Irish American Cultural Institute Opens New Art Gallery
LIMERICK - The Irish American Cultural Institute's O'Malley Art Collection and Gallery at the University of Limerick opened on April 22. The Irish American Cultural Institute's (IACI) Annual Arts and Cultural Awards were also presented that evening.
In 1981, Helen Hooker O'Malley Roelofs deeded a significant portion of her art collection to the Irish American Cultural Institute. The Irish American Cultural Institute's O'Malley Art Collection consists of works from Europe, Asia, North America and Africa.
The Irish segment, with about 75 items, represents a range of Irish art from 1930_1970 and includes paintings and sculptural works by Gerald Dillon, Patrick Hennessey, Hilary Heron, Paul Henry, Evie Hone, Mainie Jellett, Oisin Kelly, Louis Le Brocquy, Norah McGuiness, Theo McNab, Sean O'Sullivan, Nano Reid Salkeld, Patrick Scott, Anne Yeats, and Jack B. Yeats.
The European section includes work by Amadeo Modigliani, Georges Rouault, Pierre Soualges and less well known Italian and Greek artisits as well as examples of Greek and Roman antiquities.
Also included in the collection are works from Asia, North America and Africa. There are paintings, prints, sculpture, rugs and decorative arts such as masks, metal, ceramics, wood_cuts, screens, tombstone rubbings, wood_carvings, folk art and craft.
In the Asian field there are fine examples of Bermese, Cambodian, Chinese, Indian, Korean, Japanese, Thai and Persian works. These artifacts vary greatly from small domestic objects to larger temple religious figures. The small American section includes works by Rockwell Kent, Mark Tobey, and Mahonri Young.
The O'Malley Art Award was presented by the IACI to Patrick Scott. This award recognizes and promotes achievements in the visual arts, particularly those which have stimulated or guided other Irish artists. The award is given in the name of the family of the late Ernie O'Malley, who, in addition to his literary and patriotic activities, was also a notable collector of modern Irish art. The annual award was first presented in 1989 and is a value of $5,000.
Kilmainham Gaol was the recipient of the Heritage Award. Initially endowed by an anonymous donor in the West of Ireland, the Heritage Award reflects a conviction that history shapes and informs our daily life and should be made accessible to all. This award honors Irish efforts to interpret Irish history, and to promote an appreciation of its diversity, at the community level in Ireland. The Heritage Award is given annually. In recent years the support of the Heritage Council and Tourism Ireland has enabled the IACI to increase the award to $5,000.
The IACI also presented the Muriel Gahan Scholarship and Development Grant to Jools Hannon for the amount of 1,000 Euros. Additionally, the $1,000 Bernard Croke Memorial Musical Scholarship was presented. This scholarship enables young Irish musicians to participate in the Willie Clancy Summer School.
The Irish American Cultural Institute, founded in 1962, is the country's leading Irish American cultural organization. The IACI, with the President of Ireland as its Patron, is committed to the preservation, promotion, and exploration of Irish and Irish American culture.
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