Arcadia Ireland

As I left Galway and headed towards Co. Clare my senses heightened as I took quick glances of the landscape, the green fields, the sky, the sea and the sheer beauty of the Burren. It is here that three of our students, Mia, Bristol and Rebecca have spent the last few months learning, exploring and creating unique and special pieces of work. The landscape in this place is the perfect setting for an artist and those looking for a different type of experience. One must be independent and not afraid of rural, quiet life to adapt to the Burren because it is very remote, There are no clubs and societies, not many bars, no clubs, only a handful of restaurants, the shop is a 40-minute walk away so it is true to say that the Burren College of Art is truly unique.  

When I hit the very small village of Ballyvaughan or the main “town” as the students call it, it looks as pretty as ever.  Little local businesses had survived the pandemic and standing beside the Irish flag was the blue and yellow one to welcome the Ukrainian people to Co. Clare. Ballyvaughan is now home to a large group of Ukrainians and it was clear from driving around the village that new people of all ages were finding their feet in a new strange village whilst trying to come to terms with what they had left behind. The people of Clare though have a special warmth about them and they have reached out their hand of friendship and kindness in a way that is very unique.  I could sense it from the minute I arrived into the county.

I arrived on “campus” and was greeted by a busy hen or three taking their usual stroll around the grounds. It reminded me even more of why students love this place. The day was still, there was a little bit of sunshine trying to break through the clouds and there was a peace about it that I love.  I headed straight to the art studios where I was given a warm welcome by our three students and the Burren College staff. To say I was impressed by the work of these three is an understatement.  

Mia Heidenreich, Alfred University

Paintings- Oil on canvas, Self-Meshed. An expression of dissociation and the experience of lagged time.

Hollow Bones - Representation of the fragility felt in her bones due to her struggles with chronic pain.

Displacement - One of many bird-like characters that are repeated in her work, often manifestations of mental states or states of being.

Flightless- a painting led by intuitive decision making and reactions to the experience of being in a new environment.

Photographs - Black and white film. The entire collection of photographs displayed here are an exploration of memory and time as it becomes warped in one’s mind. The photograms lean into her experience managing her chronic condition (fibromyalgia) and the different ways that impacts her view of the world around her. This, in conjunction with the photographs that are all multiple images layered over one another to create one image, or one memory, from many.

The field guide is a collection of imagined creatures that exist in the Burren of her imagination with the inclusion of some factual information blended with entirely made-up stories to imitate a true guide to fauna of the Burren.

 Rebecca Dorward, Sewanee, The University of the South

This student spent the semester focusing on dream theory and the idea of the unconscious, so she made work freely through stream of consciousness collages with two larger pieces in the final gallery (one was made over 17 days and one was made in 13 hours straight).

Bristol Long, Arcadia University

All of her artwork is based on her connection with nature. She went on walks and would just sit outside immersing herself in nature and her reflection of that time either comes out in writing or through art. Sometimes she combined both of them together