an eye on The Model’s website for booking details and also check the website of the Action School of Film for a look at award-winning films made by the students of the school.

Films made by students have travelled the world and been awarded prestigious honours both at home and abroad, including the ‘Golden Clip’ (1st place) at the Berlin International Youth Film Festival 2010; ‘Best Group Film’ at the Fresh Film Festival, 2010 and 2011; Second Place in the United Nations PERL film competition and inclusion in UN conferences on Sustainable Living (2011) and Official Selection for such international festivals as the Seoul International Youth Film Festival (2010 & 2011) and the Chicago International Children’s Film Festival (2011).

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Another Jack B Yeats works returns to Sligo

In late 2011 a generous Danish collector gifted The Niland Collection an early Jack B Yeats watercolour. Political, 1898 was painted after Jack witnessed the centenary celebrations of the 1798 Rebellion here in Sligo. I was dispatched to his home in Denmark to meet with him and take possession of the work. During my visit he told me about his mother and how she had passed her great love of Jack B Yeats on to him Amongst his small collection of Yeats works I spotted an untitled painting which I recognised as the earliest surviving oil by Jack B Yeats. Being a huge Yeats fan I was immediately intrigued with the skillful brush work of this tiny painting. My Danish friend took it off the wall and after some time almost had to prise the work from my hands reminding me with a smile that I wasn’t getting that one

Almost a year to the day later, our generous benefactor phoned again and told me that after having considered things he had decided that we were going to get that one too. Bowled over by his generosity I arrived on his doorstep once more to pick up the latest addition to The Niland Collection. Now sadly in ill health he spoke movingly of his family history and his love of Yeats. I could see that these paintings were a tangible link between he and his long deceased Irish mother and the joy that he gained from these works over his lifetime was immense. We are honoured that he chose to send them “home to Sligo”.

Untitled, 1897 is on view at The Model until June.

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'Grow Happy'- Screenings for Bealtaine

‘Grow Happy,’ couldn’t say it better myself. This is the theme for this year’s Bealtaine. The artist, John Butler Yeats, wrote that, ‘Happiness is neither virtue nor pleasure nor this thing or that, but simply growth. We are happy when we are growing.’ Bealtaine is a reminder to us that, no matter what our age, we always have the potential for growth. So in the spirit of this sentiment, The Model have programmed a full and fun programme of events from dance classes, artist’s talks, tours and film screenings. You can download the 2013 Bealtaine newspaper here

On the 1st May at 11am, we are opening the festival with a screening of, The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel, starring Judy Dench, Maggie Smith and Bill Nighy. This is the perfect film for Bealtaine and definitely fits in with its theme, ‘Grow Happy.’ A group of retired ladies and gentlemen travel to India to take up residence in what they believe is a newly restored hotel. Although when arrive, they find that the hotel is less luxurious than its advertisements! But the Marigold Hotel nevertheless slowly begins to work its charm on the new guests in unexpected ways. Coffees and teas will be provided before the screening, so come early.

On May 2nd at 1pm, there will be a screening of the newly released You Will Be My Son (Tu Seras Mon Fils). This is a gripping drama set in the glorious vineyards of St. Emillion, Bordeaux. Starring Niels Arestrup (A Prophet), who plays distinguished vintner, Paul de Marseul, reaching the end of his career and concerned about his successor. It’s a film of many pleasures, particularly the fine performances from its talented cast.

One of the absolute highlights of the festival will be the screening of four documentaries from the Irish made and filmed Hands series, which were made by the talented husband and wife team, David and Sally Shaw-Smith. This series of documentaries were made in the 1970s and 1980s and documents a way of life in Ireland, which even then, was disappearing. These amazing documentaries focus on the traditional crafts and lifestyles, where the emphasis was on the skills of human hands rather than on machines.

These will be free screenings and the two screenings from the series Hands on the 18th May at 5pm are: Hands 30 – Rushwork, which is based in Strokestown, Co. Roscommon and shows the the harvesting of rushes on Lough Ree, curing and making traditional rush baskets and other items. The other documentary screened on 18 May is Hands 36 – Of Bees & Bee Skeps and this was the winner of the Golden Harp for Ireland and is in now part of the Collection of the Museum of Modern Art in New York. This is an arresting and moving documentary and records the traditional work of bee-keeping from making a straw skep to catching a swarm, and extracting honey. The Model are delighted that the filmmakers, David and Sally Shaw-Smith will be attendance for this very special screening.

The two screenings from the Hands series on May 25th at 5pm are Hands 29 – Currachs and Hands 13 – Chairmaker John Surlis. Currachs shows Ireland’s prehistoric skin boats and their regional variations, their use and construction, including the rare Co. Donegal paddled currach. Hands 13 – Chairmaker John Surlis – features, the making of ‘the Leitrim Chair,’ a rustic slab and stick chair using a cleft Ash, the drawknife and the cooper’s mare.

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Deputy Mayor of Sligo welcomes Estonian and Hungarian Artists to Sligo

Deputy Mayor Matt Lyons met with a unique group of Estonian, Hungarian and Irish artists last Thursday 4th April at the Model, Sligo as part of a special pilot initiative led by Kids’ Own Publishing Partnership, Sligo Arts Service and the Model.

This exciting project sees the three Irish partners linking with the Ludwig Museum in Budapest and Sally Stuudio in Tallinn to bring together artists who work with children and young people to share and discuss their approaches, and to establish a pilot network that will connect online over the next two months and culminate in a showcase at The Ark in Dublin on June 10th.

The project, funded by the Arts Council’s special EU Local Partnership Scheme – to mark Ireland’s presidency of the European Union in the first half of 2013, is the first of its kind and seeks to make visible the value and importance of arts practice with children across different European contexts.

As organisations which support and champion arts practice with children, the vision of the co-ordinating partners is that this project will strengthen and enrich practice that is taking place locally in each country, and will provide richer arts experiences for children and parents in Sligo, Tallinn, Tartu and Budapest.

A research strand within the project aims to draw out findings that will inform and give direction to the development of a wider and more long-term network in the future.

The Deputy Mayor’s welcome came at the start of a two-day exchange between the 8 participating artists at the Model, Sligo, in which the artists were engaged in presentations, discussions about areas of their practice that they were interested in exploring together, and planning their online exchange programme.

A group trip to Strandhill also provided an opportunity for the European visitors to see some of beautiful local scenery in the Sligo region and to enjoy the unseasonably good weather!

More information about the network is available online http://www.practice.ie/memberprojects/1796

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