Collaborative art exhibition moves online

Clay Journeys, an online exhibition, running until April 30, is a project between nine community groups across Galway City and County and 13 artists who are members of Clay Galway, a collective comprising craft-makers, potters, ceramic art teachers, lecturers and contemporary ceramic artists.

Community groups taking part include the Galway Simon Community; pupils from Knocknacarra Educate Together National School; TY Students from Coláiste Bhaile an Chláir, Claregalway; Survivors of the Tuam Mother and Baby Home and people who use the service at The Brothers of Charity in Bruach na Mara, Ionad Cois Cladaigh, An Ceathrú Rua.

Under Galway 2020’s Small Towns, Big Ideas strand, they teamed up with  clay artists Carina Berger, Mary Byrne, Rob D’Eath, Tatiana Dobos, Maeve Gallagher, Jed Gjerek, Tamaru Hunt Joshi, Brian Kelly, Keelin Kennedy, Holly Mullarkey, Cormac O’Neill, Emma O’Toole and Veronika Straberger

Each community created a unique clay boat that told a story relating to the Galway 2020 themes of Landscape, Language and Migration. The boats honour stories of migration, current and historic, explains co-curator Rob D’Eath. They also represent the presence of water everywhere in Galway.

These boats are symbolic containers of stories, which the groups had intended to launch on the world together.

The plan had been to place unfired clay boats on the sand, where the rising tide would take them to dissolve along with their stories, Rob explains. Meanwhile, kiln-fired boats were to be assembled into a mandala, representing hope and strength in community.

The participants in Clay Journeys were collaborating with the Academy of Arts in Rijeka, Croatia, Europe’s other City of Culture 2020 to create a simultaneous launch of clay boats in May last year.

Covid-19 put paid to those plans. While some collaborative work did take place online, the planned launch in May and a rescheduled event in October had to be cancelled,

Clay Journeys is now online at www.claygalway.com until April 30.