Sustainability Horizons Exhibition at Castlepollard Library
The ‘Sustainability Horizons’ exhibition was officially opened on Thursday, November 21, in Castlepollard Library by local multi-disciplinary artist, Andrea Cullen. Andrea is well known for her work with Cúige Studios in Mullingar, and further afield thanks to her recent success as artistic director for Bressie’s ‘Where is My Mind’ tour.
The works in the show are the results of a community-centred collaboration between Westmeath Libraries, a sustainability educator and two local eco-literate artists.
The innovative project was born of an original concept by Dearbhla Sheridan of Westmeath Libraries. It was designed to combine sustainability education, community, and creativity through a series of workshops at Castlepollard Library. The resulting exhibition offers an opportunity for discussion and raises awareness for library visitors.
The workshops were facilitated by Anna Browne (bigskyflowers.ie), Teresa Doyle (teresadoyledolls.ie) and Bertille de Lestrade (instagram.com/studiobleuvintage).
Each session began with a discussion of a particular topic related to the climate crisis, and during the remaining time, the artists supported the participants in crafting responses to that initial discussion.
The first ‘Taking a Leaf’ session looked at underground biodiversity and the power of photosynthesis. A subsequent workshop looked at ‘Turning over a new leaf’ to adopt more sustainable practices, and taking a leaf out of each other’s books to identify those practices.
‘Let’s go Bananas’ looked at carbon footprints, genetic diversity – or lack thereof, and food waste.
‘Flower Power’ was an exploration of the global flower industry and what we can do to support pollinators and be aware of where our cur flowers and foliage come from.
All the work in the exhibition has been created by local participants without any formal training in the arts, and represents their innate response to the ongoing climate crisis.
The exhibition runs until Monday December 2. The work was funded by Creative Ireland through Westmeath Libraries.