EXHIBITION
STATEMENT
Murals have marked
territory and served as expressions of cultural and political
identity in Northern Ireland for the last century.
In
1994, brothers Tom and William Kelly and their friend Kevin
Hasson joined together as The
Bogside Artists. The artists personally experienced the
unfolding of the Northern Irish ‘Troubles’ during
their lifetimes and ultimately united to express the struggle
for civil rights in their community through public art. While
the group continues the Ulster tradition of using the mural
for social commentary, The
Bogside Artists stand alone in their efforts to utilize
this medium in cross-community workshops involving Protestants
and Catholics to advance the peace and reconciliation process
in Northern Ireland.
Working
with The
Bogside Artists, the Georgia
Southern University Museum along with faculty curators
from the Center
for Irish Studies and the University
Honors Program have developed a traveling exhibition entitled
From Protest to Peace: Murals by The Bogside Artists of
Northern Ireland. The exhibition features eleven murals
created by The
Bogside Artists along with a series of interpretative
panels that provide a balanced presentation of the history
and politics of Northern Ireland.
The
murals have been digitally reproduced courtesy of Dr. Martin
Melaugh, Director, Conflict
Archive on the Internet, University
of Ulster, Magee Campus, and are formatted on visually
striking fabric panels.
It
is our intention that From Protest to Peace: Murals by
The Bogside Artists of Northern Ireland travels the world
so that the story of The Bogside Artists and the Northern
Irish struggle for civil rights can be told.
Bob
Frigo, Curator
Dr. Steven Engel, Curator
Dr. Howard Keeley, Curator
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