Fancy wandering through a free visual arts trail across your bank holiday weekend? Well, Westival 2024 has you sorted.
Start off your afternoon with a stroll to Custom House Gallery, to experience ‘The Object of My Affection’, an exhibition created by the pupils of Lankill National School, Westport, led by facilitator and writer Mary Lou McCarthy, with exhibition design by Geraldine Coakley. Through a series of workshops led by Mary-Lou, participants will investigate how storytelling and found objects can be transformed into art. By examining the role of everyday objects, textures, and displays, they will explore how these elements contribute to artistic expression and culture. Each child will create original stories inspired by found objects brought from home.
Here you can also experience ‘Cailleachs’, an exhibition that features a curated collection of works by female identifying artists from Mayo, highlighting the art being created in the region. The exhibition draws from their previous works, showcasing how Irish landscapes, culture, and traditions have influenced their art. The artists include: Joanna Hopkins, Louise Butler, Jennifer Hickey and Aisling Smyth. Both exhibitions are free to attend and open on 23 October.
Dublin Fringe 2024 Best Performer and award winning production Chicken is also coming to The Town Hall Theatre on 26th October to give the West a taste of this sold out Edinburgh Fringe performance! Sunday’s Child Theatre Eva O’Connor performs as Don Murphy; a proud Irish man, a hopeless ketamine addict and one of his generation’s greatest actors. He also happens to be a chicken. A Kerry cock, to be exact.
And there’s even more fun for the family in the form of Boss Rob, the world’s greatest artist, in an exclusive immersive experience…if he ever shows up. The audience will take the lead in a hilarious battle of wits against a pompous artist, learning to handle mean-spirited criticism through playful, interactive fun. This show combines spontaneous theatre, comedy and a visual arts workshop. There is a workshop for both kids and adults in this year’s festival.
Tickets for all events at this year’s Westival are available at www.westival.ie.
