‘At home with the Easter Widows’ at The Model, Sligo

Saturday, November 22nd 2014, 3pm-5pm

Artist Emma Stroude & Writer Sinéad McCoole are collaborating on a unique event at the Model, Sligo for one day only, November 22nd 2014.

Come and experience a modern ‘at home’ -The ‘at home’ was a popular means of socializing in the period before the First World War. Ladies sent out cards indicating times that were suitable for friends to call. Due to social changes following 1918 the activity ceased.

Our ‘at home’ allows visitors to come and listen to the stories from Sinéad McCoole’s new publication Easter Widows and view of a series of modern portraits created by Emma Stroude of Kathleen Clarke, Maud Gonne MacBride, Agnes Mallin, Lillie Connolly, Áine Ceannt, Muriel MacDonagh and Grace Gifford Plunkett. There will also be a pop up exhibit of artifacts, belonging to these women, which will be on view for one day only.

Emma Stroude – Working full time as a Visual Artist based in Sligo. Emma was educated at Chelsea College of Art & Design, The Slade School of Art, University College London and NCAD, Dublin where she was awarded the Terence Gayer Prize.

As well as exhibiting her own work Emma organizes and facilitates Graphite & Easel –weekly self-directed life drawing sessions at The Model, Sligo.

One of the focuses of her work in recent times has been exploring the qualities held by the human face and selected as her subject, Maud Gonne MacBride. These new works expand her exploration to other Irish women patriots.

Emma’s work has been described by John Maher:

‘She works with conviction in blending boldness with sensitivity as a deepening and revealing aesthetic … Her work is striking in its boldness in the handling of her medium. The portrait stares out as a kind of strange ideological dream image, something that will exceed and outspeak the photo image … Working in a new way Stroude is inadvertently setting the record straight on the progress of awareness of this urgent contemporary issue. Her focus on Maud Gonne is intriguing, both artist and subject have taken the renegade path with courage and conviction.The enlightening work of a woman by a woman.’

Sinéad McCoole – has curated exhibitions on Irish history and Irish art, including ‘Lady Lavery: Society and Politics’ (1996), ‘Passion and Politics’ (2010), the Robert Emmet Bicentenary Exhibition (2003) and ‘Guns and Chiffon’ (1997), which toured in the US. In the US she curated ‘Crossings’ (2011) and ‘Island—Drawing Conclusions: Mapping the Irish’ (2012) at the American Irish Historical Society, New York.Her publications include: Hazel: A Life of Lady Lavery (1996), Guns and Chiffon (1997), The Researcher’s Handbook (2000), No Ordinary Women: Irish Female Activists 1900–1923 (2003) and Passion and Politics (2010). Easter Widows.was published by Doubleday Ireland in September 2012

It has been described: ‘of the many books that will be published to commemorate the Easter Rising’s centenary in 2016, few will be as riveting as Sinéad McCoole’s Easter Widows’