Young artist shows huge pride for her town in exhibition and community art project

A YOUNG Athy artist has turned her love of ceramics into a celebration of the town’s heritage, bringing together local landmarks, the River Barrow and one of Athy’s most recognisable natural visitors in a colourful new exhibition.

Third-year National College of Art and Design (NCAD) student Inez Dooley recently presented ‘Heron-Tage Town’ at the Art House in Athy as part of a second-year college assessment.

The project grew from Inez’s desire to explore the character of her home town after spending much of her time commuting to Dublin for college.

“I kind of wanted to do something around my town and heritage,” she said.

Although Inez had always been interested in art, she initially considered pursuing zoology.

Her attitude towards art changed during fifth year when, following her mock examinations, she decided she could not see herself studying academically full-time, and instead wanted to opt for something more hands-on.

She took a year-long PLC in art to see whether she enjoyed working in the field and quickly discovered that it was the right choice for her.

During the course, she completed a placement with local ceramic artist Ciara O’Keefe, an experience which sparked her love of working with ceramics.

That led her to NCAD, where she is now studying ceramic art, alongside a joint education honours course.

The programme combines academic study with extensive studio work and will qualify her to teach art at secondary-school level.

For her exhibition, Inez chose to focus on Athy and its distinctive character, particularly the older buildings, rural surroundings and the River Barrow.

“I kind of wanted to do something to highlight what the town does have to offer and what is nice about the town,” she said.

“I feel like especially young people nowadays don't really appreciate it.” At the centre of the project is the heron, a familiar sight along the Barrow. Inez transformed the bird into a cartoon-like character and placed it in everyday Athy settings.

Her ceramic pieces depict the heron engaging in activities associated with local life, including fishing, reading a newspaper and sitting outside O’Brien’s pub with a coffee, with illustrations also accompanying the ceramic works.

The project was also designed to involve the wider community.

As part of her education studies, Inez’s tutor encouraged her to incorporate a workshop into the exhibition and she subsequently collaborated with the InSYNC youth project.

Over three days, a group of 10 young people explored the River Barrow, collecting sticks, leaves and flowers which they then used to create their own ceramic pieces.

The participants made tiles using impressions from the natural materials, as well as experimenting with illustration and printing techniques.

Despite the workshop taking place during a heatwave, the group returned each day and embraced the project.

“They were really good,” Inez said. “They all came up with their own little ideas.” One participant even chose to move away from the heron theme and create work inspired by the cows around Athy.

Following the exhibition, Inez was also invited by Art House to run a second workshop, this time for adults.

Participants created their own ceramic herons, giving local residents another opportunity to engage with the project.

For Inez, the community response was one of the most rewarding aspects of the experience.

The exhibition launch was attended by a busy crowd, while local artists and photographers also came along to show their support. Some photographers brought their own images of the same heron that had inspired Inez’s work.

“It was so nice to be able to talk to other artists in the area,” she said.

The experience has strengthened Inez’s desire to combine art, education and community work in the future.

She hopes to complete her studies and undertake her further teaching placement locally before potentially pursuing a master’s degree or taking up a teaching position.

At the same time, she hopes to invest in her own kiln and continue creating and potentially selling ceramic pieces from home.

And while her college commitments will take priority over the coming year, Inez said she would definitely consider putting on another exhibition if the opportunity arose.

For now, her ‘Heron-Tage Town’ project has given her a way to look at Athy through fresh eyes and encourage others to appreciate the character of the place they call home.