Stone Symposium
STONE SYMPOSIUM:
3D Stone Carving; Lettercutting; Relief Carving and Tool Forging & Tempering.
Friday 4th to Sun 13 July. 10am to 4pm each day. Participants: Max 12.
Cost: €480. Open to any level of experience.
This inaugural stone symposium brings together a diverse range of skills and techniques for working with stone. Each tutor specialises in one or more techniques that will be taught over the course of the symposium. Tutors: Jackie McKenna (Stone Carving); Seamus Dunbar (Stone Lettercutting); Dominic Keogh (Relief work, conservation, and Lettercutting) and Tom Glendon (Forging & Tempering). There is ample free time to develop your work during the course of the symposium. Presentations and discussions will also be provided by the tutors.
Materials, tools & safety gear are provided, but feel free to bring your own tools too.
Programme:
Up to 10 days full access to facilities to work on your own pieces with tuition.
Fri 4 & Sat 5 – Tuition in 3D Stone Carving (Jackie McKenna) or Lettercutting (Seamus Dunbar) - (please state your preferred process when booking).
Evening Presentations: Friday "30 Years of Stone Carving" with Jackie McKenna. Saturday: Documentary on the “Cathal Bui Sculpture” with Seamus Dunbar.
Sun 6 – Tuition for all on Stone Relief Carving with Dominic Keogh and Seamus Dunbar. Evening presentation: "Restoration & Construction in Stone" with Dominic Keogh.
Mon 7 to Thur 10 – Four days of access to facilities whilst you work on your own pieces with technical support every morning from one tutor.
Fri 11 – Tool Forging & Tempering with Tom Glennon.
Sat 12 – Tool Forging & Tempering with Tom Glennon.
Evening presentation: "Tribute to Brendan McGloin RIP - A Leitrim Based Sculptor".
Sun 13 – Tuition in the morning in your preferred process – carving, cutting or relief.
Outside of the teaching times you will have full access to facilities to work on your pieces without tutor support. The symposium fee is the same whether you attend one or two weekends or the whole symposium.
Symposium Booking Link:
Accommodation:
Individual self-catering accommodation includes private bedroom with bedding and towels, communal kitchen; lounge; washing machine; wifi & bathrooms.
Arriving Thursday 3rd pm to Monday am on 14th (whole period or only some nights) - €150.
Book this by emailing: info@leitrimsculpturecentre.ie to see if we have availability.
Bios
Jackie McKenna is a co-founder of the Leitrim Sculpture Centre, bringing forty years of experience as a professional artist and tutor. Her practice spans various disciplines and contexts, where she has developed a series of socially engaged, long-term projects with community groups locally and abroad. McKenna’s interests connect to geology, landscape, and experimentation with locally sourced clays and stones at different stages of her artistic process. This passion drives her to research the properties and potential of these materials to discover new methodologies of working. McKenna has completed numerous public commissions and is recognized as an expert in the use of stone for both public spaces and fine art practices in Ireland and beyond.
Seamus Dunbar is based in Manorhamilton, Co. Leitrim, where he co-founded along with fellow artists the Leitrim Sculpture Centre. With a background in sculpture, Dunbar has worked in a range of media including stone, wood and bronze, creating a number of publicly commissioned artworks as well as numerous smaller works. He has participated in sculpture symposia in Ireland and internationally, and has received a number of awards and bursaries from the Arts Council of Ireland, the Artists’ Association of Ireland, and Wexford and Leitrim Co. Councils. He taught sculpture techniques at the Fire Station Artists’ Studios, Dublin (1993-95) and Leitrim Sculpture Centre (1995-03) and completed an MFA Art in Public at the University of Ulster in Belfast, integrating his studies with his on-going practice.
Dominic Keogh is a multidisciplinary stonemason from Kilmovee, East Mayo, currently living in Manorhamilton, County Leitrim. He specialises in the conservation and restoration of traditionally built historic structures, from humble farmhouses to grand estates, using traditional methods and materials. Additionally, he hand carves memorials and artistic signs with traditional tools. Dominic is also passionate about passing on his skills and knowledge through training, talks, and presentations. These efforts have allowed him to share his expertise in Irish stoneworking at craft festivals in Canada, America, and the U.K