On Saturday the 14th of May, artists; Aideen Connelly, Medbh Gillard, Diane Roemer, Emma Stroude and Lorna Watkins and the film maker Carola Gotta, met in The Model Black Box to watch the ‘Coney’ documentary and discuss their work and it’s evolution since their residency project in 2014. This fabulous event was chaired by The Model’s Education Curator Marie Louise Blaney and hosted by artist and educator Chelsea Canavan.

‘Coney’ was a residency project developed by five artists as a result of going to The Model’s Graphite and Easel Group. Each artist in their own way had reached a point in their life and career where they were on the cusp of new path. The journey to that new path was Coney, the work, a culmination of five days of dedication to purely working through the experience of being on an island residency. With so many forces at play it was amazing to hear and talk of the different yet similar experiences of each artist whilst on the island. The work and the experience that created it leant itself to a beautiful exhibition and period of great growth for each individual.

This project seemed to grow and take on legs of it’s own, as all good things do, and it progressed itself into a group exhibition in The Hyde Bridge Gallery and was eventually brought into The Model for a delightful afternoon of insight into artist practice, experience, energy and evolution. After the discussion everyone headed up to the ‘Studio 4’ here in The Model for an Open Studio hosted by artist Lorna Watkins.