FROM humble beginnings to international success, this month marks 40 years of the West Cork Arts Centre.
What began as a grassroots initiative to support and showcase local creativity had blossomed over the last four decades into one of Ireland’s most respected regional arts centres.
Former treasurer of West Cork Arts Centre (WCAC) from 1985 to 2012, Gerald O’Brien reminisces on where it all began: on North Street, on the ground floor of the Sutherland building.
‘The main reason why the arts centre came into being was an influx of artists into the area in the early 70s and 80s,’ he says. ‘From about 1985 to 2000 – it was a sort of a golden age of art in West Cork because there were a lot of imminent artists coming and going.’
He says the centre wouldn’t have remained operational for forty years without the spill in of new creatives to the area: ‘There were people exhibiting here that would never have been near Skibbereen before.’
It was an exciting time, says Gerald, as the centre expanded, showcasing new works at monthly exhibitions and attracting national attention and investment.
He recalls in particular the success of the Living Landscape show from 1987 to 1996, that raised the centre’s profile to new heights, attracting national acclaim.
‘It was the image built up through those years got the investment of the new centre,’ says Gerald.
When director of WCAC, Ann Davoren joined the centre in 2001 she says it was a small space with committed people and a lot of activity.
‘It was founded by a group of committed and interested local artists that were looking for a permanent home to exhibit their work.’
Funding from the Arts Council enabled the programming to grow beyond just local artists, exhibiting both national and international work.
In 2015, the centre moved to its new home at Uillinn, the former Wolfe’s Bakery in the heart of Skibbereen town.
‘There was a huge amount of work, but it involved so many different people who were just so supportive and had a vision as well to say, “Yes we can do this”. Skibbereen’s a small town in rural Ireland on the edge of an island, which is on the edge of Europe, but we can make an international space for the arts in our town,’ says Ann.
Uillinn took ten years to manifest, owing to constraints amid the onslaught of the financial crash as developers fell through.
However, despite these roadblocks along the way, the centre came to fruition in 2015, a testament to the commitment of the people involved, and marks its 10th birthday this month.
‘It was the vision and the commitment of a lot of people... people who just believed in the idea of a building for the arts.’
Uillinn aims to provide access to the arts for everyone, says Ann.
The old arts centre in North Street, and right, the newer Uillinn building.
‘That’s our core value really, is that we believe that everybody should have access to the arts and that people shouldn’t have to travel to Dublin or to Cork or to Belfast or to London or to New York to see top class arts or top-class exhibitions. And also, to encounter artists and to meet with artists.’
‘That has been the really brilliant thing about our new building. Not only did we increase our space by tenfold; we were able to include workspaces for artists.’
Having worked with WCAC and Uillinn for nearly a quarter of a century, Ann says it’s been ‘interesting, stimulating and exciting work.’
‘The great thing about being involved and this work is that no two days are the same. There’s always something different. There’s always artists to meet and that’s kind of the best part of the work, really, is meeting with artists and talking to artists.
And talking through ideas with artists and seeing how best to support them to communicate those ideas through exhibitions and through arts projects. That brings a huge amount of stimulus to the work.’
Ann believes the future of Uillinn is bright.
‘The future looks very bright; we’ve got really great support from the Arts council. The building is functioning very well, it’s allowed us to expand, it’s allowed us to try out different ideas. The building is such an asset to the town of Skibbereen and to West Cork in general and our whole focus really is really to ensure that this building and our programme, and the fact that we’re here in Skibbereen, is of benefit to people and that they connect with us all the time.’
Former treasurer from 1985 to 2012, Gerald O’Brien.SPECIAL CELEBRATORY EXHIBITION
To mark the 40-year milestone of the founding of the West Cork Arts Centre, and 10 years since the inception of Uillinn, the centre will host its largest members’ and friends’ exhibition to date from Saturday May 31st until Thursday July 3rd.
This exhibition features work by artists who participated from the very early days of the centre, right through to the present, and functions as a special tribute to them as well as the wider community and other supporters who have shaped the centre over the decades.
For the first time, thanks to the support of Morgan O’Driscoll Fine Art Auctioneers, there will be a €2,000 prize presented to a selected artist. Other prizes include an exhibition opportunity at Cnoc Buí, Union Hall, and a residency at Uillinn in 2026. The winner will be chosen by a jury as well as a public vote throughout the month, and will be announced towards the end of June.
