irish craft 2008: the annual craft edition of the "irish arts review" || introduction

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

irish craft 2008: the annual craft edition of the "irish arts review" || introduction

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