Celebration Of NI's Female Artists Launched

In celebration of International Women's Day, Friday 08 March, a special exhibition featuring female artists from Northern Ireland has launched in Cookstown.

The event will run for the month of March at the town's Burnavon Arts and Cultural Centre, and display some of the best examples of contemporary art from females in the region, covering a range of media including photography, painting, printmaking and drawing.

Collectively, the exhibition brings together artworks which tell the stories of women from different cultures, life experiences and times. It is a result of the Arts Council of Northern Ireland's new Art Lending Scheme, a free project open to curators, galleries and organisations interested in putting works from the Arts Council's collection on public display. 

The exhibition at Burnavon has been curated by Joanna Johnston, Visual Arts Officer at the Arts Council.

Suzanne Lyle, Head of Visual Arts, Arts Council of Northern Ireland, commented: "We are delighted to have works from the collection exhibited at the Burnavon Arts and Cultural Centre in celebration of International Women's Day. By offering the collection for public display, we are helping to showcase the work of our artists and to introduce the public to Northern Ireland's wealth of creative talent. I would encourage everyone to go along and see this exhibition at which promises to be an impressive mix of emerging and established artists."

The Chair of Mid Ulster District Council, Councillor Sean McPeake, also welcomed the new exhibition at the Burnavon. He said: "I'm delighted that the Burnavon, Cookstown are able to showcase this fantastic exhibition of art from the Arts Council by female artists throughout March, which is most fitting as we celebrate International Women's Day. I encourage everyone to call into the Burnavon and visit this free exhibition while we have it here in Mid Ulster."

Deputy Chair of Mid Ulster District Council, Councillor Frances Burton added: "As we mark International Women's Day, we recognise this year's theme 'Balance for Better' through this incredible exhibition by female artists across Northern Ireland. It offers a great opportunity to enjoy some of the best examples of contemporary art from the Arts Council's Collection, which I hope the residents of Mid Ulster will thoroughly enjoy."