Ormston House

Summary

Ormston House is a contemporary art gallery and cultural resource centre, in Limerick, Ireland.

Ormston House, Cultural Resource Centre
Ormston House is located in Ireland
Ormston House
Location within Ireland
Established2011
Location9-10 Patrick Street, Limerick, Ireland
Coordinates52°39′54″N 8°37′30″W / 52.665°N 8.6251°W / 52.665; -8.6251
TypeArt Gallery
FounderMary Conlon
Websiteormstonhouse.com

Background edit

It was opened in 2011 at 9-10 Patrick Street, Limerick.[1] It was founded after art students occupied the ground floor of the 19th-century building on Patrick Street, and turned it into a gallery and cultural resource space with the support of the Creative Limerick scheme.[2] They have worked with over 300 artists from over 25 countries to deliver over 360 events.[3]

The name Ormston House comes from the first self-service supermarket opened in Limerick city. It was opened by Jack Ormston in 1961 in a Venetian-palazzi style building on the corner of Patrick Street and Ellen Street.[4] The building was later purchased by NAMA and, in 2018, the centre was under threat of closure after New York firm Cerberus Capital Management purchased the Ormston House loan book from the NAMA, and the site was put on the open market in July 2017.[5] In response, over three thousand people signed an online petition to prevent the sale of the building on the open market.[6] In 2021, the ground floor and basement of 9-10 Patrick Street were officially purchased by Limerick Council. Following the purchase, Ormston House was granted a 30 year lease from Limerick Council.[7]

Ormston House is a member of three international networks: Artists' Initiatives Meetings, River Cities Platform, and Trans Europe Halles.[3] In 2018, the group collaborated with EVA International with featured artists and projects include Kevin Gaffney, The Museum of Mythological Water Beasts, Stanzas, THEATREclub, and World Recipe Exchange.[8]

In 2021, their "Women of Limerick" mobile phone app, which placed women of historical importance on a map of Limerick, won the National Heritage Week award for Limerick.[9]


Notable events and artists edit

Their Artist-in-Residence programme have included creatives such as theatre practitioner Ann Blake,[10] artist Ciara Barker,[11] artist Mary Conroy,[12] artist Ceara Conway,[13] artist Isolde Donohoe,[14] musician Mícheál Keating,[15] writer William Keohane,[16] artist Niamh Porter,[17] theatre practitioner Joanne Ryan,[18] and historian Sharon Slater.[12]

Ormston House sponsor the Limerick Lady Podcast (2020-) hosted by Emma Langford and Ann Blake.[19]

Artists and exhibitions edit

References edit

  1. ^ "New gallery, Ormston House, launches exhibition/calls for submissions - The Magic BulletinThe Magic Bulletin". magicbulletin.me. Retrieved 18 November 2020.
  2. ^ Freyne, Patrick. "Locals on Limerick: 'We're very hard on ourselves here'". The Irish Times. Retrieved 18 November 2020.
  3. ^ a b "Ormston House | | River//cities". river-cities.net. Retrieved 18 November 2020.
  4. ^ "1872 – Ormston House, Nos.9-11 Patrick St., Limerick". Archiseek - Irish Architecture. 11 November 2009. Retrieved 18 November 2020.
  5. ^ "Save Ormston House and keep the heart of culture and art in Limerick". I Love Limerick. 26 July 2018. Retrieved 18 November 2020.
  6. ^ Mulqueen, Mark. "Opinion: Time is running out to save Ormston House - here's why it's important to Limerick". TheJournal.ie. Retrieved 18 November 2020.
  7. ^ "Future of one of Limerick best-known cultural homes secured as council completes purchase". www.limerickleader.ie. Retrieved 28 January 2021.
  8. ^ "EVA International and Ormston House Collaborative Programme". EVA International. 3 May 2018. Retrieved 18 November 2020.
  9. ^ Finnan, Sean (23 October 2021). "'Women of Limerick' celebrated at National Heritage Awards". Limerick Post Newspaper. Retrieved 18 November 2021.
  10. ^ Blake, Ann (14 September 2022). "The Arts of Discovery: Limerick's Burlesque Scene". Limerick Post Newspaper. Retrieved 23 February 2023.
  11. ^ "Ciara Barker". Womarts. Retrieved 23 February 2023.
  12. ^ a b "Exploring Wolfe Tone Street- National Heritage Week". Limerick's Live 95. Retrieved 23 February 2023.
  13. ^ "Culture Night with the Water Ensemble at Ormston House, Limerick | Visual Artists Ireland". 10 September 2018. Retrieved 23 February 2023.
  14. ^ "Isolde Donohoe". Ormston House. Retrieved 23 February 2023.
  15. ^ Ormston (26 March 2022). "Mícheál Keating". Ormston House. Retrieved 23 February 2023.
  16. ^ Blake, Ann (2 December 2022). "The Arts of Discovery: William Keohane on writing and transition". Limerick Post Newspaper. Retrieved 23 February 2023.
  17. ^ "CV". Niamh Porter. Retrieved 23 February 2023.
  18. ^ reporter, Limerick Live. "Award-winning Limerick artist receives Platform 31 bursary". www.limerickleader.ie. Retrieved 23 February 2023.
  19. ^ Staff Reporter (16 April 2020). "Limerick Lady Podcast | Episode 17 | Zia Bergin Holly". Limerick Post Newspaper. Retrieved 19 November 2020.
  20. ^ "Ormston House announces artists for River Residencies | Visual Artists Ireland". 6 July 2021. Retrieved 23 February 2023.
  21. ^ "MutualArt.com - The Web's Largest Art Information Service". www.mutualart.com. Retrieved 19 November 2020.
  22. ^ "Alison Turnbull - artseen". www.artseeneditions.com. Retrieved 19 November 2020.
  23. ^ "Mark Dion". IMMA. Retrieved 23 February 2023.
  24. ^ "Richard Mosse, The Enclave, Ormston House and 6A Rutland Street, Limerick, 28 March–5 May, 2014 – paper visual art". Retrieved 19 November 2020.
  25. ^ "One out of Many Afrophilias". Google Arts & Culture. Retrieved 23 February 2023.
  26. ^ "DOGS". Ormston House. Retrieved 23 February 2023.

External links edit

  • Official website