Ballinglen Arts Foundation

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Ballinglen Arts Foundation The Ballinglen Arts Foundation, Artist Residencies, Exhibitions, Workshops in the West of Ireland.

Reg Irish Charity # 11019 Funded by The Arts Council, Mayo CoCo, Ballina Municipal District, Heritage Council & Donations. The Ballinglen Arts Foundation activities include an Artist Fellowship Programme, a Master Classes Programme, art exhibitions, school classes, print making classes, artists' studio visits, gallery tours and an art library.

Jeffrey Hirst recently completed a return residency at Ballinglen Arts Foundation, where he enjoyed making new work, mee...
18/10/2026

Jeffrey Hirst recently completed a return residency at Ballinglen Arts Foundation, where he enjoyed making new work, meeting new friends, reconnecting with old ones, and exploring North Mayo by bicycle.

During his residency, Jeff focused on color carborundum prints exploring the interplay of organic shapes, geometric form, and meandering lines. He also created a series of Tetrapak prints that combine architectural structure with organic line work. In addition, he developed a new series of small acrylic paintings that will serve as inspiration for larger encaustic paintings when he returns to his Chicago studio.

Jeff says he always loves returning to Ballinglen and immersing himself in the landscape of North Mayo. Just as important, however, is the opportunity to spend time with the wonderful community surrounding the foundation. From fellow artists in residence and workshop participants to the generous and kind Ballinglen staff and the people of Addington Gallery Ballycastle, it is the people who make each visit so special. Jeff Hirst: Artist, Educator Addington Gallery MinneapoAddington GalleryAMinneapolis Institute of Artnartsfoundation

Walking, Looking, Drawing - A two day workshop with Artist Joe Wilson took place on Saturday 6th and Sunday 7th June, A ...
17/10/2026

Walking, Looking, Drawing - A two day workshop with Artist Joe Wilson took place on Saturday 6th and Sunday 7th June, A great day was had by all. Thank you and @
About the artist: http://www.joewilson.ie
Artist Joe Wilson will lead this two-day workshop focused on walking, observing, and drawing in the Ballinglen River landscape. Participants will work outdoors using materials such as graphite, charcoal, ink, and found natural elements, with an emphasis on process and experimentation. Day two offers the option to continue working outside or develop pieces further in the studio, with opportunities to explore scale and composition. Group discussion and reflection are included. This is an all-weather workshop. Materials are provided; please bring a notebook and dress appropriately.

Gail Baar has just completed a residency here at Ballinglen. Her first visit in 2020 was cut short due to Covid. We were...
16/10/2026

Gail Baar has just completed a residency here at Ballinglen. Her first visit in 2020 was cut short due to Covid. We were delighted to have her back to fulfil her allotted time. We asked Gail for a few words on her time here in 2020. “In March 2020 I spent a few weeks in Ballycastle, Ireland where I received a fellowship at Ballinglen Art Center. Although my time was cut short due to the pandemic, the beauty of the area and the lovely people I met have been inspiring me since coming home”. Gail Baar

Exciting workshops coming up here at Ballinglen. Hope we get to come. Mayo Arts Service Cllr. Jarlath Munnelly
15/10/2026

Exciting workshops coming up here at Ballinglen. Hope we get to come. Mayo Arts Service Cllr. Jarlath Munnelly

Nick Miller This Holding Sea. opens on 29th October, ...
15/10/2026

Nick Miller

This Holding Sea. opens on 29th October, 6–8pm, at Art Space Gallery, London. Thank you Nick for the following words. “Nick would be delighted if you could join him to celebrate, or visit the show in person; it continues until 23rd December 2026.

This is the first solo show of his new paintings that have emerged since 2017 from daily swims in the Atlantic, near where he lives in Co Sligo. They arise from the curious pursuit of finding ways to make work from time spent in the sea. A new subject is always a challenge, and the sea unfathomably so — in mind, studio and life.

There is a catalogue, published by and available from the gallery, which can also be viewed online. Nick is grateful to David Boyd Haycock for the time he spent with him in Sligo and the words he was able to pen, and to Patrick T Murphy for asking questions that come from his long and generous view. As always, my thanks go to Michael and Oya Richardson at Art Space Gallery for their enduring support, and to Culture Ireland for helping make it all possible”. Nick Miller Art Space Gallery David Boyd Hancock Patrick Murphy Culture Ireland

14/10/2026

John Gibbons – interview, In his Basildon studio, sculptor John Gibbons talks about light, the Big Bang, the importance of openness and modelling Winston Churchill’s hands

Born in rural Ireland in 1949, John Gibbons moved to London in the 1970s, when he studied at St Martin’s School of Art and worked as an assistant to the portrait sculptor Oscar Nemon. Rooted in the discipline of formalist abstraction, Gibbons has created a wide-ranging, undogmatic and highly personal body of work, responsive to the contemporary urban environment and to art and objects from across cultures, from Dogon ladders of West Africa to Rodin.

His approach is rooted in an improvised responsiveness to materials, whether sourced in the scrapyard or bought from stock, and here he talks about his use of stainless steel from the estate of the American sculptor David Smith. The aim is an untranslatable encounter between viewer and object. Whatever went into the making of a sculpture, or whatever memories it may evoke in the audience, for Gibbons any meaningful experience of art happens in the present, sculpture is always NOW. “You are not in control,” he says. “You have to give yourself to what you are doing, and see what happens.” .gibbons346

Interview by SAM CORNISH
Filmed and edited by MARTIN KENNEDY

Huge thanks to Creative Ireland & mayocountycouncil for their support for our series of workshops here at Ballinglen. On...
13/10/2026

Huge thanks to Creative Ireland & mayocountycouncil for their support for our series of workshops here at Ballinglen. On October 3, Jeffrey Hirst Jeff Hirst: Artist, Educator taught the final workshop: Abstracting the Landscape: Experimental Drawing at the Ballinglen Arts Foundation to a lively group of ten artists from Mayo and beyond. The participants embraced the spirit of experimentation, creating wonderful work and taking an adventurous approach to image-making.
The workshop focused on combining traditional and non-traditional materials, including floor varnish, carborundum (silicon carbide grit), and wall filler. Working from word prompts inspired by the Mayo landscape, along with photographs used as starting points, artists explored ways to push familiar imagery in unexpected directions.

The central challenge was simple: take a familiar landscape and see how far you can push the materials while still allowing the work to speak of landscape. Through experimentation, discovery, and a willingness to take chances, participants explored new possibilities for interpreting the places around them.

Hirst has taught Abstracting the Landscape: Experimental Drawing at the Ballinglen Arts Foundation and at venues throughout the United States, including his Chicago studio. Mayo.ie@mayoartsservice SaMayo.ieson Mayo PPN - PuSarah WilsonpMayo PPN - Public Participation Network everyone involved and all the artists who attended this event.

13/10/2026

Huge thanks to & for their support for our series of workshops here at Ballinglen. Here is Jeffrey Hirst demonstrating some of the process he used as well as one of his finished works, . .ie@mayoartsservice A great day, thank you to everyone involved and all the artists who attended this event.

Beyond delighted to announce that work has recommenced on the Old School here at Ballinglen. Transforming this beautiful...
11/10/2026

Beyond delighted to announce that work has recommenced on the Old School here at Ballinglen. Transforming this beautiful building into our new Educational Centre with the support of LEADER funding. This is an exciting investment in arts, culture and rural development in the region. Leaders announcemt: “🏛️ Ballinglen Arts Foundation is progressing Phase 2 of redevelopment of The Old School in Ballycastle into a modern, energy-efficient education and community arts centre. This will expand opportunities for workshops, artist residencies and community programmes in the area.”

💶 LEADER funding awarded:
• Creevagh Painting Retreat – €131,699.40, under the Green Economy sub-theme

As a LEADER animation partner in Co. Mayo, Moy Valley Resources IRD works with Mayo North East LEADER Partnership to assist community groups and local enterprises in North Mayo to develop projects and apply for LEADER funding.

We were delighted to work alongside Mayo North East LEADER Partnership with both projects as they progressed their applications. Supporting local communities and enterprises through LEADER has been part of Moy Valley Resources’ community development work for over 30 years We all look forward to seeing this project take shape!



Ballycastle Co Mayo Mayo North Tourism, Ireland Mayo.ie Western People Ballina.ie & Ballina Chamber of Commerce KIllala Community Council Newstart Céide Coast Crossmolina Community Council CLG Ballinglen Arts Foundation Mayo Arts Office Councillor Michael Loftus Cllr. Jarlath Munnelly Blair Feeney

Amy Metier has just completed a Returning Residency Ballinglen Arts Foundation and Museum Here she is in studio with an ...
10/10/2026

Amy Metier has just completed a Returning Residency Ballinglen Arts Foundation and Museum Here she is in studio with an impressive body of work Amy Metier William Havu Gallery

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