Kildare County Council Arts Service
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Visual Arts
Leinster Printmaking Studios
The Leinster Printmaking Studio was founded at the Presentation Convent in Clane in 1998. Since this time, the Studio has grown from one printing press and ten members to five presses and thirty- six members. The studio is unique in the Republic of Ireland in that it uses ‘safe techniques. It is an open studio with printmaking facilities available to beginners as well as professional artists. Members have undertaken residency programmes in primary and secondary schools and in a community context.
Kildare County Council is delighted to announce the allocation of grant aid to support the Leinster Printmaking Studio in terms of the artistic development.
For further details about the Leinster Printmakers Studios contact
Margaret Becker ph: 045 - 868168
Public Art Commission
A recent addition to the Public Art collection in Kildare is a bust of Edward Fitzgerald by Kildare based artist Annette Mc Cormack. The bronze bust, which is 1 ½ times life size, stands on a six-foot granite plinth located in the front apex of the Square in Kildare town, directly adjacent to where Fitzgerald lived. THe commission was part of a series of initiatives to mark the 1798 Rebellion Commemoration.
‘ The only visual of Fitzgerald available is a painting by Hamilton, who was commissioned by most of the aristocracy of the day. The trend for portraiture at the time was to portray the aristocracy effeminately. Through my research for the project, I learned much about Fitzgerald, who was in fact a much stronger, more courageous character than was portrayed in that painting. In my work I hoped to capture this, with his characteristic dark good looks and sweet and kind nature’. Annette Mc Cormack
Kildare County Council look forward to formally unveiling the piece in late Spring.
