I'm a remember of Group 8 which is a professional artists collective based in Ballinasloe, County Galway that came together in August 2009 in order to add to the cultural interest of Ballinasloe. We decided the best way to do that was to organise a joint exhibition of our work in the town. Our mission statement sets out what we hoped to achieve in the short term:
‘Group 8 is a non-profit, professional arts group, united in the belief that art worthy of exposure can express the vitality of a community, and foster awareness, imagination and co-operative learning between the artist and their community.’
The group is comprised of five visual artists, two writers and one singer: Joyce Little - visual and multimedia artist; Tommy Campbell – sculptor; Grellan Ganly - visual artist; Úna Spain – visual artist; Brendan Grealy - visual artist; Nuala Ní Chonchúir – writer; Zara Little-Campbell – writer; and Lee Ní Chinnéide – singer.
Junction 14.5 – Group 8’s first exhibition – will take place between the 13th and the 20th of March 2010 in The Regency Room in Hayden’s Hotel, from 12pm to 6pm each day. All the art works have taken Ballinasloe as their starting point; some of the poems and the paintings have inspired each other. The resulting work has been a true collaborative process by and about artists in Ballinasloe.
The exhibition, and accompanying catalogue, will be launched by John Boland on Saturday the 13th March at 7pm. All are welcome to come and see sculpture, photography and paintings; listen to live poetry and music, and enjoy a glass of wine. The exhibition will be open throughout the week including Saint Patrick’s Day.
