Community update with Sarah Bastacky Sarah Bastacky was a student during our summer program back in 2014. She graduated this spring from Bard College with a BA in Studio Arts and is currently based in New York’s Hudson Valley. Sarah’s projects and performances invite puppets, paintings, and whatever else necessary into the process of building a […]
Recipe: Shakshuka We first came across Shakshuka back in 2012 when it was prepared for us by visiting artist Devra Fox. It was one of the days in-between our summer program sessions and the moment we tried it, we knew it just had to become one of our regular mealtime offerings. Shakshuka is an Israeli […]
Graignamanagh, a quaint and richly historical village not far from Cow House, is home to Cushendale Woollen Mills, one of the last Irish woollen mills in the country and the only one in the south-east of Ireland. Run by the Cushen family for generations, they make beautiful textiles and rolls of yarn from the fleece […]
Exhibition: After the Landscape Opening at Library Project on Thursday, May 30th at 6 pm. Participating artists: Melissa Averitt, Peter Brown, Alyssa Chase, James Claiborne, Kathryn Douglass, Caroline Lombardino, Gabrielle Mills, Theresa Newell, Brittany Souder, Louie Tangca, and Todd Turner. With Facilitators Leah Sobsey and Heather Mallory As long as there has been art, artists have […]
Community update with Kate Strain
Kate Strain is the Artistic Director of Grazer Kunstverein. Based between Graz, Austria and Dublin, her ongoing curatorial projects include Department of Ultimology, a new department established with Fiona Hallinanin in 2016 at Trinity College Dublin and RGKSKSRG, the paired curatorial practice of Rachael Gilbourne and Kate Strain.
We were fortunate to work with Kate on two projects. The first, I like to eat with my hands, took place in 2015 under the collaborative practice RGKSKSRG. The second, The Centre For Dying On Stage #3, took place in 2016 with the support of The Arts Council‘s Curator in Residence scheme. Kate generously took some time out of her hectic schedule to answer a few of our questions.
It’s been just a few days since our first ever gap year students went their separate ways and looking back on our time with them, it seems as if the past twelve weeks went by in a flash. Here at Cow House, we could not have been more fortunate to host such a wonderful group […]
Recipe: Nutella & Salted Caramel Stuffed Cookies It might come as no surprise that Nutella is quite popular during our summer program. It’s so popular that on occasion, we have, in fact, had to ration the delicious chocolate and hazelnut spread. After all, sugar highs are usually followed by sugar lows. We think the obsession must […]
In County Cork, nestled just above Mizen Head, Ireland’s most Southwesterly point, lies the ruins of Dunlough Castle or ‘Three Castle Head’. Dunlough Castle or Dun a Locha, which means the fort of the lake, was built by Donagh na Aimrice O’Mahoney in 1207. In its glory days the castle sat proudly as three towers, […]
The farm is quiet this week. We’ve just completed the eighth week of our gap year program FieldWorks and many of our students have taken the Easter break as an opportunity to travel for the week. Some have remained in Ireland while others have travelled to destinations within Europe and still, others have chosen to […]
Community update with Woosung Lee
Woosung Lee participated in our residency program in the autumn of 2014. Based in Seoul, Korea, his painting and drawing practice draw upon memory, nostalgia and humor to create whimsical tapestries that can exist both within a gallery setting or unexpected urban settings. In 2017 he provided a wonderful illustration for a limited edition run of mugs to fund the scholarship program for Art on the Farm, our summer art program.
In 2009 Woosung received his BFA in painting from Hongik University, Seoul, Korea and in 2012, his MFA from Korea National University of Arts, Seoul, Korea. Woosung has exhibited his work widely both in Korea and abroad and has taken some time away from his active studio practice to answer a few of our questions.
The Living Arts Project is an artist-in-residence scheme for primary schools in County Wexford. The aim of this project is to provide children with an understanding and appreciation of contemporary visual art. The Living Arts Project exhibition represents a selection of work produced by the participating primary schools.
Additionally, supported by the Creative Ireland Programme, artists Els Dietvorst and Cow House Co-Director Frank Abruzzese worked with pupils from Ramsgrange Community School. The residency, developed with Art Teacher Aoife Power, included workshops on drawing, printmaking, and photography. Included in the exhibition is People Who, a new work by Frank Abruzzese which was made in collaboration with the students over the course of several weeks.
It’s hard to believe we’re already one month into our new gap year program FieldWorks. It has all at once felt like the blink of an eye and a much longer stay. Our students have accomplished a great deal in their time with us thus far, working with Co-Directors Rosie & Frank as well as […]
Recipe: Roasted Red Pepper & Tomato Soup with Cheese Toasties
This recipe is a sophisticated twist on a summer camp classic. As a young boy, Cow House Co-Director Frank Abruzzese spent several summers in New Hampshire on the shores of Lake Winnipesaukee at Camp Tecumseh. Grilled cheese sandwiches and tomato soup were most definitely a camper favourite and gathering from other peoples’ experiences, this particular combination is a popular one.
A few tweaks elevate this dish, the first simply substitutes a good quality cheddar for the more standard American cheese slice. We shred our cheese to ensure an even melt. As always, Kerrygold butter on the bread is key and finally, the added flavour of roasted peppers in the tomato soup is a big step up from the canned variety usually served.
Twenty minutes from Cow House Studios, just outside Enniscorthy town, lies an area rich in history. Carley’s Bridge Pottery, established in 1654, pre-dates the O’Gorman farm by nearly 200 years and is known as Ireland’s oldest pottery. Founded by two brothers from Cornwall, England, they settled in the area because it was known to be […]
Community update with Ruth Connolly
Ruth Connolly is a photographer living and working in Dublin. She holds a BA in Fine Art Printmaking from Limerick School of Art and Design, and an MA in Photography from Central Saint Martins, London. Her first book, If you lived here, you’d be home by now was published in 2017 by The Velvet Cell.
Her personal work primarily explores the balance and tension between people and place. Commercially, she works with design studios, advertising agencies and businesses, helping to create a tone and feel for a brand through photography. Ruth is a photography lecturer at Dublin Institute of Design.
Ruth participated in our residency How to Flatten a Mountain in 2017 when she made the fantastic body of work Each evening we see the sun set which she made into an exquisite handmade book for the exhibition at Rathfarnham Castle. This work was then published by PhotoIreland Foundation as part of their TLP Editions series. Ruth has kindly taken some time to answer our questions.
Recipe: Beef & Guinness Stew with Mashed Spuds
During these cold winter months, nothing could be better than a comforting bowl of stew. The weather here in Ireland seems perfectly suited for food like this from mid-autumn through early spring and thankfully, the grass-fed lamb and beef, as well as the fantastic root vegetables available here, lend themselves well to this style of cooking.
This recipe uses perhaps Irelands most well-known export, Guinness, the hearty stout from Dublin. When co-directors Rosie and Frank moved to Ireland after studying for their masters at San Francisco Art Institute, they lived for a time in Stoneybatter, a section of Dublin just north of the river and west of the city center. St James’s Gate, where the famous brew is made, was just a short walk away on the other side of the Liffey. Some mornings the sweet and earthy aromas of malting barley were so strong it seemed like it was being brewed next door. Some of those same aromas are strongly present in this fantastic stew.
When we hosted our first group of artists at Cow House eleven years ago, we understood the value of uninterrupted time and space to make work. We strove to create a place where a small artistic community could engage with all the possibilities of making work in our unique environment. We wanted to support artists, […]
Meet Co-Directors Rosie O’Gorman & Frank Abruzzese Starting today, Cow House Co-Directors Rosie O’Gorman and Frank Abruzzese will be travelling across the United States to speak with parents and students about Art on the Farm, our summer program for teens and FieldWorks our gap year art program. This is a fantastic opportunity to ask questions […]
This past Autumn, associate artist Ann Maria Healy exhibited a new video work titled When Dealers Are Shamans at Pallas Projects. The initial ideas for this project began when Ann Maria was with us for our residency I like to eat with my hands. She became interested in our peacock George and began some initial research. We were […]
Recipe: Gluten Free Christmas Pudding
This recipe has been adapted from one of Darina Allen’s classics. Darina is an enthusiastic advocate for Irish food both at home and abroad, and was instrumental in setting up the Farmers’ Market Movement in Ireland. She set up the Ballymaloe Cookery School with her brother in 1983 and has released numerous cookbooks and television series. Rosie’s sister Edel adapted this recipe from Darina’s book, A Simply Delicious Christmas. Rosie’s mother, Mary, has been using this book for many years, having been gifted to her by Rosie’s father Michael in 1989. Known for his sweet tooth, we still wonder to this day whether this gift was meant to be a hint!