Family and Farming Foundations
Cow House Studios is named for its practical origins on the O’Gorman family farm, where for over 250 years the family has lived and worked the land. Nestled at the foot of the scenic Blackstairs Mountains, it is located three miles from the village of Rathnure, County Wexford. The vision of two artists, Rosie O’Gorman and Frank Abruzzese, fortified by the generosity of the O’Gorman family, has transformed the function of the Cow House from a beautiful stone structure used for bedding cows into a studio committed to facilitating contemporary visual arts practice.
Michael O’Gorman, Rosie’s father, originally considered using the old farm buildings to hold art classes in 1997 when Rosie began her degree in Art Education at the NCAD, Dublin.
However, the idea of converting part of the O’Gorman farm into an artist space really took shape and gained momentum when Rosie and Frank met at the San Francisco Art Institute in 2002. By that time, it was clear the Cow House had potential to not only offer classes but also to position itself as an artistic and cultural hub for the region.
In 2005, plans to transform two buildings were put in motion. Between November 2006 and June 2008, both the studio and the Barn were lovingly renovated, maintaining the structural integrity of their unique birthplace. In June 2008, Cow House Studios opened hosting a group of young international artists. Today, Cow House Studios coexists alongside the working family farm.