Exclusive: Margaret Becker on the Leinster Print Studio and “Dunaire”, at the Cross Gallery

[post_date text="Posted " format="M j Y"] [post_author text="by "] [post_terms taxonomy="category" text=in ] [post_comments text="with "]

“Dunaire”, 6th – 22nd December at the Cross Gallery, Francis Street, is a fine art print exhibition by the artists of The Leinster Printmaking Studio’ Clane Co Kildare and their artist colleagues from many parts of Ireland, whom together include members of The RHA, Aosdana, artists whose work is in The Arts Council Collection and other major collections both public and private. The reason distinguished artists are always delighted to take part in arts initiatives organised by Margaret Becker who founded The Leinster Print studio in 1998, on a wing and a prayer, and is still going strong, is because Leinster Printmaking Studio is a studio for artists run by artists.

The subject matter for the exhibition is based on the poetry anthology of Gaelic poetry from 1600 to 1900, called DUNAIRE, compiled by The Irish scholar and Gaelic poet; Sean O Tuama, translated into English by the poet Thomas Kinsella and published in 1981 by the Dolmen Press.. The Exhibition takes place over the forthcoming Christmas period at The Cross Gallery, Francis st Dublin8. ( insert dates of duration of exhibition, opening times etc) The exhibition will be formally opened on ( insert date and time), by the poet Macdara Woods and an added excitement will be that some of the artists will recite or sing the poem they have chosen.

Margaret Becker in Erina Brady’s Modern Dance class at her Irish School of Dance Art in 1943. Clip from a film by Liam O’Laoghaire.

Invited by Margaret to come up with an idea for an exhibition to celebrate another great years work by the studio, , this exciting exhibition is the brainchild of eminent painter and printmaker Alice Hanratty, Member of Aosdana and curated by Alice, Mick O Dea RHA & Member of Aosdana and printmaker Peter Jones Head of Printmaking D.I.T. The selection of the exhibition is typical of most exhibitions nowadays. There was an open submission process and also some invited guest artists. There was a terrific response and in the end the selectors had great difficulty in selecting( insert number) of works.

Why Dunaire? An abiding theme in Gaelic poetry is lamentation at the loss of our lands, possessions and the need to emigrate. Many of the poets were bards to the Irish Chieftans up to the beginning of the 17th century, when the plantation of Ulster, the final province to be possessed, saw the flight of the Earls of Ulster, mainly to Rome and Spain. Poems of loss and emigration as referred to other poems,. relating to the Famine and other misfortunes to behold the native Irish in the 18th and 19th century, the period covered by this anthology.

Though written many years ago, the sad reality is that all of this has a relevance for today, when so many of our developers and ordinary citizens have faced ” dispossession” to differing degrees, but with equal anxiety….and the flight of out brightest still goes on.

It was Chesterton who said of the Irish; “All their wars are merry and all their songs are sad”, so it will be really interesting to see how our artists taking part in the exhibition and listed below will interpret these wonderful poems. Artists include:

Charlie Cullen, Liam O’Broin, Aiwyn Gillespie, Rebecca Homfray, Jean Dillon, MGT. Becker, Barbara Hannigan, Alice Beresford, Michele Sweetman, Don Braisbey, Heather Prescott, Amelia Peart, Alison Craig, William Finnie, Constance Short, Brian Lalor, Catherine Mann, Caroline Patton, Regina Richardson, Gerald Cox, Louise Leonard, Jennifer Lane, Maureen Phelan, Silvia Hemmingway, Deidre Shanley, Paul Roy, Vera Macevoy, Gay O’Neill, James Maccreary, Mick O’Dea, Peter Jones, Alice Hannratty, Charles Harper, Adienne Symnes, Tom Macken, Eileen Keene, Judith Hennigen.