Rose Nugent made a pink dress, May McGibney a green one and Nora Ryan chose canary yellow. But when these members of St Michael's Active Retirement Group in Inchicore, Dublin, took part in a sculpture workshop seven years ago, they probably never dreamed of exhibiting in Kiltimagh.
Similarly Michelle Lynch and Ann Marie McEvoy created images based on clothing when they participated in a series of workshops run by Youthreach, Leixlip, and the Irish Museum of Modern Art (IMMA) in association with artist Laura Gannon. Now IMMA has dispatched these and other pieces from its collection west to Mayo, where the local authority has set up a sculpture trail.
Entitled "Ag dul Siar, ag dul Siar", the joint exhibition will be held in 12 public libraries from Louisburgh to Belmullet.
Much of the inspiration for the project came from the Mayo county arts officer, John Coll, according to Carissa Farrell of IMMA. It also meets the aims of IMMA's national programme, established last year with a specific commitment to a "partnership" approach in decentralisation.
"We wanted to work with organisations and venues and respond to their needs and interests, rather than send out touring exhibitions of our own," Ms Farrell explained. And by involving the public libraries, "a whole new and extremely democratic way of exhibiting contemporary art was established".
The exhibit includes works by established artists such as Kathy Prendergast (in Castlebar library) and John Kindness (Westport) and emerging artists like John O'Neill (Ballyhaunis). In tandem with the project, a series of talks on various aspects of the visual arts has been planned. The last of these will be given by John McHugh, arts officer with Achill North-West Development Company, and Jackie McKenna, sculptor, in Westport Library on Wednesday at 8 p.m.
"Ag dul Siar, ag dul Siar", which depends on library opening hours, runs until May 20th. Late next month IMMA also plans to participate in the Sligo Arts Festival. An exhibition entitled "Once Is Too Much", based on issues relating to violence against women, will be on display at the Model Arts Centre, Sligo, from May 22nd until June 2nd.
It was put together by women and friends from the Family Resource Centre in St Michael's Estate, Inchicore, in association with artists Rochelle Rubenstein Kaplan, Rhona Henderson, Ailbhe Murphy and film-maker Joe Lee.