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Ireland's political and cultural magazine
— village November - December 2009
Carlow Arts
’ Centre for Contemporary
Arts and George Bernard Shaw Theatre cele-
brated its opening on Saturday
th
September,
with a carnival-themed fun day featuring per-
formances from the Hothouse Flowers, Aspiro
Choir, Irish Modern Dance Theatre and Tumble
Circus, plus many local acts. Minister for Arts,
Sport and Tourism, Martin Cullen, did the
honours.
Located in Carlow town, just over an hour’s
journey from Dublin, the focal point of this
, sq m landmark building is an expansive
Main Gallery with ceiling height of m. The
building features four main gallery spaces
which will exhibit work of local, national and
international significance, as well as a state of
the art -seater theatre which will be open-
ing on
st
October with the world premiere of
the new Barabbas play Johnny Patterson, The
Singing Irish Clown, written by Little John Nee
and directed by Raymond Keane
Designed by Terry Pawson architects, the
€ million project was commissioned in ,
and was co-funded by the Arts Council of Ireland.
The building is situated discretely on the edge
of College Green amongst the traditional and
historic architecture of St Patrick’s College
and Carlow Cathedral, on a site donated by the
Trustees of the College. Recognising the impor-
tance of quality design when creating a world-
class gallery space, Carlow Local Authorities
involved the Royal Institute of Architects in
Ireland to organise a design competition for
the build, which attracted entries, and led
to the appointment of London practice, Terry
Pawson Architects.
The design of the space challenges the tradi-
tional idea of a sequence of gallery spaces where
the visitor walks through interconnecting rooms,
to one where there is a ‘Link Gallery’ that acts as
a central hub, off which all the luminescent white
gallery spaces extend. The Link Gallery allows
a harmony to be created despite the disparity
in size of the exhibition spaces, and also func-
tions as the entrance to the building. In response
to the dual of use of the building – both as an
exhibition space and as a theatre – Pawson used
translucent glass for the exterior cladding, the
glass giving an introspective feel to the building
in the daytime when it would generally function
as a gallery, while for theatre openings the low-
level lighting behind the glass will illuminate the
structure to create a glowing evening presence.
The George Bernard Shaw theatre space con-
trasts with the serene neutral spaces of Visual,
characterised as it is by a red feature wall in the
foyer bar and red seating in the auditorium. It
features bar facilities, a full service restaurant
and concession areas.
Visual art exhibitions at the centre will
be curated by Carissa Farrell (former Visual
Arts Officer at Draíocht in Blanchardstown),
while the George Bernard Shaw Theatre will be
managed by Róisín McGarr (formerly General
Manager of Learning and Participation
Department in the Southbank Centre, London
and Programme Manager of Axis, Ballymun).
The opening Visual Arts Programme high-
lights include a group show of some of the most
renowned Irish artists working today, includ-
ing Sean Scully, Charles Tyrell and Maud Cotter
in the Main Gallery. There is also a new piece
in her signature style of ‘fallen paintings’ from
leading American modern feminist artist Polly
Apfelbaum, and a series of durational pieces,
curated by Amanda Coogan, featuring perfor-
mance artists including Alastair MacLennon
and Yin Mei Duan. There is a life-sized sculp-
ture of a stallion by Daphne Wright, and work
by local emerging artists including Ciarán
Walsh and Tadhg McSweeney.
Meanwhile, the inaugural show at the
George Bernard Shaw Theatre, which runs
from
st
–
rd
October, pays homage to the
extraordinary life of circus performer Johnny
Patterson from Co. Clare. The story was
inspired by an exhibition of circus paintings
by Jack B. Yeats in The National Gallery, which
Raymond Keane visited, becoming enthralled
by a portrait of Johnny Patterson and the story
of his life in the exhibition catalogue.
Starting circus life at as a drummer-boy,
Patterson’s talents saw him head-hunted from
a regional touring circus by the world famous
Cooper and Bailey Circus. He “said goodbye
to his beloved wife and family and headed
for Amerikay.” He went on to become one of
the highest paid entertainers of his time and
amassed huge wealth through royalties from
his hit songs. At the end of a life marked equally
by great triumphs and great tragedies, Johnny
returned to Parnell’s Ireland to fulfill his dream
of forming his own circus. Moved by the politics
of his homeland, the idealistic Johnny penned
a song urging Loyalists and Nationalists to put
their differences aside. However, he paid for his
political commentary with his life, as an angry
and bitter reaction from the crowd turned to
violence and retaliation.
The new centre will to say the least
advance Carlow’s arts reputation - in the
same way that neighbouring Kilkenny, with
its annual Arts, Comedy, and Rhythm’n’Roots
festivals, has been a major cultural draw for
several years.
Carlow aims high.
d e s m o n d t r a y n o r
Carhigh
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