We are excited to continue to work with young budding artists for creative art engagements led by our professional and friendly artists as part of our offsite Explore & Learn programmes.
Art Aficionados! What is an Aficionado? [pronounced a-fish-on-ado] someone who likes, knows about, appreciates and is enthusiastic about an interest or activity.
Our Art Aficionados! is presented in collaboration with the NEIC City Connects programme. We are delighted to continue working with budding artists from the NEIC for creative art engagements led by our professional and friendly artists.
Our Education and Community outreach programmes are taking place entirely off-site in locations throughout the city during our refurbishment period. We are delighted to be linking in with Charleville Mall library where our after school art club for children in the NEIC area is now taking place.
About Art Aficionados!
Since 2024, we have curated imaginative after school artist-led art workshops for children from the NEIC area. Taking place at the Hugh Lane Gallery, the children looked at artworks throughout the gallery spaces with opportunities for discussion and sketching. Artist-led practical art workshops then took place in our Education Studio Space. This project started in May 2024 with after school art clubs at the Hugh Lane Gallery in collaboration with City Connects and is ongoing. We are excited to welcome young budding artists aged 7-9 and 10-12 from the North East Inner City (NEIC) to the Hugh Lane Gallery for fun art workshops led by our professional and friendly artists. During these after school workshops we look at and chat about some of the amazing artworks in the Gallery’s collection and exhibitions including artists Mainie Jellett, Francis Bacon, Sean Scully, Mark Dion, Alexander Calder, Paddy Collins and more followed by practical art workshops in our dedicated Education Studio Space where the children make their own creations with our professional artists. There’s lots to be inspired by at the Hugh Lane Gallery: from Francis Bacon’s famously messy studio, to beautiful Harry Clarke stained glass, to incredible paintings, sculpture and more. During these art workshops, we explore a variety of creative techniques including drawing, sketching, painting, printmaking and wire sculptures. Thanks to all of our artists who have led and assisted these workshops: Anca Danila, Michelle Hall, Kim Jenkinson, Kathryn Maguire, Roxy Manouchehri, Tamao Oka, Laragh Pittman, Megan Scott, Bex Shelford, Olga Vnukova, Sarah Ward.
Read more about City Connects here
Art Aficionados! October-December 2025
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Flourishing Flowers
In this workshop with Roxy Manouchehri, participants created beautiful floral reliefs inspired by the work of Yinka Shonibare.
Using colourful cards and papers, everyone stuck cut shapes to their drawings to make a relief-like work, inspired by the prints that they had seen and discussed together.
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Halloween Mummies
The week before the Halloween midterm, Megan Scott led a spooky mummie-making workshop.
In this session, spooky sculptures were made that were inspired by Deborah Brown’s Waiting (maquette). The workshop introduced sculpting techniques such as armature, and explored the use of everyday materials as the core for sculpting!
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Building Art Bricks
This workshop, led by Laragh Pittman, explored the artwork of Sean Scully in the Hugh Lane Gallery’s collection.
Participants experimented with and gained confidence towards creative expression through the exploration of fundamentals such as form and colour.
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Exploring Collage
In this workshop, participants experimented with different materials and techniques to create their own collage.
Led by Kim Jenkinson, the workshop encouraged the development of fine motor skills through cutting, tearing and gluing!
Pop up animals inspired by the work of Mark Dion
Sketching in front of the work of Alexander Calder
Painting in the Gallery
Creating stained glass inspired by Harry Clarke
Fans inspired by the colours of Ernest Quost’s Flower Piece
