Making Space for art in Athlone

We could all do with making space for our creative sides in life and now local artists' collective Making Space plans to do just that for the town of Athlone when it opens its studio this Friday at Custume Place. The aim of the group is to make space for contemporary art in Athlone and what began as a weekend 'Making Space' exhibition in May of last year quickly turned into a collective of local artists who want to bring art into everyday life. And this Friday the group is moving ever closer to doing just that with the opening of its studio at 15 Custume Place (just beside Burgess). The group currently has 21 members with a core group who use the studio on a regular basis. The core group includes Sam Sutton, Denis McCormack, Anthony Doyle, Louise Shanagher, Aoife Doolan-Hegarty, Tadhg Kelleher, Lorna Kincaid and Rose Finnerty. Sam Sutton explained this week that most of the group had studied art in some shape or form but added that the group is open to all artists, be they painters, sculptors, musicians, animators and so on. The group has a diverse membership and on its Facebook page it states that it wants to take art out of the gallery and bring it into public places, promoting inclusion and participation in contemporary visual art. The artists share spaces at 15 Custume Place and once it opens on Friday people can feel free to drop in and see the artists at work, who will be happy to discuss their work with interested people. Sam explained that there is nearly always at least one artist in the studio and said once the door is open somebody will be available to have a chat and show people their work. He added that the artists are hopeful that locals and tourists alike will call into Number 15 Custume Place. The initial Making Space event was held on the May bank holiday weekend last year as Lorna Kincaid needed to organise an event as part of her Masters. It was such a success that the group decided that Making Space should be a more permanent fixture in Athlone and continued to meet regularly to discuss how this could be done. Also last summer they held a 'Chalk it Out' event at Burgess Park where members of the public - adults and children - were invited to use chalk to create their own art. Making Space has also held two burlesque nights and an alternative music night, all of which, Sam said, received great support from the general public in Athlone. He said people had been very supportive of the initiative and there was an interest in contemporary art in the town. A native of Dublin, Sam came to Athlone five years ago to study graphic design and said he has seen huge changes in that time in relation to art in Athlone. "I've seen a huge change in five years from an artistic point of view. There is a market here but there wasn't a group to do it," he said. "There is huge talent in this town." Essentially what Making Space is about is showcasing that talent to the general public while also making art more accessible. Sam said the opening of the studio at Custume Place is a huge step for the group and they are hoping people will call in to see them at work. Sam, who is a painter as well as a graphic designer, said that 80% of his work is fine art while 20% is graphic design and he makes his own canvasses for his paintings at Making Space. And while he is only due to graduate next month, he said it has been really good to be part of the Making Space group and he has been really busy as a result of this. He pointed out that the group is run completely on a voluntary basis and all of those involved are extremely passionate about what they are doing. He added that the group is in its infancy and they will see where the next step takes them. While there isn't an exhibition space at the Custume Place studio, Sam explained that group member Rose Finnerty will be holding a solo exhibition shortly and they will all help out with this. He, himself, hopes to hold an exhibition towards the end of September. And while Sam explains that the purpose of the studio is not monetary, he said they certainly wouldn't say no if people wanted to buy their work. "If someone wanted to buy some art work I wouldn't stop them. But it's not a money making thing, it's more about promoting art," he said. Sam added that as he's just finished college and there is little work available it is nice to have the group. He added that because the group is made up of artists using a variety of mediums, it is a great learning experience as they can learn from each other. He said the group is open to all artists and anyone interested in joining or finding out more can call to 15 Custume Place or find MakingSpace Athlone on Facebook. The opening of Making Space takes place this Friday, August 17, at 7pm.