Art or environmentalism? Growing areas of contemporary art practice reach beyond the conventional bounds of artistic form, and consist of direct interventions in the social arena. Cathy Fitzgerald's The Local Project: Revisited 2006 falls into this category in that it amounts to a kind of environmental activism. Between 1993-6, the Forest Service funded a pioneering project organised by Crann, the organisation devoted to the encouragement of broadleaf tree planting. Local people in the south Leitrim area planted areas of broadleaf woodland intended to mark, in Fitzgerald's words, a "return to a sustainable Irish wood culture," and provide an environmentally beneficial alternative to the massed conifer plantations usually associated withIrish forestry. In her film she and Jan Alexander (Crann founder) revisit the project, recording the thoughts of those who took part.
© Aidan Dunne,The Ticket, The Irish Times, Sept 8, 2006
news
recent projects, talks, exhibitions
July 2009: Spoke about Holly Diaries: slow art, forest conversion project, FutureProof Kilkenny (TransitionTown Seminar), Callan
Jun-Aug 2009: Work selected for Earth Explorer, Curator, Ashleigh Downey, The Ark, Temple Bar, Dublin
June 2009: Burning Bright, Eigse Film Festival, Carlow
May 2009: Blog review reposted on UK RSA Arts & Ecology website. When is a Forest, not a forest? Theresa Nanigian's exhibition, see here
May 2009: Created Art & Ecology and Close to Nature Forestry groups on www.transitiontownireland.ning.com networks; coadministrator on site
Feb 2009: Burning Bright, selected for Youtube film festival award , Green Party
May 2008: New short film 'Burning bright', made for Biodiversity Week 08 see www.youtube/cathnarnia
April 2008: Listed in Circa's Art, Ecology and Politic's article by Dr. Paul O'Brien
March 2008: Invited to show local project (tree) film at Irish youtube film festival in London, curators Wylie O'Hagan see www.youtube/cathnarnia
March 2007: Invited artist for St James Hospital, Open Window project, curated by Denis Roche.
13 Aug 07, RTE 1, Science and Culture journalist Mary Mulvihill interviews artist Catherine Fitzgerald with scientist Dr Paula Murphy on their 2005 arts council collaborative project, 'a different language', that took place with the scientists and staff of the Zoology Dept of Trinity College, Dublin, first shown at the 2005 BA Festival of Science|
June 2007: Managing new professional artists development program, ArtLinks for Carlow, Kilkenny, Waterford, Wexford and Wicklow Co Councils. An artist led program, and a new initiative from the five arts offices and the Arts Council, see www.artlinks.ie
2007: Invited speaker for Waterford Healing Arts Trust lecture series: giving a talk about my work and my change from working in science to art, Feb 2 2007.
2006 'the local project: revisited 2006' , a documentary & exhibition by Cathy Fitzgerald about a community forestry project, with Crann founder Jan Alexander, to celebrate CRANN - Ireland's leading tree organisation 20th anniversary, in association with The Dock, Carrick on Shannon, Co Leitrim, opened Fri Sept 8, until Sept 23, 2006.
The 'local project' film was later screened: Fri 1st Dec, at Cultivate, Sustainable Living and Learning Centre 15-19 Essex Street West | Temple Bar | Dublin for The Cultivate 'Emergence - A Festival of Art, Consciousness and Ecology@ Wednesday 29th Nov to Saturday 2nd Dec (art exhibit extended until 22nd Dec),
28 Sept 06: Book review on RTE radio for Mary Mulvihill's Quantum Leap science program; Mary & I discussed Martin Kemp's fascinating new book, Seen/Unseen. Professor Martin Kemp, Oxford College, is a leading authority in assessing the development of visual culture in the arts and sciences.
March 06: Awarded Co Carlow Arts Office grant
RTE Lyric FM, 18 Dec 05, science and culture journalist Mary Mulvihill interviews artist Catherine Fitzgerald with scientist Dr Paula Murphy on their recent arts council collaborative project, 'a different language', that took place with the scientists and staff of the Zoology Dept of Trinity College, Dublin, first shown at the 2005 BA Festival of Science, read more here listen to interview here
6 Dec 2005 at SEED - seeking dialogue between art and science SEED is a Dublin-based group devoted to developing creative projects connecting art and science, including informal salons, exhibitions, workshops and performances. On 6 Dec 2005, Catherine Fitzgerald with scientist Dr Paula Murphy talked about their recent arts council collaborative project, a different language, read more here
Nov 26, 2005 Invited speaker at art into science, AICA Dorothy Walker Memorial Lecture, Glucksman Gallery, Cork, with New york artist writer Suzanne Anker, coauthor of 'The molecular gaze - art in the genetic age'
Interviewed by Sylvia Thompson for the Irish Times, 13 Sept 2005, p8 see here
New Zealand journalist Kim Griggs interviews Catherine Fitzgerald at the BA science festival in Trinity College Dublin
video interview with artist by Megan of CUSP, Cambridge University Science productions, click on interview 08 Fitzgerald on CUSP homepage
The Nine Stones Artists August 27th - September 11th 2005 at the Norman Gallery, Co Wexford. A group exhibition of work by Catherine Fitzgerald, Anthony Lyttle, Suzanne Clarke, Annabel Konnig, Martin Lyttle, Gwen Wilkinson and Julia Magan
Curated Swiss artist, Cornelia Hesse-Honneger's work in Carlow's Visualise program, August 05
Cornelia is a Swiss artist who came to Carlow, Ireland, in Aug 05 and in addition to putting on an exhibition and a evening public talk led a painting/drawing workshop for people interested in gaining skills to visually record changes in their environment
Artist's article on Vital, Visual Carlow in Ireland's Visual Arts Newsletter, SSI Jan-Feb 2005, p11
Awarded Arts Council Residency:
2004: Interview on RTE1 , the Pat Kenny Show, interviewed by Philip Boucher-Hayes, on science and art and residency in molecular labs, zoology dept, Trinty college, 26 Oct 2004
Irish Times interview, by Cormac Sheridan, Sept 04 see here
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