WISHING ALL OF OUR CAMPAIGN FUNDERS A MERRY CHRISTMAS
Greetings from BLOCK T. We would like to take this opportunity to give you an update from the year we have had in our new home in Basin View and to tell you what we’ve been up to, and to let you know we are (finally!) ready to distribute our beautiful campaign rewards to YOU! - Just in time for crimbo.
First of all we want to thank you all again for your support throughout our transition from Smithfield this year. It was made all the easier thanks to the donations we received throughout the campaign.
It took us a lot of time and effort getting our new home up to scratch. Our incredible team spent a good six months painting, building, cleaning, organising and administrating the move in and we are still continuously making little improvements every day.
After a much needed break we are slowly but surely getting back up on our two feet. Since the beginning of the summer we have been filling up our workspaces which currently consist of studios, work-pods and a classroom space, and we have just introduced a new affordable open access membership, for those who are looking for somewhere to work throughout the day that isn’t their bedroom! If this strikes your interest you can sign up by emailing info@blockt.ie. Alternatively, you can find our selection of workspaces by checking out our website here. We currently have some vacant workspaces looking for their creative counterpart.
From September we launched a series of creative workshops under our Skillsets programme. We have had courses in Life Drawing, Portfolio Preparation, Oil Painting, Water Colour Painting, DIY Pallet Furniture, Making Stories Through Sound, Machine Sewing, Animation, Ableton and more. Our workshops have been well attended and we are looking forward to planning our educational programme for 2017, which is currently underway. With this in mind, we would like to ask you, is there a course you would like to teach? Is there a course you would like to see available that we currently haven’t offered on our prospectus so far? We are always open to suggestions and are looking for people to collaborate with. Get in touch with us if you think this could be you or if you have any insightful suggestions.
We are feeling the festivities at this time of year and right now we are also offering vouchers for sale for our Skillsets courses. If you would like to treat a loved one to the gift of creativity and learning this Christmas, you can purchase them here.
Another important aspect of our ethos in BLOCK T is to support recent graduates in helping them to develop their professional careers. We have partnered with Fingal County Council Arts Office since 2014 to support early career artists in the development of their practice. This year, in the early summer, we hosted a joint exhibition in Basin View by artists Alex De Roeck and Paddy-Jo Rickard. Their brash and playful show was a much welcomed house-warming to our new abode.
We are also delighted to announce that the recipient of the 2016 graduate award is Laura Skehan. Laura will have a residency in BLOCK T for 12 months which started in October and she will have a solo exhibition with us in the fall of 2017. We look forward to seeing the work she will produce during her time here. You can find out more about Laura on our website.
The last of our recent graduate announcements is the launch of a timely publication regarding the impact and instrumentalisation of art in Dublin, with a focus on BLOCK T in Smithfield, by artist and the 2014 graduate award winner, Kerry Guinan. Kerry will be launching her research publication in The Generator Hostel on Thursday 15th December from 6pm-8pm. The artist will present her research and this will be followed by a discussion with the audience. We believe Kerry’s research will be a prominent contribution and critical foundation upon which an alternative cultural vision of Dublin city can be formed. We can’t wait, and we extend an invitation to you all to attend.
Last, but certainly not least, and getting into the spirit of giving this festive season, we would love to invite you all down to BLOCK T at Basin View for a tipple and a chance to collect your campaign reward. We would love to see your merry faces on Tuesday 20th December from 6pm - 9pm to say a big Thank You in person and to give you your gift.
If you can’t make that date - no problem! We will be opening more time slots in the new year for you to come down to collect them. Alternatively, if you can’t swing by, we are posting out our rewards for those too far away to drop in. To arrange this, please email grace@blockt.ie
2016 has been quite a year, I think we can all agree. We are looking forward to being back on our feet with anticipation for what’s to come in 2017. Thanks for your patience, and here’s to a great new year.
Merry Christmas!
Thank you. We love you. Stay tuned.
And hope to see you soon.
BLOCK T x
