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Irish Arts Review
IntroductionAuthor(s): na ParsonsSource: Irish Arts Review (2002-), Vol. 25, Irish Craft 2008: The Annual Craft Edition of the"Irish Arts Review" (2008), pp. 2-3Published by: Irish Arts ReviewStable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/20493439 .Accessed: 13/06/2014 10:59
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I would like to warmly welcome you to
the Crafts Council of Ireland's Annual
Craft Edition. This is the second time
we have partnered with the Irish Arts
Review on this initiative and I hope it
will inspire you to start collecting or to
continue collecting Irish craft.
The 45 artists featured in the Portfolio
section this year have been selected by an international panel and are therefore
judged to constitute some of the leading
designers and makers in Ireland at
present. Certainly as you look through
the various pieces presented in Portfolio
the level of innovation and design is
exciting. The task of the Crafts Council of Ireland is to ensure, not only that
existing craft gains the profile and
recognition that it deserves, but also
that emerging makers are encouraged
and supported in their careers. We aim
to do this by raising awareness of Irish
craft, ensuring it is accessible to
consumers and by providing ongoing
support, by means of exhibitions,
awards, bursaries and education, to
existing and emerging makers.
On the following pages, you will have
an overview of many of these activities
over the last twelve months. Vincent
O'Shea outlines the very successful
year of the National Craft Gallery,
Kilkenny, during which it continued to
host artists from Ireland and all over
Europe, as well as exhibiting very
successfully for the third time at
SOFA (Sculpture, Objects & Functional
Arts Show] in Chicago. Building on the
links made at SOFA, Cornelia McCarthy's
article on the Craft Tour 2008, shows how a very successful, but
intensive tour of US collectors to
Ireland, resulted in great reviews and
greater awareness of the skill and
beauty of Irish craft.
We also feature a range of articles on
different aspects of collecting - The
National Collection by Audrey Whitty,
Contemporary Ambassadors by Mark
McSwiney, which outlines recent
acquisitions for ambassadors'
residences and finally The Collecting Tradition by Alison FitzGerald in which
Irish collectors select their favourite
pieces. Each article shows in a very real
manner how vibrant the collector
market for Irish craft is becoming and
how, increasingly, Fine Craft is taking its place alongside Art as a collectible item.
In addition to raising awareness of
craft, however, we must also support
existing and emerging craftmakers. The Crafts Council of Ireland makes a
number of awards each year which
aims to support craftmakers. Indeed,
the Crafts Council of Ireland's Bursary was founded so as to support the
creative development of craftspeople,
critical to the future of craft in Ireland.
Kevin O'Dwyer talks about what the
bursary has meant to him in Creative
Collaborations, an article by Eleanor
Flegg and Next Generation Craft by Ann
Mulrooney outlines the many activities
we have in place for emerging
craftmakers. In particular, I would like
to mention the launch of a new annual
exhibition 'Breaking Out' and two new awards - one for emerging makers and
one for critical writing in craft. All of
these initiatives are important in
creating awareness among collectors of
the emerging talents in Ireland and,
hopefully, in supporting the future
Portfolio members of tomorrow.
Collectors play an important role in
encouraging and supporting emerging and existing makers. And for many their
interest leads to a lifelong love of
collecting. In recognition of this,
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I
the Crafts Council of Ireland has
established a 'collectors society' for
passionate and potential collectors.
Alainn is an initiative offering members
invitations to special collector events,
tours of private and public collections
and discounts on National Craft Gallery
publications and selected exhibitions.
The aim of Alainn is to connect all those
interested in Fine Craft - for further
information, see page 64 of this edition.
Ensuring craft is accessible to
collectors and consumers is an
important strategic goal for the Crafts
Council of Ireland. This craft edition and
our collaboration with the IrishArts
Reviewis part of this goal, as is the role
of the National Craft Gallery in Kilkenny.
We have also recently embarked on a
new retail strategy, which includes the
facilitation of the development of
Regional Craft Outlets. These outlets,
which are a partnership of local
craftspeople and local funders, aim to
create centres of craft excellence and
to facilitate, not only retail sales, but
also the opportunity to commission
specific pieces from the craftspeople
themselves. The first such outlet is
Core in Ballinahown, Co Westmeath,
which opened in June of this year.
The Crafts Council of Ireland will
continue to develop opportunities for
the promotion of craft nationally and
internationally. There are many other
areas competing for the attention of
collectors, but I believe that truly great
craft speaks for itself. Its uniqueness
and its personality, which are
inextricably linked with the maker,
create a magical quality around a piece.
The Portfolio artists encapsulate this
and I hope that we will see more
and more craftspeople joining this
select group.
I would like to thank the IrishArts
Reviewfor their professional and
supportive cooperation in bringing this
second annual publication to fruition.
There are so many ideas and unique
pieces within the pages of this
publication. Please keep it as a
reference for ideas, for contact details
and for prompts at those times when
you are looking for something unique to
inspire and delight for years to come. U
Una Parsons
Chief Cxecutive
Crafts Council of Ireland
I Una Parsons, Chief Executive,
Crafts Council of Ireland
2 Crafts Council of Ireland exhibition
at SOFA 200?
A detail from Stevan Hartung's
rosewood and lacquered sideboard
is shown in the background
3
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Article Contentsp. 2p. 3
Issue Table of ContentsIrish Arts Review (2002-), Vol. 25, Irish Craft 2008: The Annual Craft Edition of the "Irish Arts Review" (2008), pp. 1-64Front MatterIntroduction [pp. 2-3]Pushing the Boundaries [pp. 4-5]The National Collection [pp. 6-7]Contemporary Ambassadors [pp. 8-9]Craft Tour 2008 [pp. 10-11]The Collecting Tradition [pp. 12-13]Next Generation Craft [pp. 14-15]Creative Collaborations [p. 16-16]Portfolio 2008 [pp. 17-63]Back Matter