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Luan Gallery, in collaboration with Westmeath Arts Office, presents Let The Mirror Express The Room, a Westmeath Artists Awards exhibition featuring work by thirty-two Westmeath artists selected by guest Curator Benjamin Stafford

Let The Mirror Express The Room: A Westmeath Artists Awards Exhibition

Let The Mirror Express The Room: A Westmeath Artists Awards Exhibition opens at Luan Gallery on Friday 29th November.


Luan Gallery, in collaboration with Westmeath Arts Office, presents Let The Mirror Express The Room, a Westmeath Artists Awards exhibition featuring work by thirty-two Westmeath artists selected by guest Curator Benjamin Stafford. The exhibition will be officially opened at 6 p.m. on Friday 29th November, with guest speakers Cllr. Liam McDaniel, Cathaoirleach, Westmeath County Council; Laura McCormack, Acting Arts Officer, Westmeath County Council; and Benjamin Stafford, Curator of Visual Art at VISUAL, Carlow.


The Westmeath Artists Awards is a collaboration between Luan Gallery and Westmeath Arts Office aiming to celebrate, showcase and support the development of Westmeath visual artists’ practices and careers with funding support from the Arts Council of Ireland.  The exhibition will present works from the county’s practising professional visual artists selected by guest Curator Benjamin Stafford, who is the visual arts curator at Visual, Carlow. All exhibiting artists will be considered for a professional development award, which will be announced at the exhibition's opening in Luan Gallery on Friday, 29th November. The overall winner will receive a Luan Gallery Visual Arts Development Award of one thousand five hundred euros, amongst other benefits, including a future exhibition slot at Luan Gallery, a studio residency at Abbey Road Artists’ Studios, a studio visit, and mentorship from guest curator Benjamin Stafford.


Carmel Duffy, Manager of Luan Gallery, said, “We are delighted to continue this important initiative between the Westmeath Arts Office and the municipal visual art gallery to support the development of professional practicing artists in County Westmeath. The Award has been extremely popular since it was first launched in 2022 and provides an excellent opportunity to showcase the diversity of artistic talent in the county.  We look forward to working with and promoting the many talented artists selected for the Awards Exhibition this year.”


Almost fifty works by thirty-two artists will be showcased in the exhibition, with several of the artists exhibiting for the first time in Luan Gallery. Westmeath artists selected for exhibition include; Nataliia Bobak, Emma O' Brien, Anne Marie Burke, Eoin Butler, Emma Carter, Richard Clarke, Mary Cosgrove, Martina Coyle, Alan Crowley, Bertille de Lestrade, Kyle Collins, Maebh Donovan, Mark Duffy, Lorraine Dunne, Trish Findlater, Olivia Finn, Paul Flaherty, Nicole Gill, Jacinta Guinan, Tina Hayes, Fiona Kelly, Hilary Kinahan, Lorraine Mimnagh, Muiris Moynihan, EL Putnam, Amanda Ralph, Paul Roy, Nóilín Shaw, Celine Sheridan, Annette Treacy, Lesley Wingfield, and Ann Wingfield

Laura McCormack, Acting Arts Officer for County Westmeath said, “The Westmeath Artists Award offers local artists the hugely valuable opportunity to exhibit their work in the award-winning Luan Gallery, and feature in its dynamic annual programme of contemporary Irish and international art. The award has for the past two years showcased the very best of Westmeath’s visual art, we are looking forward to seeing the selected works on display this December as we continue to celebrate local talent.”


The launch took place on Friday 29th November. The exhibition will continue until Sunday, 2nd February 2025, with seasonal closures from 23rd to 27th and 30th to 31st December inclusive. Luan Gallery is open Tuesday through Saturday from 11am to 5pm and Sundays from 12pm to 5pm. Admittance to Luan Gallery is free, and guided tours are available to all at no cost. More information on the exhibition and upcoming events can be found at http://www.athloneartsandtourism.ie/luan-gallery/ and on Luan Gallery’s social channels.


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