EXHIBITION| Re-Connecting - opening 5th October, Down Arts Centre, Downpatrick /  by Rachel Fitzpatrick

Re Connecting: A solo exhibition exploring the visual elements of recovery and resilience

Join me next Thursday 5th October at 7pm evening to launch my solo show ‘Re-Connecting’ exploring my visual interpretation of recovery and resilience through sculpture, collaboration and installation.

Re-Connecting will spans the gallery spaces at Down Arts Centre exploring visual elements of my rediscovery and reconnection with creativity after acquired brain injury.   Pieces explore reconnection with colour through making after a period with an absence of confidence in colour.  Place and storytelling are integral to the exhibition with pieces taking inspiration from stories of resilience, strength and survival depicted in native folk songs.   

The central piece ‘Re-framing II’ was made in collaboration with Brain Injury Matters in Belfast and is an iteration of ‘Re-framing’ installation which formed part of Rachel’s solo show in the Island Arts Centre last spring.

This exhibition has been kindly supported through funding by the Arts Council NI through the National Lottery via the Support the Individual Artist, General Arts Award.

Festive Workshops | The Most Wonderful Time of the Year!! /  by Rachel Fitzpatrick

I have some amazing workshops planned over the next few weeks and the lead up into the festive season and end of year which I’m really excited about!

Some are free family drop-ins others may need to be booked to secure a place - check out the links to find out more information - looking forward to seeing you there!

Image of three drawn Christmas masks, an elf, a reindeer and Santa

MAC Art Club Christmas Dress UP | 04.12.22. | 11am & 12.15pm (Please click on image to book)

Two children's craft shown, a paper plate shaped like a bubble with coloured tissue paper on left and a red card with colourfully strips shaped like a tree.

Children’s Christmas Craft at F.E. McWilliam Gallery & Studio | 10.12.22. | 10am & 11.30am (please click on image to book)

Image of drawn festive masks, an elf, a reindeer and Santa

MAC Art Club Christmas Dress Up | 18.12.22. 11am & 12.15pm | Please click on link to book

WORKSHOP | Imagination Station - Window Sculpture, 3rd Sep 1-4pm at The MAC, Belfast /  by Rachel Fitzpatrick

Join me tomorrow afternoon down in The MAC, in Belfast for lots of creativity fun inspired by the Ron Mueck exhibition.

Inspired by the sculpture 'Woman with Shopping' in the Upper Gallery, we need your help to decorate the huge window in the Playroom. You'll get to make your own "Mini Mueck" by drawing in your character's features and clothes and giving them a name.

We'll then put them all on the window so everyone who passes by can see them and read all about the mini people you have created.

Join us for a drop-in family workshop to draw and colour your mini paper sculpture and help make our window installation a reality.

Fun for all ages - and off course road tested by Imogen (8) and Liam (5).

EXHIBITION | Linen Lab Gallery Installation /  by Rachel Fitzpatrick

I was quite nervous about the installation of this piece - it was so big, would it fall down, would it break… what did it look like?? Luckily I was dealing with absolute professionals who gently installed the grids and unwrapped each strand of pinwheels, all from a height of 6 metres!

A huge thank you to all the staff and team at Armagh City, Banbridge and Craigavon Borough Council.

The Exhibition runs until 9th November 2019.

STUDIO | Linen Lab Preparation /  by Rachel Fitzpatrick

With all the calculations completed now came the more exciting task of constructing the piece.

This began outside in the garden preparing the grids with white spray paint. The grids were then brought inside to begin the process to threading the 1000 pinwheels on about 2km of linen thread. Each strand was then bagged up ready to be transported to the gallery.

EXHIBITION | Linen Lab Exhibition Opening /  by Rachel Fitzpatrick

Over the next few weeks I will be posting lots of information about my involvement in the Linen Lab project and it’s exhibition, which opens 11th October at 11am at FE McWilliam Gallery & Studio.

There will be an additional Meet the Maker opening from 2-4 on Saturday 12th October.

The Linen Lab exhibition will feature the work of Heather Richardson, Jill Phillips, Robert Peterson, Studio Plastique, Lynsey McDougal, Deborah Malchomson and myself.

We are the creative professionals who have been challenged to work collaboratively with young people aged 10-19 in schools and college across Armagh, Banbridge and Craigavon. Over the nine-month programme of classroom and gallery-based creative sessions, we have developed new work for the exhibition held in the FE McWilliam Gallery, Banbridge from Oct 11th to Nov 9th 2019.

STUDIO | Linen Lab Exhibition Planning /  by Rachel Fitzpatrick

Almost 1000 colourful pinwheels for ‘Flaxation’ had been made in the classroom by the pupils of Ballydown, St Mary’s and Bridge Integrated Primary School. However was still the task of counting and organising them to create the piece for the Linen Lab exhibition. This quickly became a more complicated engineering task than I had originally anticipated, how many of each colour were there and in what order could they be displayed?

Once the mathematical side of things had been calculated I was able to get stuck into the task of making the piece.

i think it took me a few days to check and then recheck my calculations!

WORKSHOP | Linen Lab Schools’ Gallery Visit to F.E. McWilliam Gallery & Studio /  by Rachel Fitzpatrick

As part of the Linen Lab Programme each school had the opportunity to visit the F.E. McWiliam Gallery & Studio. During their visit the had a guided tour of the current exhibition and the outdoor sculptural garden. After this the children created more pinwheel flowers and we discuss their piece, where it would be and what it might look like. we also discussed potential names for the piece and the children decided on ‘FLAXATION’

The exhibition will run from October 11th to 9th November 2019

For further information on the Linen Lab project see the website here

WORKSHOP | Lab Nights: Sculptural Linen Workshop /  by Rachel Fitzpatrick

This workshop formed part of a new series of evening workshops in 2019 for young people at the F.E.McWilliam Gallery and Studio. These workshops were offered as part of the Linen Lab project - encouraging young people to explore Linen in new ways and experiment with a range of creative processes.

Sculptural Linen workshop encouraged young people to get involved in a laboratory of form, texture and the written word. it was led by myself and writer Heather Richardson. We used various mark making and constructed Textile Techniques and the workshop was perfect for budding artists, designers and creative writers or those hoping to develop portfolio skills for college and university.

The Linen Lab Exhibition will run from 11th October to 9th November 2019

For more information about the Linen Lab Project click here