Séamus Nolan, one of Ireland’s leading artists working in collaborative arts practice, investigated the concept of archive, deconstructing ideas about ‘heritage’, and engaging with Traveller communities in Ireland as well as Traveller activists and archivists.

Traveller Collection the publication and www.TravellerCollection.ie were launched at the Hugh Lane Gallery in November 2021 with presentations by Traveller artist Rosaleen McDonagh, Traveller activist Martin Collins of Pavee Point Traveller & Roma Centre and artist Séamus Nolan discussing work being carried out to preserve and interpret the material culture of Irish Travellers.

In 2017, the Hugh Lane Gallery and Create, the national development agency for collaborative arts came together for the first time to commission a significant socially engaged artist’s project in Dublin. The call for submissions was made through CAPP, the EU Collaborative Arts Partnership Programme, a transnational partnership with Spain, Ireland, U.K., Hungary, Finland and Germany and co-funded by the Creative Europe Programme of the European Union. Following submissions from artists from all of the CAPP partners, Irish artist Seamus Nolan’s proposal was successful. One of Ireland’s foremost artists working in collaborative arts practice, Seamus Nolan’s project sees him investigating the idea of archive, deconstructing ideas on ‘heritage’ and engaging with the Traveller communities in Ireland and Traveller activists and archivists.

Download for free here, or Traveller Collection at the Hugh Lane Gallery (ed. Séamus Nolan) on sale for €10 in the Hugh Lane Gallery bookshop.