Northern Ireland’s Longest Running Artists Studio Marks 40th Birthday with Special Exhibition

Supported by National Lottery Funding from the Arts Council of Northern Ireland, Queen Street Studios (QSS) is a home from home for a broad spectrum of visual artists, working across a range of mediums. The creative hub offers artists the privacy and peace of their own studio space, while also being a collective hub for meeting, collaboration and exhibition.

Past and present members include some of Northern Ireland’s best-known artists and among those featured in the current QSS at 40 exhibition are pieces by Jack Pakenham, Jennifer Trouton, Clement McAleer, Chris Wilson, Rosie McGurran, Amanda Coogan, Dougal McKenzie, Brian Connolly, Sharon Kelly, Mark McGreevy, Joy Gerrard, Gail Ritchie and Ian Cumberland.

Although once based on Queen Steet itself, today the studio occupies a large site on East Belfast’s Bloomfield Avenue, where the current exhibition, curated by Eamonn Maxwell, will be on display and open to the public until Thursday 12^th December.

Running across two floors, the vibrant, large-scale exhibition showcases the broad range of practices, from emerging and established artists, that have shaped Queen Street Studios as it is today. The studio itself comprises of 47 self-contained artists’ spaces, ranging in size from 147 sq. ft. to 744 sq. ft. QSS are also keen to support new and emerging artists and offer a bursary space to a Belfast School of Art graduate each year for 12 months free studio provision.

Clare McComish, Visual Arts Officer at the Arts Council of Northern Ireland, commented: “QSS has been at the very centre of visual arts development in Northern Ireland for four decades, a place where artists are nurtured and supported and where they have space to dedicate themselves to their practice. It has always been a place where we have seen established artists supporting other emerging artists, as they start to carve their own promising careers for themselves. This exhibition is a fitting tribute to QSS, as it was and as it is today, and a reflection of its artists, from its beginnings, to present day who have achieved local, national and international acclaim.”

Exhibition curator Eamonn Maxwell said: “Working on the 40th anniversary show for QSS was a real honour and joy. The exhibition celebrates the incredible artists who make the organisation that it is today, whilst celebrating the many artists involved in the history of QSS. This is one of the largest exhibitions I’ve ever curated. At times it was a challenge to incorporate the work of almost 70 artists in a cohesive way, but I think the quality of the works lent by the artists made that challenge a lot easier. I think the exhibition really captures the energy of contemporary art working in Belfast.”

Exhibiting Artists: Alana Barton, Mollie Browne, Reuben Brown, Gerard Carson, Majella Clancy, Pauline Clancy, Colm Clarke*, Niamh Clarke, Hannah Clegg, Brian Connolly*, Susan Connolly, Amanda Coogan, Mary Cosgrove, Jonathan Conlon, Ian Cumberland, Alacoque Davey, Catherine Davison, Gerry Devlin, Craig Donald, Micky Donnelly (in memoriam)*, Sam Douglas*, Dan Ferguson, Clare French, Joy Gerrard, Nuala Gregory*, Angela Hackett, Karl Hagan, David Haughey, Amy Higgins, Ashley Holmes, Ronnie Hughes*, Frederic Huska, Sharon Kelly, Gemma Kirkpatrick, Rachel Lawell, Naomi Litvack, Miguel Martin*, Clement McAleer, Terry McAllister, Mark McGreevy, Rosie McGurran*, Meadhbh McIlgorm, Sinead McKeever, Dougal McKenzie*, Michelle McKeown, Paddy McKeown*, Sharon McKeown, Grace McMurray, Tim Millen, Kate O’Neill, Jack Packenham*, Darcy Patterson, Gail Ritchie, Yasmine Robinson, Duncan Ross, Anushiya Sundaralingam, Vasiliki Stasinaki, Jennifer Trouton, David Turner*, Martin Wedge* and Chris Wilson*.

*past member

QSS at 40 is on now, until 12^th December. Many of the works on display are available to buy. For more information go to www.queenstreetstudios.net.