Community school makes its mark with Tony O'Malley exhibition

A midlands-based community school which has a strong commitment to bringing the arts to its students and the broader community…

A midlands-based community school which has a strong commitment to bringing the arts to its students and the broader community will pull off something of a coup next month.

Heywood Community School, Ballinakill, Co Laois, is to mount a special exhibition of the work of the internationally acclaimed artist, Tony O'Malley, early next month.

Tony O'Malley, one of Ireland's best-known artists, has the distinction of having been elected Saoi by members of Aosdana in 1993.

This is an honour which has been conferred on only five living artists at any time. Earlier that same year, the then president, Mrs Mary Robinson, conferred a Gold Torc on him. Its previous recipient had been Samuel Beckett. Last year, O'Malley was given the Glen Dimplex Award for sustained contributions to the visual arts and next month he will be made a freeman of his native city, Kilkenny.

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The Ballinakill exhibition will contain work from the 1950s to the 1990s. In all, there will be 18 examples of the artist's work - some from his own collection and others from the Irish Museum of Modern Art.

The exhibition will attract attention from admirers of O'Malley's craft as some of the sketches from the 1950s have never been exhibited in public before.

The head of the art department at the school, Ms Alice Power-Murphy, said she was amazed when O'Malley agreed to allow these pieces go on show and that this would make the exhibition very special. The exhibition will form part of the school's fourth annual Arts Week, which will take place in the school from March 6th to March 10th.

The O'Malley theme will run through the week with a lecture entitled "The Artist and his Place", which will be delivered on Tuesday, March 7th, in the school auditorium by Brian Lynch, writer of Tony O'Malley's authorised biography.

On each of the days of the exhibition, there will also be a screening of the RTE award-winning film, A Place Apart, which tells Tony O'Malley's life story.

The school is also staging an exhibition of primary school art from the Midlands and is sending samples of O'Malley's work to schools which can enter two pieces on the theme, "My Own Environment".

Other events scheduled during the arts week include papermaking and a book-binding workshop given by Joanne Faulkner, using recycled material.

Noirin Ni Riain, who is artist in residence at Laois County Council, will give a choir/music workshop and there will be a Mountmellick Lace and Silk Painting Workshop.

The drama and poetry workshops will include one given by the popular Wexford playwright, Billy Roche.

Heywood Community School may be contacted at 0502 33333 or Fax 0502 33314.