Learning Development: 2009 student artists - biographies and work samples

Chloe Brenan	Casey Craig	Sarah Johnston	Bridge Lucey	Niamh Moriarty
Louise Bulter	Jamie Crosbie	Camilla Kane	Grace McEvoy	Caitríona Rogerson
Siobhan Carroll	Elizabeth Doogan	Aine Kavanagh	Emily McFarland	Nadia Shah
Catherine Clark	Enda Flynn	Marie-Therese Keating	Simon McKeagney	Anaelle Steiner
Emma Clarke	Emma Geraghty	Amie Lawless	Rebecca McNaughton	Kristine Stolakis
Oonagh Comerford	Megan Griffin	Aoife Leddy	Christina Mejias	Susan Walsh

	Chloe Brenan I am currently in thirfd year in NCAD studying Fine Art, specialising in print. My work consists of a variety of media including of etchings, lithographs, silkscreens, photography, drawings and recentlfy some installation work. Thematically my work deals with the fallibility of the human experience, and aims to highlight the subjectivity and likely inaccuracy of the individual’s perception.
	Anaelle Steiner My practice covers exploration of identity and memory within its different contexts. I have looked at the identity of an individual in relation to society and the media, as well as a granddaughter’s self-identification through a conversation with her grandfather. Currently I am interested in society and their identification with each other and their surroundings. Looking at society through the photographic lens gives me an opportunity to capture and frame the day to day moments. The world is full of invisible life that only the camera can make visible. Being able to frame a moment in time crates a context which may never have existed before. This is why my interest lies with the analogue black and white film camera and darkroom development. I believe it has an innate theme of interactivity and gives an opportunity to be much more unique.

	Louise Bulter Louise Butler is a 3rd year Fine Art student in NCAD, specialising in painting. After sitting her Leaving Certificate in 2003, she joined the work force for two years, as a warehouse operative. She then completed a portfolio course in Ballyfermot College before commencing her studies in NCAD. Having originated from Cook Street, Louise is interested in urban spaces, and the effect the last century’s technological acceleration has had on society. The predominant medium she uses is paint, however she often employs mixed media and photography in her work. She is looking forward to working with Create to develop and deepen her understanding of the community-based arts.
	Simon McKeagney

	Siobhan Carroll Siobhan Carroll is originally from County Louth but has been living and studying in Dublin for three years. Her art operates in the public sphere where it explores the relationship between art and society and the theraputic and provoking outcomes of such symbiosis. It merges art with social activism, concerned with addressing the supressing conditions existant within society, in order to expose, act upon and transform them. The interdisciplinary nature of her practice involves contributors from all denominations and disciplines, in order to achieve a better informed, richer collective outcome, via means of consultation and communication. Thematically she deals with the hostile conditions of the City, Public Transport systems , the urban environment and its effects on relationships, community and individuals. Her work is not stylistically attributable, but uses a myriad of processes and techniques to respond relevantly to her chosen project.
	Caitríona Rogerson Caitriona Rogerson is a twenty-one year old 3rd Year Fine Art student at NCAD, specialising in Painting. She grew up in the Wicklow mountains but now lives in Temple Bar in Dublin. Her work has typically taken the form of collage based, multi-media pieces with an emphasis on surface and texture. More recently however she has developed an interest in cities and the anonymity of urban life, leading her to explore ways of promoting and increasing social interaction between people in public spaces. After working in Africa for 3months she became very interested in community-based arts. She now hopes that working with Create will assist her in developing and consolidating her involvement with collaborative arts projects back in Ireland.

	Catherine Clark Catherine Grace Clark is a third year Drama major at Tisch School of the Arts, New York University, where she studied acting at the Stella Adler Studio. Her recent acting credits include Pericles by William Shakespeare, Uncommon Women and Others by Wendy Wasserstein, and Scenes from an Execution by Howard Barker. She also directed Women of Manhattan by John Patrick Shanley in 2008. Catherine is originally from Milwaukee, Wisconsin where she was fortunate enough to attend public arts schools and study a variety of performing and creative arts. When she is not doing theatre, Catherine enjoys cooking, reading, music, and film.
	Nadia Shah Nadia was born in London. She moved to Dublin as an infant and is currently studying Fine Art in DIT. Her work is driven by social and cultural influences, particularly those that pertain to religion. Although her work is biographical, it is this topic that pushes her to involve herself in community projects and group experiences. She is currently taking part in the Inter Art College Placement Programme run by Create Ireland. In 2008 she has engaged herself with the Charleston Better Connections organisation in Dundee, Scotland. Here, she worked closely with youths and the Arts in an aim to help battle against the social developments in the surrounding locale. In July 2008 she worked in collaboration with a group of artists in the Hilton Hotel, North Strand, to coincide with a conference on Cystinosis. In 2006 Nadia was involved with BCFE in an after school "Art Workshop" for youths residing in the Ballyfermot catchment area

	Emma Clarke Emma Clarke is a student artist studying at DIT. She is in her third year of a Fine Art degree. She previously studied at Ballyfermot College of Further Education and received a Certificate in Art, design and Mixed Media. She spent the summer of 2008 living in Brooklyn, N.Y. where she immersed herself in the New York art scene. She was involved in an exhibition in the back loft in May 2008. She is featured in an online pdf named Ashkelon .She will be exhibiting in March 2009.
	Aoife Leddy I'm a 3rd year sculpture student in NCAD. In previous work I have used film and sound as a means of documentation and presentation of work. This work focused mainly on interviews and performance. However I recently presented a proposal to erect a fountain in the Dublin 8 region. I focused my project on water flow in the area and on the idea of water Divining with copper rods. It was a collaboration piece and I found it very interesting to work along side someone and combine ideas. During this work we volunteered at a local homework club and talked with the children about our project and showed them how to water divine. At the moment I am interested in the wants and protests of different groups. I'm looking at the language, impact, reasons and methods of protesting and how this could translate into art. I’m open to explore a new idea with the community work.
	Bridge Lucey Bridge Lucey is a full-time third-year student at IADT. Her interests lie in photography and performance. Often drawing her inspiration from past experiences, she is interested in examinations of the Self and getting personality across in artwork. She doesn’t like when art takes itself too seriously.

	Oonagh Comerford My name is Oonagh Comerford and I am from Leixlip, Co. Kildare. I am a third year sculpture student at NCAD. I have an interest in a variety of medium, but more recently have been using video and performance both in my work and to document my work. I tend to focus on arbitrary aspects and mindsets of everyday life and illuminate and highlight them in a subtle manner with the use of organically inspired structures, light and audio. Recently after working on a proposal for a public realm project I realised the interest I had in working with communities in the public sphere.
	Christina Mejias I am an Erasmus student from Madrid (Spain) where I have been studying Architecture for 3 years, and Fine Arts for 4. This is my fifth year studying Fine Arts and I am currently an exchange student at the NCAD, in the department of Sculpture. As for my work for the last 4 years in Madrid, I have been working in several fields, such as Painting, Sculpture, Photography, Illustration and Media, making art projects mostly related to Social Art, but also in a number of other contexts. Last year I had my first experience co-creating (together with a friend of mine I often collaborate with) a personal project in an Art gallery: a performance involving a magician, a poet, a camcorder, a rope and a aquarium. I don’t have a clearly-defined field of activity yet, since I am used to working in different disciplines. However, if I have to choose, some things I would mention as my interests are Photography, Illustration, Public Art related to Architecture. And I really love Music and Street art.

	Casey Craig I am a junior at New York University majoring in Dramatic Literature, Theater and Cinema Studies, and I am pursuing a minor in Irish Studies. I am originally from Miami, Florida, where I attended a performing arts school. I have held a position as a musical theater coach at an arts camp for a number of years, and I have also worked for the production management company for the hit Broadway musical “Wicked.” My intention is to pursue a degree in theater education in graduate school. Other interests of mine include cooking, traveling, reading, and surfing.
	Emma Geraghty Emma Jayne Geraghty is a third year fine art student in DIT. In 2006, she achieved a fetec level 5 award in art, design and mixed media, in BCFE. Currently she is basing her work between the studio and the community with an inter-disciplined approach to her work. She has a keen interest to continue her studies abroad in the future and is currently preparing for her first exhibition in Feb 09, and another closely following in early May.

	Jamie Crosbie I am a full time student in IADT, studying Visual Arts Practice. My artwork is primarily based around the relationship between the spectator, the artist and the space they occupy. I have a particular interest in using the human body, usually my own to explore these ideas incorporating the use of photography, site-specific pieces and performance. I have exhibited my work in college exhibitions and most recently in Wexford Arts Centre photography exhibition. I have experience teaching art at secondary school level and I have also run my own summer art camp for children aged from four to twelve years.
	Aine Kavanagh I am in 3rd year in NCAD studying Fine Art Media. My course allows me to experiment widely with new and old media. Lately I’ve produced work concerned with the interrogation of public spaces and engaging with a public audience that is installation-based. Accessibility to a wider, non-specific audience interests me. For me, art shouldn't be elitist in any way. I make work that can be appreciated by the masses. I feel that in my work I respond to the immediate environment I find myself in at the time. Therefore, I am influenced by reality-based situations and social contexts. I've also come to learn that my work can be humorous and witty at times. I enjoy making work that people will genuinely be entertained by. I have previously worked collaboratively in the community with intellectually disabled adults and both secondary and primary school pupils. Each experience has had a huge input into my development as an artist, and I am keen to continue working in the collaborative arts field.

	Elizabeth Doogan Elizabeth Doogan was born and raised in Co. Monaghan. She carried out a P.L.C course in portfolio preparation-art, craft and design in O’Fiaich College, Dundalk, Co. Louth from 2005-2006 and is currently a third year student/artist studying on the B.A. Fine Art course in D.I.T. She has exhibited in D.K.I.T. in 2006 and most recently in 2008 in a group show titled ‘Free for All’ in the Back Loft Gallery in Dublin. She is also planning to show work in an exhibition planned for March 2009. Her latest body of work deals with issues of confinement, repetition, isolation, routine, and working with groups of marginalized communities. In December 2008 she worked with a small group of male teenagers from inner-city Dublin who were getting in trouble at school and with the law.
	Susan Walsh Susan Walsh is studying for a BA in Visual Art at IADT. Born in 1977. After many years of working and wandering she decided to settle on something she always wanted to do but thought only others could. Art. With a camera in hand since childhood she branched out into discovering the world through drawing, painting and photography. She is fascinated in the ways of the world, its many cultures and inhabitants. She is interested in how the body and mind inhabits and negotiates itself in the places, spaces and time that surrounds it, consciously or unconsciously.

	Enda Flynn Enda Mary Flynn, having first graduated from the university of life returned to N.C.A.D as a mature fine art B.A hons student in 2006.A Dublin native with a background in the catering industry, Enda availed of the many opportunities to travel and work abroad. In 2004 Enda decided to concentrate on her first love of fine arts and by 2006 had graduated with distinctions with a certificate in sculptor and ceramic. As a practicing artist Enda has taken part in many group shows, from the prestigious sculpture in context to the Dublin fringe festival. Enda’s commitment to community work has been demonstrated in her work with the National Gallery of Ireland, as art supervisor of children’s holiday work shops and in the N.C.A.D. Access Programme, APM in Synge at CBS. Sample work: http://www.sculptureincontext.com/airfield.htm http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v_lIl50zndk
	Rebecca McNaughton Rebecca has a background in graphic design. After finishing school she completed a Design Presentation certificate course in DIT and went on to work for a eprographics company. While there she undertook a part-time desktop publishing course and then got a job designing ads and page layouts for a local newspaper. Rebecca is currently a full time mature student studying Fine Art in DIT. She is in her 3rd year and will graduate in 2010.

	Megan Griffin I am from a small commuter town approximately forty five minutes north of New York City. I consider myself extremely blessed to have grown up in a big, loving, and incredibly supportive family. I was taught from a young age that nothing is impossible and everything I want to achieve in life, as long as I work hard, is within my reach. Theatre has always been a major part of my life and I can still remember my first role as a goblin in kindergarten. Once in high school I was acting in around five theatrical projects per semester and I realized that this is what I need to do for the rest of my life. I went on to attend Tisch School of the Arts at New York University and have grown a great deal as an actor and as a person. Overall, I’m a New York girl who loves people, new experiences, art, learning, and chocolate.
	Camilla Kane Camilla Kane is an artist born in Co. Meath. She is currently undergoing studies at D.I.T to obtain a B.A in Fine Art. She exhibited at the Back Loft Gallery, Dublin, in May 2008. She is an interdisciplinary artist. Camilla recently completed the erasmus programme where she studied at Duncan of Jordanstone University of Dundee. Here she gained a great interest in the diversity of place and class in the city and submersed herself into the history and practice of the social development of Scotland. During her time in Scotland she worked for the organisation Charleston Better Connections where she engaged with the youths of a working class society encouraging them into the arts and observed their social development. She also participated in a group collaboration project in June 2008, for the Fifth International Cystinosis Conference in the Hilton Hotel Dublin, where she work with a group of artists to construct an interactive sculpture reflecting on the event.

	Sarah Johnston Sarah Johnston is a 3rd year sculpture student in NCAD. Her previous projects explored themes regarding the body internally and externally. She made wearable art which examined the physicallity of the human form; how it is utilised and how it functions around manmade environments, and the future and ethics of organ donation. Sarah's most recent project was a proposal for a public art piece in the Liberties called 'Life On The Line'. Using the wash lines which hang in the balconies of flats as a starting point, she lit up the clothes. In the framwork of the balconies these clothes lines then take on sculptural qualities like temporary installations. The current process of regeneration in the Liberties inspired her to re-imagine a fresh perspective of the everyday, highlighting the mundane and thus transforming the balconies into an artificial paradise. For the placement I am interested in working with people in either the elderly or physically disabled community. I have also considered the option of working with a scout group as I am involved in the Scouting Ireland orgainisation.
	Aime Lawless Graduated from NCAD in Nov 08 with a BA in Art History and Fine Art. On moving to Dublin from Athenry Co. Galway, I became fascinated with animals in urban environments and the stories that they tell in both rural and urban communities. For my Degree Show in 08 I staged a performance on the canal whereby I gathered and exchanged stories with the people who frequent its paths. I did this over a period of two months and collected a series of stories and gifts. I have taken part in various performance exhibitions in Italy, the UK and Ireland. I am currently interning at Circa magazine.

	Grace McEvoy My name is Grace McEvoy, I am currently a student at NCAD studying in the department of new media art. My work predominantly resides in digital and lens based mediums such as photography, video and film. I use these mediums as a possibility to investigate and contemplate on the use of narrative in film practice and language. Through this story-telling process the mediums I engage with give me the freedom to explore the different and unique ways of sharing an experience, a memory, a fleeting moment, a tale. An area of interest to me would consist of visually recording everyday life, the objects that surround me, the people I come into contact with, the buildings I see, the roads I walk on, life as it is passing by. Every piece recorded is seen as a fragment to a bigger picture, where the shape of each story would emerge from the accumulation of the material itself.
	Kristine Stolakis Kristine Stolakis is a junior at New York University studying anthropology, dramatic literature, and politics. When off school grounds, Kristine studies improv comedy theatre at the Upright Citizens Brigade and the Magnet Theatre. Her most life-altering and all-together awesome theatric experience has been working with Our Time Theatre Company, an artistic home for people who stutter. From her work interning in their office to assistant directing a time-travelling Greek adventure written by two imaginative twelve-year old boys, Kristine loves Our Time from top to bottom. Our Time reminds her daily that expressing oneself thoughtfully and creatively alongside others is one of life’s greatest pleasures. Check them out at http://www.ourtimetheatre.org/ and http://www.ourtimenyc.blogspot.com/.

	Emily McFarland My work aims to use art and creativity as a tool for communication between people and the outside world. The main objective is to create small experiments in order to collect and further my knowledge on how the world works. Each of my works aims to create a chance for adventure for those who get involved and for myself to get the opportunity to explore experiences which I would normally not get the chance to participate in. I use performance, video and physical materials to carry out my conceptual idea. The medium is determined by the conceptual idea and I am not loyal to any one medium.

	Niamh Moriarty As a third year sculpture student at NCAD my current focus is to apply my ideas and concepts to the community/public realm. The general interests that I like to incorporate with my practice are wildlife/animals, urban environments and the nostalgia/sentimentality we attach to places animals, people and objects. I work through organising activities, experimenting, drawing and doing extensive research (of relevant artists, stories, areas of interest etc etc) I am currently interested in the city in terms of journeys/routes and how we associate certain places with nostalgia. I am currently working on a project to build an animal cemetery in the city centre to acknowledge how people are connected through a common interest and affection for animals. I look at how we attach sentiment to places, animals and objects in my work. Artists who influence me are: Maurizio Cattelan, Andrew Dodds, Guy Ben-Ner and Pim Palsgraaf.