A new art gallery has been officially opened at Mount Congreve Gardens in County Waterford, with the unveiling of its inaugural exhibition, Bucolica.
The exhibition includes work by invited artists Ciara Roche, Michael Wann, Bernadette Kiely, Zsolt Basti and Lee Welch, and a wide range of work carefully selected by artists Melissa O’Donnell and Anne Ryan, supported by Artform and Big Look Art, following an open call in March this year.
“Bucolica offers emerging artists an opportunity to exhibit with their more established peers and win awards including a jury prize for inclusion of their work in a new permanent collection for Mount Congreve Gardens, a solo show and an artist residency in the gardens,” said Martina O’Byrne of Artform.
This event, and the gallery, marks the launch of a new partnership between Mount Congreve Gardens and Artform which is aimed at celebrating art in the gardens all year long.
The gallery opening, and exhibition unveiling, was the first event in the inaugural, ‘Art in the Gardens’ programme, which took place over the May bank holiday weekend.
“We are delighted to host this event at Mount Congreve Gardens and to see our new exhibition space adorned with an incredible array of art and creating a new dialogue between art and the beauty of the gardens,” said Sara Dolan, Commercial Director at Mount Congreve Gardens.
Mount Congreve was also described as “a very special place” by the Chair of Mount Congreve Trust, Des Whelan.
“The new gallery fits so well into the vision of this world-class visitor attraction,” he added.
The Bucolica exhibition is free of charge to view throughout the summer months and a new exhibition will be launched every eight weeks.
