Applications for Open Circle Arts 2020 are  closed

We have two new groups just started at the beginning of January at Open Circle Arts, both groups are at full capacity .

Our first full day workshop exploring dyeing  in August was an Indigo Dyeing workshop with Hilary Bell. We had a wonderful fun day of learning and exploring with the basics of indigo dying,  creating patterns using the ancient art of Shibori.  This involved tying, stitching and clamping fabric before immersion in the indigo vat creating beautiful and unexpected patterns  and textures on, bags, t-shirts and some cute baby vests, cotton and linen.

Open Circle Arts are delighted to be awarded the County winner for Kilkenny in the Arts & Culture category of the National Lottery Good Causes Awards 2019!!!!  Its wonderful to get recognition for all the work and creativity happening at Open Circle.  We are now through to the Regional final so fingers crossed. 

Open Circle Community Arts are honored  to have receive an award for Creative Place in the 2018 all Ireland Pride of Place awards .  IPB Pride of Place is an all-island competition that acknowledges the work that communities are doing all over the island of Ireland.  The competition focus is about people coming together to shape, change and improve daily lives in their communities.

Citation from the Judges
“…………the key to this entry is that it makes the arts accessible to women of all ages engendering mutual encouragement and inspiration in those involved and a very palpable sense of community……….”

Pictured in the photograph collecting the award are Katherine Rossiter 2018 Open Circle participant, Mary Butler arts officer Kilkenny Co Co, Sheila Jordan community development worker Open Circle,  with Collette Byrne CEO Kilkenny Co Co and Cathaoirleach Eamon Aylward.

Open Circle Arts information evening at, Arts Office, 5 Dean Street Kilkenny on Thursday 11th Oct 2018 at 6pm.

Come along if you are interested in applying for the 2019 programme, and would like some more information, application forms will be available. Contact Sheila 087 1355318 to let us know you will be attending.

Open Circle will be in the Castle Yard on the evening of 21st September for Culture Night, in the Gallery and also outside as part of the festivities of the night, with a drop in lino printing workshop.

Open Circle Community Arts is showing a short video at the National Design and Craft Gallery in Kilkenny for Culture Night, from a series of workshops which happened in the summer of 2018.

Two groups of women came together through Kilkenny Arts Office and Open Circle Community Arts, to work with visual artist threadstories, to coincide with False Hoods, threadstories solo exhibition at Kilkenny Arts Office, during the Kilkenny Arts Festival.

The workshops offered the opportunity for discussions around privacy, and how we share images and portray ourselves in the digital age. Working intuitively to explore sculpture and form in textiles, using stitch and fibre manipulation each woman created their own mask and unique portrait.