Pathway

PATHWAY is a collaborative art commission between residents of Nazareth Village and artists Catherine Fanning and Brigitta Varadi.  

Twelve sculptural ceramic artworks have been designed and made for the grounds of the Village. Preceding the sculptural work, an exhibition showed the interaction and journey  the project took over a ten month period. The sculptural work responds in a sympathetic manner to the grounds. The village community and the contemporary structure of the new buildings provided a wonderful opportunity to collaborate and create. The sculptural work is an integral part of the architectural composition and surrounding environment and has a strong identity with the site.

The design and the concept for the work is the cycle of life, directly inspired by the garden and the changing of the seasons. The over arching theme is broken down into the four seasons of Spring, Summer, Autumn and Winter. The designs and imagery for each sculptural piece was developed from the creative sessions with the Village residents.

Photo credit: Val Robus and Brigitta Varadi

Clare Lynch was the Activities Facilitator for the Residents of Nazareth Village. The Commissioners saw that Clare’s role was ideal to support the mediation of artists and residents. She was employed by the Commissioners to act as the facilitator and contact between the artists and the residents. Her role was to arrange the workshops and contact time between the artists and the residents and to ensure that every resident was kept informed of the commission’s progress.  Clare wrote up notes of the workshops and every resident received a copy of the notes.  This ensured that all residents felt involved in the process, whether they were active participants in the workshops or not. 

Prior to the installation of the work, an exhibition which documented the work in progress was launched during the Bealtaine Festival. On the launch day, the artists gave a talk about the creative process of making the work. The exhibition was open to the public for three months and had a high number of visitors.

Catherine Fanning lives and works in Sligo. Her training background is in painting and printing. For the past 17 years Catherine has exhibited widely throughout Ireland. 

Running parallel with Catherine’s own practice is her extensive involvement within the area of Arts in Health and Socially Engaged Practice 

Through her socially engaged art practice she has endeavoured to create social change through collaboration with individuals, communities, and institutions in the creation of participatory art.

Through her work Catherine has had the opportunity to work collaboratively with other artists and explore and become experienced in media such as, ceramics, mixed media, film and creative writing.

Brigitta Varadi was born in Hungary and currently she divides her time between Co.Leitrim, Ireland, New York, USA and her native Hungary. Brigitta has exhibited both nationally and internationally including, UK, Ireland, France, Finland, Sweden, Hungary and the USA. 

Her work is found in many public and private collections including a commission by the Office of Public Works for The Department of Education and Science in Athlone.  

Brigitta works on commissions and exhibitions, developing projects with people of all ages and abilities within the community sector, schools, prisons and arts centers. She has co-designed and facilitated the Creative Lab for the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, Bonn, Germany (2013). 

Mary McDonagh, Public Art Officer

Patricia Curran-Mulligan, Artist

Peter Fulop, Ceramicist

Leitrim Sculpture Centre staff and artists