RHA West Exhibition – runs until October 20
Ballina 2023 presents
RHA WEST
A specially curated selection from the RHA Members Collection inspired by the West of Ireland, marking 300 years of Ballina and 200 years of the RHA.
Presented in partnership with the Royal Hibernian Academy of Arts and Ballina Arts Centre.
The Municipal Gallery at Ballina Civic Offices
Opening: Saturday, September 9 at 5pm
Runs Saturday, September 9 to Friday, October 20
Opening Hours
Monday to Friday, 10am-1pm and 2pm-4pm / Open Saturdays September 16 & 30
Special Opening for Culture Night, Friday September 22, 4-7pm
Admission free
As part of the Ballina 2023 celebrations, and to mark its own 200th anniversary, a collection of artworks by members of the prestigious Royal Hibernian Academy of the Arts (RHA), inspired by the West of Ireland will exhibit in Ballina for a six-week period, opening on Saturday, September 9 at 5pm.The exhibition – the first time the entire Membership of the RHA has shown together in the West of Ireland – will take place in the Municipal Gallery space in Ballina Civic Offices and will feature over 50 works by artists including Mick O’Dea PPRHA, Aideen Barry ARHA, Donald Teskey RHA and Alice Maher RHA.
Presented by Ballina 2023 in partnership with the RHA and Ballina Arts Centre, this exciting exhibition will be supported by a programme of workshops and talks by participating artists.
The Royal Hibernian Academy of the Arts (RHA) is regarded as the home of Irish Art, and was founded in Dublin 1823, the result of a campaign by 30 Irish artists for a permanent space in Dublin to display their works and promote greater public interest in the arts. Over the past two centuries, its members have included many of the most important Irish artists from the 19th and 20th centuries.
A powerhouse of the arts and one of the premier art spaces in Ireland, it is steered by an artist-run Academy, which supports artists and provides artist-led training. It exhibits a wide range of contemporary art practice in its annual public programmes, including its renowned open-submission Annual Exhibition, while respecting and celebrating traditional art forms.
Director at the Royal Hibernian Academy of Arts, Patrick T. Murphy said: “This exhibition recognises the magnetism of the West and more recently the draw of North Mayo for artists. Many do not only visit but reside in the beauty and the challenge of its location. We are delighted to partner with Ballina 2023, Mayo County Council and Ballina Arts Centre in this presentation of members of the Academy on the occasion of our bicentennial year.”
Since the late 19th century, the West of Ireland has been an inspiration for artists. In its topography, artists found both beauty and awe. The original focus was south and north Connemara, with its indented coastline and the rising majesty of the Twelve Bens, but since the late 1990s the focus has shifted to North Mayo, the land located above the diagonal from Westport to Ballina. A selection of these works underpins the RHA West exhibition.
Ballina 2023 board member and Director of Services at Mayo County Council, Tom Gilligan said: “It is a real privilege for Ballina 2023 to collaborate with RHA on this exhibition, and for both artists and those interested in art to have access to works of this calibre in the west of Ireland. We hope that those who visit the exhibition will marvel at our how our Atlantic landscape has inspired so many talented and accomplished Irish artists and will in turn be inspired by the diversity and richness of the works.”
Director at Ballina Arts Centre, Paul Cunningham said: “Ballina Arts Centre is delighted to partner with Ballina 2023 and the RHA to bring such a significant and diverse body of work to audiences in Ballina and North Mayo. We are particularly excited about the outreach and mediation programme that we have designed with Patrick T Murphy. Over the course of the exhibitions run at The Civic Offices, we will welcome a number of significant RHA members to Ballina Arts Centre where they will conduct masterclasses in various disciplines and deliver public talks about their individual practices to the arts community here. These interventions will be a hugely beneficial to local artists and to the public at large who will get a wonderful insight into the work and processes of living Irish artists.”
Programme of Presentations and Masterclasses by RHA Members
As part of this event, the below sessions will also take place during the exhibition period in Ballina Arts Centre.
Thursday, September 14
Masterclass in Drawing Anatomy lead by Una Sealy RHA
Thursday, September 21
Aideen Barry ARHA will present and discuss some of her recent short films.
Thursday, October 12
Masterclass on Plein Air painting with Blaise Smith RHA
Wednesday, October 25
Niamh O’Malley ARHA will give a presentation on her participation at the Venice Biennale 2022.
The Royal Hibernian Academy of the Arts (RHA) was founded in 1823 for the betterment of the arts in Ireland. Its members have included many of the most important Irish artists from the 19thand 20th centuries.
This is a collaborative project between the RHA, Ballina 2023, Ballina Municipal District Council and Ballina Arts Centre, supported by the ice house hotel.
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