Athlone’s exciting new contemporary Art Gallery wants YOU to give it a name!
Thanks to everyone who entered the competition to find a name for the art gallery,
The Competition is now closed and the winner will be announced shortly.
Athlone Town Council is running an exciting competition to name Athlone’s new contemporary art gallery. Members of the public are invited to submit their entries with ideas of a name for Athlone’s new cultural development which is set to open later this year.
Set along the banks of the river Shannon, on Grace Road the new gallery build project is nearing completion and as is evident from the view from Athlone Bridge, it will be a fantastic addition to the cultural landscape of the town. Having had many previous incarnations as a temperance hall, a concert venue, a cinema, Town Hall and library the building is already steeped in history. Hopeful entrants have been asked to consider not only the historical context of the building, but also its future as a contemporary art space as they put pen to paper or submit their entries through the online process. Athlone Art and Heritage are keen to encourage entries in Irish as well.
“We have seen this competition process work well with other cultural venues and facilities, whether it is a park or an art gallery, and it is always great and indeed surprising seeing the variety of ideas that are submitted” says Athlone Art and Heritage Manager, Miriam Mulrennan. “I have had lots of people ask what the gallery will be called, or express a preference for one name or another, so this is a good way to harness all these ideas, and arrive at a dynamic and fresh name”.
The name of a gallery can be seen as ‘the hook’ for what is shown within it. Some names can mean different things to different people, some preference a name that looks back – others – one that looks forward. Everything from the title-signage on the front of the building to the gallery being listed in an exhibition catalogue spins out from the name of the gallery. Mulrennan adds “a name becomes an assembly point of sorts, or perhaps a punctuation mark. It says ‘here we are – and this is where we are going’, it might evolve to mean different things over time, but it definitely starts a new chapter in the story of the building. In submitting entries, entrants actively engage in what the building is about, what the chapters are so far in its story, and this in itself is a good thing for the gallery.”
Catherine Yorke, Art and Heritage Coordinator suggests that “one of the key things, I think is to make the name appeal across the board, to speak to the public and not be too generic, but on the other hand, to capture what is unique about the building. Other factors, like the architectural details, the building's history, and the activities it promotes could influence your choice of name. People are really getting ‘into this’ and the facebook community are really taking this to their heart. We accept entries in the traditional (post and drop-box) way, but where it seems to be really gaining ground is through social media”.
So the people of Athlone can have their say, in a number of ways – you can collect entry forms from the Aidan Heavey Public Library to enter the competition or you can enter online www.athloneartandheritage.ie/competition or contact them and they will send you a form in the post.
The lucky winner will receive an amazing prize of an iPad and the winner will be required to attend a prize giving ceremony to accept their prize
