Trim OPW building hosts art exhibition
A joint exhibition between the Department of Finance and Personnel in Northern Ireland and the Office of Public Works (OPW) has opened at the new OPW headquarters in Trim. The exhibition, entitled 'Flow', was officially opened last Friday evening by Dr Martin Mansergh, TD, Minister of State at the Department of Finance with responsibility for the OPW. Speaking at the launch of the exhibition, Dr Mansergh said: “This year is an important year in relation to OPW's support of the visual arts in Ireland. It marks both the 21st anniversary of the formation of the OPW Art Management Group, and 20 continuous years of OPW's original touring Art of the State exhibition that has evolved into our joint project with DFP. This long-running exhibition has visited many public spaces throughout the island and abroad, promoting the work of Irish artists as well as making more accessible older elements of our collection.†He added: “In times of recession such as these, the State's support for the work of Irish artists is of even more importance in encouraging creativity and supporting our national arts infrastructure. The arts are an integral part of our national identity. Apart from the obvious cultural value to Irish society of encouraging the work of our artists, at a practical level, no artist works in isolation as his/her creative output generates employment for others working in the field - foundries, framers, galleries, photographers, printers, digital studios, graphic designers, arts venues, and numerous others.†This year's show includes both historic and contemporary art works to reflect the type of works both the DFP and the OPW have in their collections. There are several traditional landscape paintings, some contemporary paintings, digital photographs, original prints and a video piece. It is a diverse mix of artistic media spanning a number of centuries, from William Ashford's late 18th century traditional oil painting, 'View of Lake with Fishermen', to Jacinta Hughes's intriguing video piece 'Water Spirit' purchased in 2007. Their commonality lies in the shared theme of water. 'Flow' is open to the public in the atrium of the new OPW HQ building on Jonathan Swift Street, Trim, until Friday 10th December. It then moves to the final destination on this year's tour, the Pearse Museum in Rathfarnham, Dublin. Admission to all events is free.