9 minute read
MUSEUMS & GALLERIES
FOCUS ON Museums & Galleries
With museums and galleries across the province just starting to reopen after our long lockdown, Ulster Tatler takes a look at the vibrant and extensive arts scene across Northern Ireland. With a focus on museums and galleries. As cultural and educational hubs, museums and galleries are home to rich displays of history and art, both traditional and contemporary. Galleries allow us to immerse ourselves in the unique, spectacular minds of artists, while museums place us in historical contexts, giving us perspective on past eras and historicallysignifi cant moments. In this feature, Ulster Tatler hears from industry experts and takes a look at some upcoming exhibitions as museums and galleries begin to re-open again. Don’t miss the special Northern Ireland centenary exhibitions!
GoldenThreadGallery,84-94GreatPatrickStreet,Belfast.BT12LU
AcrossandIn-Between SuzanneLacy
ImagebyHelenSloanSMPSPandRossMulhall
12th Juneto14th August2021
Historical Connections
Describe a typical working day for you.
It’s probably a real cliché but there is no typical day for us. The Ulster-Scots Community Network is a charity operating in the community sector tasked with promoting Ulster-Scots culture in all its forms, so a large portion of our work is helping groups on the ground across the 9 counties to promote and engage with the culture. We provide assistance around funding, information about various aspects of the culture and we also manage the Discover Ulster-Scots Centre in Belfast so our work can be very varied. In the Belfast centre we deal with enquiries from people looking to fi nd their ancestors, reconnect with their roots or even just fi nd out more about what Ulster-Scots entails. We welcome community groups from across Ulster, as well as visitors from further afi eld. Pre-Covid we had one US Tour company bringing 55 tours a year to us. We also deliver presentations both through the centre and out in the community. The centre serves as a cultural hub with music and dance performances as well as other cultural events including poetry, literature and food.
What’s happening at the Ulster-Scots Community Network at the moment?
After such a long time closed to the public we’re delighted to be open again and we’re starting to explore the options for when we can start hosting real-world events again. We try to keep our displays relevant as well as showcasing various themes across the year. At present we have a display on the archaeological dig that took place at Dunluce Castle and have a number of the artefacts found as part of that dig on display in the centre. We have a large gallery, given over to the connections between Ulster and the United States and the role played by people from these shores in making America the country that it is – and not just the Presidential links, but links to music, literature and commerce. We’re working with partners in the wider cultural sector too, to see how we can start to deliver musical performances again and planning for events to mark US Independence Day on 4th July.
Tell us what will be happening over the summer months.
We’re hopeful that as restrictions ease we’ll see more people taking the opportunity to explore local as foreign travel might still be out of reach for many. We’ll have a number of themed exhibitions – around the US Connections, some on local history and a push on family roots and exploring your family tree. We hope that as summer moves forward we’ll get a chance again to host some musical events in some form and fi nd ways to highlight cultural activity in a way that meets the requirements we currently operate under. We’re also hopeful that we’ll get a chance to take some of our events outdoors as another way of engaging the public.
Q&A
Ulster Tatler talks to David Gilliland Operations Director Ulster-Scots Community Network
VISIT THE DISCOVER ULSTER-SCOTS CENTRE
VICTORIA STREET, CATHEDRAL QUARTER, BELFAST MONDAY–FRIDAY, 10AM–4PM
www.DiscoverUlsterScots.com Tel: 028 9043 6710
FREE
ADMISSION
Belfast’s Linen Hall Library (since 1788) and cultural centre welcomes you back.
We have reopened our iconic Donegall Square doors.
Now in our 233rd year, the Library remains one of the most treasured institutions in Northern Ireland and further afield.
There is no fee to enter and explore our Victorian-listed building, search our world-renowned archives, enjoy our cultural events and relax in our newly refurbished café with stunning views over Donegall Square.
Come in and experience an oasis of calm.
17 Donegall Square N, Belfast BT1 5GB www.linenhall.com The Linen Hall Library is a charity and depends on donations to continue its great work.
ASSITANCE FOR YOUR ART
Belfast Print Workshop & Gallery is a fine art establishment in the heart of the Cathedral Quarter in Belfast. For over 40 years they have offered a resource for artists working with screen-printing and all its associated forms. Our member artists are well established in the art world exhibiting across the globe. Artists, training, exhibits, talks, master classes!
Open for
Membership Courses Exhibitions Demonstrations Gallery
Our fine art atelier hosts 50 artists and has been around for over 40 years. Specialising in all things screenprint, etching, lithography and relief printmaking and many other forms of print.
The Maurice Williamson Boys’ Brigade Heritage Museum
Situated within a tranquil setting of The Boys’ Brigade’s Ganaway Training and Activity Centre in the Ards Peninsula between Millisle and Ballywalter, the Museum is open every Tuesday and Wednesday and at other times by appointment. The façade is designed to replicate the Charlotte Street Mission Hall, Donegall Pass Belfast, where The BB was formed in Ireland in 1888.
Among the array of BB artefacts and memorabilia, the gallery space features displays that depict significant times in the context of The BB since its formation and is open each September as part of the European Heritage Open Days.
The Boys’ Brigade (Belfast Battalion) Boys’ Brigade House 14 May Street BELFAST BT1 4NR belfastbb.org.uk
HISTORY’S THREAD: MULLARNEY AT HIGHLANES GALLERY
One of the fi nest spaces on the island, Highlanes Gallery opens with a homage, or ‘femage’ to artist Janet Mullarney, who died last year. Elements of Mullarney’s critically acclaimed 2015 exhibition My Mind’s i, recently acquired to the collection is presented with other sculptural, installation and collage work from across her career. In the exhibition, small fragile sculptures are placed against simple backdrops within a heightened lighting scheme, allowing mysterious theatrical scenes to unfold. The juxtaposition of these small seemingly insignifi cant fi gures against large open spaces evoke a sense of anarchic independence as well as alluding to the subversive interior of the artist’s mind. My Minds I seeks to express an inner vision suggesting the vastness of experience and the aloneness of each individual in their journey through life.
Highlanes Gallery gratefully acknowledges the on-going fi nancial support from Louth County Council, the Arts Council of Ireland, as well as Patrons, Benefactors & Friends.
Janet Mullarney: My Mind’s i 2 – 12 June 2021 Highlanes Gallery is open Wednesday – Saturday, 10.30am – 4.30pm Pre-booking advised, but walk-ups facilitated. Visitors details are taken for contact tracing.
BOYS’ BRIGADE AT HOME AND ITS FUTURE
Ulster Tatler talks to Chief Executive of The Boys’ Brigade Belfast Battalion
• What does a typical day look like?
I try to maintain a focus on developing programmes and activities and providing relevant resources to support our volunteer leaders. I can go from answering a query on safeguarding to liaising with other youth work sector colleagues to engaging with funding bodies about potential projects that seek to provide additional opportunities alongside BB Programmes. Working with my staff team and other BB colleagues, we engage with volunteer leaders on a daily basis to provide guidance and support in their work with young people so that we can increase the personal development and life skills of members.
• What’s happening at The Boys’ Brigade at the moment?
With Covid restrictions, our engagement with young people and their Leaders has changed dramatically as meeting face-to-face has largely not been possible. BB has continued, albeit in a very different way than what we have been accustomed to, through a blend of virtual meetings using online technology to regular postings through social media. One big success over the past twelve months has been the introduction of ‘BB AT HOME’. We introduced a number of online competitions such as fantasy football, creative arts and crafts along with virtual competitions such as musician of the year, bake off, BB Pop Star, to name but a few.
Traditionally, the summer period is when we have summer camps, weekend trips and day visits before taking a well-earned break. Last year, due, these were largely paused so we are looking forward to restrictions being suffi ciently eased that will allow these to take place this year. The BB recently launched its ‘Go Wild Challenge’ that aims to get young people out into the great outdoors. A series of challenges such as forest gyms, twig towers, nature games, mini beast trails, den building, wildlife photography, survival shelters, water sports will compliment normal BB outdoor activities such as pioneering and orienteering. We also look forward to re-opening our BB Heritage Museum to visitors and plan to take part in the European Heritage Open Days in September.
EXHIBITION: SHIRTS, SINGERS AND SEWING
The Tower Museum and Guildhall in Derry have reopened, with an array of new exhibitions and content for visitors and full COVID-19 health and safety measures in place. In the Tower Museum permanent exhibitions have been refreshed with new captions and displays and a new tour guide app will be introduced in multiple languages for the museum’s Story of Derry exhibition.
The Tower Museum’s new exhibition Shirts, Singers and Sewing is also open to the public, telling the story of the shirt industry in the Northwest and the role of a predominately female workforce supplying the fi nest shirts to the world whilst contributing to the rapid growth of the city and a strong community. In the exhibition visitors can see some original artefacts from the shirt factories as well as stories form those who worked there.
Another major exhibition, Colmcille: Man and Myths launched on Thursday 27th May and looks at the story of the foundation of the settlement of Doire and the stories surrounding St. Colmcille and his legacy around the world.
Tower Museum
Derry - Londonderry - Doire
Explore, Experience and Enjoy the Tower Museum
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