GMIT Graduate Art Show 'Niche' to open on Saturday 1 June

The annual student art exhibition at GMIT’s Centre for Creative Arts & Media (Cluain Mhuire campus) has become an important fixture in Galway City's cultural calendar and this year 87 honours degree Art & Design students will unveil their work at its formal public opening on Saturday 1 June, 2pm.

The title of the exhibition, Niche, is inspired by the architectural details of the beautiful building in which the GMIT art college is located, formerly a Redemptorist Monastery. The exhibition shows a range of exciting work in the core disciplines of textiles, ceramics, paint, print and sculpture, as well as photography, video installations, documentary films and performance. It includes artists’ talks and tours of the centre which will be of particular interest to future students and anyone with a general interest in the visual arts.

The exhibition will be formally opened by Ms Vivienne Dick, a member of Aosdana and one of Ireland’s preeminent experimental and documentary filmmakers. Her works have been shown in some of the world’s leading art institutions including Moma (Museum of Modern Art, New York) The Tate Modern (London) and The Whitney Museum (New York). Vivienne Dick is originally from Donegal and has lived in Galway, London and New York. This year she will retire from GMIT where she has been lecturing film making for a number of years.

Hundreds of visitors, including the students’ families and friends, members of the public and art enthusiasts are expected to attend the GMIT exhibition which transforms the former Monastery each year into an exciting exhibition space./p>

GMIT’s Head of Centre for Creative Arts, Sarah Searson, says “This exhibition is a proud moment for our soon to be graduates and a wonderful opportunity to see the newer generation of artists in Galway City. We are unique in the Irish educational landscape in offering undergraduates visual specialisms within such an active and vibrant community of creative learning and practice. It’s not to be missed.”

“We are delighted to once again invite the wider public and arts community to view this exhibition. It is an extra special occasion this year as it marks GMIT’s 40th anniversary. For many of the art-going public it marks the beginning of the summer season of arts in Galway City and the event is open to all and free.”

The graduate exhibition gives GMIT Art & Design honours degree students a great opportunity to showcase their talents within the context of their educational environment. It is organised by the final year students themselves with support from their lecturers and staff.

Opening on Saturday, 1 June from 2pm, the GMIT Graduate Exhibition will run until Saturday 8 June, 11am to 7pm daily with a late opening Thursday 6th June, to 9pm. For further details on the show, please email Sarah or Pamela: CCAM@gmit.ie

View the exhibition catalogue at: http://www.gmit.ie/cluain-mhuire-campus.html