Academic Programs Abroad - LSU Art in Ireland

Baton Rouge, Louisiana

Art in Ireland

Program Description
The Burren is a limestone plateau in County Clare on Ireland’s Atlantic Coast. Amid this startling landscape of megalithic tombs, caverns and castles, craggy lunar-like rocks and Arctic and Mediterranean flora, stands the 16th century Newtown Castle. In its courtyard the stone-clad buildings of the Burren College of Art reveal state-of-the-art studios and facilities.
Burren College of Art – time, space, inspiration

LSU School of Art in Ireland is a summer studio program that is based at the Burren College of Art. The college, a cutting edge facility accredited by the School of the Art Institute of Chicago offers an opportunity for focused activity that draws upon the unique landscape of the Burren. This places the students in a setting where they are simultaneously surrounded by both the vastness of the Burren and an ecology that is conducive to a huge variety plant and animal life. This becomes the inspiration for much of the work that will be created. From drawing excursions that submerge students in this extraordinary landscape to site-specific sculptures created in the environment, the Burren will engage students in new ways of seeing and experiencing art making.

The College is located in Ballyvaughan, County Clare, a typical Irish village complete with cafes, restaurants, and pubs. There is traditional Irish music in the village of Kilfenora, a short distance from the college, which we will visit as part of the program. The program also includes a trip to the city of Galway to visit galleries and art centers, and a two-day visit to the Aran Islands off the Irish coast.

The Program Director, Malcolm McClay, was born and raised in Ireland and maintains strong ties to the country travelling back each summer to engage in lectures, exhibitions, residencies and collaborations. He brings this broad spectrum of knowledge and experience to the program, which allows students to get a first hand knowledge of contemporary art in Ireland and to experience an insider’s view of Irish culture.

Program Eligibility
2.5 GPA

Program Dates
June 12 – July 10, 2010

Program Location(s)
Burren College of Art, which is located in the grounds of Newtown Castle (a sixteenth century castle on Ireland’s west coast) in Ballyvaughan, Ireland.

Courses Offered
ART 1009 – Introduction to Three-Dimensional Art
ART 1012 – Three-Dimensional Design (Art majors only)
ART 1010 – Introduction to Drawing
ART 1847 – Drawing and Composition (Art and Interior Design majors only)
ART 4761 – Sculpture III: Independent study
ART 7700 – Graduate Sculpture

Expected Program Costs
$3,650 (includes housing, lunches, transportation, field trips, and health insurance)

Other costs: airfare, LSU tuition, and meals other than lunch

Faculty
Malcolm McClay, Associate Professor of Art
LSU School of Art

Program Itinerary
June 12: Arrive Shannon Airport, bus to Burren College of Art
June 13: Orientation, unpack, settle in
June 14: Fieldtrip - guided tour of the Burren
June 15: courses
June 16: courses
June 17: courses
June 18: courses
June 19: Fieldtrip – Ceili at Kilfenora
June 20: free day
June 21: classes
June 22: classes
June 23: classes
June 24: classes
June 25: free day
June 26: Fieldtrip – full day in Galway, visit galleries and art centers
June 27: free day
June 28: classes
June 29: classes
June 30: classes (midterm)
July 1: classes
July 2: Fieldtrip – depart for Aran Islands (overnight stay)
July 3: Fieldtrip – return from Aran Islands
July 4: free day
July 5: classes
July 6: classes
July 7: classes
July 8: classes
July 9: last day of classes/pack
July 10: bus from Burren College of Art, depart from Shannon Airport

Application Deadline
March 1, 2010

Application
LSU Art in Ireland