Devonian Plant Fossils – A window into the past
2 August – 24 August 2018
Gallery, Visitor Centre, National Botanic Gardens, Glasnevin
A joint exhibition between the National Botanic Gardens, Geological Survey of Ireland and the Natural History Museum will showcase the amazing 360 million year old fossils from Kiltorcan quarry, Co. Kilkenny. Kiltorcan is internationally known for its rich assemblage of excavated fossils but this is their first significant public display. The fossils provide a fascinating glimpse into the plant world at the end of the Devonian Period.
ANOTHER BITE OF THE CHERRY
16 November – 6 December 2017
Gallery, Visitor Centre, National Botanic Gardens, Glasnevin
Graphic Studio Dublin is the oldest and largest printmaking studio in Ireland. Established in 1960 and funded by the Arts Council since then, GSD has consistently reached beyond its own shores.
In Another Bite of the Cherry, more than fifty artists from Ireland, the UK, Germany, Poland, Lithuania, Israel, New Zealand, and Sweden will respond to the magnificence of the Botanic Gardens. Each artist will explore aspects of the Gardens in their individual style, be it portraits of particular flora or fauna, landscapes or vistas in the 19.5 hectares, the spectacular Great Palm House, Curvilinear Range of glasshouses, or abstract artistic impressions of biodiversity and the environment.
The prints, in editions of fifty, featuring etchings, woodcuts, linocuts, lithographs, carborundums and photopolymers, are available for purchase and provide an opportunity to acquire a treasure from the National Botanic Gardens of Ireland.
SCULPTURE IN CONTEXT 2017
7 September – 20 October 2017
Various locations, National Botanic Gardens, Glasnevin
Sculpture in Context was established in 1985 to raise the profile of sculpture and provide a platform for artists outside the normal gallery context. It is a not for profit organisation run by sculptors. The exhibition was founded by Cliodna Cussen, Colm Brennan and Gerard Cox and originated in Fernhill Gardens where it ran for 10 years. Since then it has been hosted in the Conrad Hotel, Malahide Castle, Kilmainham Gaol, the Irish Management Institute, Dublin Castle, Farmleigh House and since 2002 has been held in the magnificent National Botanic Gardens.
See the full list of award winners and images of pieces at this link.
SCULPTURE IN CONTEXT 2016
8 September – 21 October 2016
Various locations, National Botanic Gardens, Glasnevin
Sculpture in Context was established in 1985 to raise the profile of sculpture and provide a platform for artists outside the normal gallery context. It is a not for profit organisation run by sculptors. The exhibition was founded by Cliodna Cussen, Colm Brennan and Gerard Cox and originated in Fernhill Gardens where it ran for 10 years. Since then it has been hosted in the Conrad Hotel, Malahide Castle, Kilmainham Gaol, the Irish Management Institute, Dublin Castle, Farmleigh House and since 2002 has been held in the magnificent National Botanic Gardens.
See the full list of award winners and images of pieces in 2016 at this link.
1916 SACKVILLE STREET ART PROJECT
8 April – 24 April 2016
Gallery, Visitor Centre, National Botanic Gardens, Glasnevin
An exhibition of 262 model houses, each representing one of the 262 civilians killed during the 1916 Rising, has opened at the National Botanic Gardens in Dublin. The 1916 Sackville Street Art Project includes model houses built out of materials such as ceramics, wood, fabric and stone. Schools, artists, prisons and historians are among the many different volunteers who have taken part.
During the 1916 Rising, 485 people were killed. Of these, 262 were civilians, ordinary people going about their day, caught in the crossfire. “The idea was that 2016’s civilians would make a piece for 1916’s civilians, so it would just be ordinary people remembering ordinary people,” said Ciara O’Keeffe, founder of the project. “There’s this kind of association between a house, home, dwelling and the heart and what’s left behind, and it all merged into one,” she continued. “We said we would make a house that would be a ‘forever home’ for each civilian, that they would always be remembered.”
IMAGES OF STARLIGHT
2 February – 21 February 2016
Gallery, Visitor Centre, National Botanic Gardens, Glasnevin
The Irish Amateur Astronomers and Irish Federation of Astronomical Societies organised this first major photographic exhibition by Irish Astronomers. Sponsored by Canon Ireland. This exhibition of astronomical images were captured by amateur astronomers from all over Ireland, for the first time, giving them a platform to showcase their amazing work. Images of the Stars, the Galaxy and the Solar System are on view in the National Botanic Gardens, Glasnevin, Dublin.
Many of these objects are millions of light years away but visitors will be able to see up them up close and be surprised that they cross over their own back gardens at night. The images on show will feature Irish winners of the International Astronomy Photographer of the Year competition organised by the Greenwich Observatory in London.
AIBÍTIR
2 – 25 May 2014
Gallery, Visitor Centre, National Botanic Gardens, Glasnevin
The Irish Society of Botanical Artists will present their inaugural exhibition at the National Botanic Gardens, Glasnevin in May 2014. The exhibition entitled The Irish Alphabet in Botanical Art marries native plant species with the capital letters of their names in Irish. Over 60 artists have produced distinctive paintings, exhibited as complete eighteen-letter Irish alphabets. Tim O’Neill, renowned calligrapher, has created a unique font for the project.
This unified collection of paintings is a celebration of the Irish language, native Irish plants, and botanical art. See the Irish Society of Botanical Artists website for more details about the society.
PLANT PALACES
12 February 2014
Gallery, Visitor Centre, National Botanic Gardens, Glasnevin
Featuring watercolours and sketches by Roisin Murphy RIAI, of the glasshouses of the National Botanic Gardens, Glasnevin, with particular attention to the work of the master iron founder Richard Turner (1798-1881). Turner was highly sought after for his works with wrought and cast iron and glass. He is responsible for the now iconic Curvilinear Range of glasshouses in Glasnevin as well as the glasshouses in the Winter Gardens in Regent’s Park, London and the Palm Houses in Belfast and Kew Gardens.
A series of walks will also take place telling the story of the rich architectural legacy that is in the Botanic Gardens and will highlight the extraordinary story of the Irish man Richard Turner who was part of the flourish of botanical architecture in Europe at that time. Check at the Visitor Centre for details.
A NATURAL SELECTION
15 November – 5 December 2013
Gallery, Visitor Centre, National Botanic Gardens, Glasnevin
An Exhibition Of Fine Art Prints inspired by The National Botanic Gardens Dublin. The National Botanic Gardens were founded in 1795 in a golden age of exploration and scientific discovery. During those extraordinary times, expeditions set out from Europe to every corner of the globe, exploring, opening trade routes and seeking knowledge about the natural world.
This exhibition, organized by a group of artists who are members of Graphic Studio Dublin, unveils 100 fine art prints by 100 artists from Ireland and overseas. This ambitious project has brought together artists from Ireland, North and South, alongside artists from Finland, Germany, Israel, Japan, Netherlands, New Zealand, Poland, Sweden and United Kingdom. The result is an exceptional exhibition of fine art prints ranging from the figurative – beautiful botanical records, to the conceptual – exploring the shared space between the artist and the natural world. In their different and individual ways the artists have been inspired by and have paid tribute to the richness and diversity of the natural world and to the work of a great institution, an institution which is filled with treasure, and which is itself one of Ireland’s national treasures, the National Botanic Gardens. See the full exhibition at this link.
