Unfolding, throughout the 2017/2018 academic year PUNC1×1 is a unique county-wide outreach programme initiated by The Model.
Seven works from The Niland Collection are currently on display in participating schools.The pop-up exhibition is shown on a rotation basis and initially the children are not given any information about the artist leaving them to respond to each art work with only their imaginations to guide them!

Punc 1×1 got off to a great start in October with very creative responses from Cliffoney National School, North Sligo. This month we report to you from Ardkeeran National School who were busy examining the intriguing aspects of the mysterious faces in the painting in their school throughout the month of November. Their engagement has prompted some very profound response texts, observations and drawings from the pupils:

“I think this painting is about mixed races coming together. It looks like they are wearing black and white. I think its mixed race coming together.”
“It has two people with closed eyes. I thought it could be Jack B Yeats and WB Yeats both of whom are dead. I think it’s sad and gloomy as its about death…”

“I think the painter was depressed as it shows a sad looking man looking out of the painting. It also has dark colours like black and blue. Usually an artist used these colours when they are unhappy. I think the painting is highly unusual as it shows two faces.”
“I think the inspiration was racism which was huge around the world. She may have been inspired by the Great famine because the people were poor and malnourished in the picture.”

“I think that this picture is amazing but it also raises a lot of questions. I think the inspiration is two people who are very poor and are deep down in the Arigna Mines covered in coal. The colours are very dark and it really gets you thinking”

“It appears that the artist is called Anne Yeats. She may have been inspired by the blacks and whites in the US. The artist may have created the painting as she was depressed and she wanted to paint something dark to express her feelings. I think she went through a blue and black period. I looked closely and saw the words “Two in Dark” and this is what the painting is called. This painting made me feel sad because the expression on people’s faces is sad and gloomy. Round the edge of the painting it is blue and it makes me feel happy ad elated.“

Participating Schools in 2017/2018 are Ardkeeran N.S., Carbury N.S., Cliffoney N.S., Rathcormac N.S., Scoil Mhuire gan Smál, Scoil Naomh Molaise and Sligo School Project.