Featured Artist

Gerry Murphy

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Photograph by Gerry Murphy

Holywood photographer Gerry Murphy received an Arts Council travel award to assist with flights to Wyoming, USA, where he took up the offer of a one month residency at the internationally recognised Ucross Foundation.  Speaking of the experience, Gerry said, 

 

“The Ucross Foundation is situated in an almost monastic setting, on a 22,000 acre ranch in Wyoming.  It has a population of twenty-five and is eighteen miles from the nearest town of Buffalo. 

I worked on a site specific project inspired by the ragtrees found throughout Ireland, focusing on their pre-Christian animist essence. A journal of images documenting my time at Ucross were printed onto linen rags.  A stunted hawthorn in an otherwise treeless landscape became the recipient of the rags, allowing me to place my work in nature.”

Prior to completing the project, Gerry presented his work to Wyoming Arts Council.  This received interesting and varied comments and a favourable response. At the request of the Foundation, the eight invited artists gave presentations of their work to the other residents and staff.

The opportunity provided by the residency to make new work and show existing work to an international audience was a very positive and confidence boosting experience,” said Gerry.