Agri_Culture

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A partnership between Leitrim Sculpture Centre and Roscommon Arts Centre, the project takes the form of a residency where public spaces within the arts centre’s were used as active production and research areas for the artists Pauline O’Connell (Leitrim Sculpture Centre) and Simon Carman & Helen Sharp (Roscommon Arts Centre).

The artists participating on these concurrent residency projects were invited to respond directly to agriculture, the transformation of the landscape and related environmental and/or economic issues emerging from these. Taking the proximity of 2 cultural centres (Roscommon Arts Centre & Leitrim Sculpture Centre, Manorhamilton) to regional agricultural marts and shows as a starting point, the artists were invited to explore the socio-economic contributions these institutions make to their respective towns and environs, as well as their relations to wider social tendencies or landscapes of concern.

Roscommon Arts Centre is located directly opposite Roscommon Mart, a key component in the socio-economic makeup of the town and its environs. The proximity of these two seemingly contrasting institutions led to the formulation of the Agri _ Culture residency project.  Used as a touchstone for the artist over the duration of their residency, the mart provided the inspiration for the material, architectural, colour and textural palate of Simon & Helen’s installation.

Info

Biography

Linda Shevlin has curated, facilitated and managed both large and small-scale visual arts projects including the 53rd Venice Biennale where she was project manager for the representative artists Gareth Kennedy & Sarah Browne and is Tulca Festival curator for 2018.

In 2017 she was the invited curator for the Hennessy Art Fund, purchasing new works for the IMMA collection and also curated the visual art programme for Bealtaine Festival 2017/2018 where she developed projects, commissions, residencies & exhibitions. with numerous Irish artists including Vivienne Dick, Kathy Prendergast, Kevin Gaffney, Pauline Cummins and Frances Mezzetti.

In 2016 she curated Radical Actions at RMIT Galleries, Melbourne as part of Culture Ireland’s 2016 International Programme ‘I Am Ireland’. The exhibition featured works by Duncan Campbell, Jesse Jones, Kennedy Browne and Seamus Nolan.

Other recent independent curatorial projects include Americana: Future Rural featuring John Gerrard (IE), Brian Duggan (IE), Kim Shively (USA) and M12 Studio (USA) at The Dock, Leitrim and Amharc Fhine Gall X commissioning Ella de Búrca, Ruth Clinton and Niamh Morriarty.

She has been awarded the Arts Council of Ireland’s Visual Arts Curatorial Residency award for three consecutive years (2013 – 2016) and in that time has produced a series of events and exhibitions in County Roscommon including newly commissioned works by Maria McKinney (IE) and Sean Lynch (IE); public art projects by Sean Rafferty (AUS), Ruth E. Lyons (IE) and Deirdre O’Mahony (IE), exhibitions by Martin Parr (UK), Duncan Campbell (IE) & Eamon O’Kane (IE) and a symposium titled The Workers with contributions from Adam Sutherland of Grizedale Arts (UK) & M12 Collective (USA) among others.

Shevlin is currently curator in residence with Roscommon Arts Centre & Solstice Arts Centre.

Contact

Linda Shevlin
Tivanagh School
Cloonloo
Boyle
Co. Roscommon
Ireland
 
linda@lindashevlin.com
+353 86 605 2571
+353  71 966 4606