International exposure for Burren College of Art

April 9, 2014 - PRLog -- A Master of Fine Art student from the Burren College of Art in Co. Clare has been named as an artist to watch by Saatchi Art, the world's leading online art gallery.
.
Works by Mollie Douthit, who has been studying at Ireland’s only independent fine art third level college since 2012, have been featured in a group exhibition as part of the London-based gallery's off-line approach to connecting art buyers and artists from around the world. "Continental Shift: Emerging Artists From Saatchi Art" continues until April 22nd.

The student's works have also been exhibited as part of Saatchi Art's 'One To Watch' initiative which is designed to help collectors around the world to identify strong emerging talent.

Located at Newtown Castle in Ballyvaughan amidst the inspirational landscape of the world famous Burren, the Burren College of Art specialises in delivering a range of contemporary fine art modules including photography, sculpture, painting and digital media. Postgraduate programmes at the College have been accredited by National University of Ireland, Galway since 2002.

It's the latest success for Burren College of Art which celebrates its 20th anniversary this July by exhibiting works by some of its most successful and high profile alumni. The July 17-20 programme of events also includes a symposium exploring alternative models of education, featuring contributions from groundbreaking Irish and overseas art education innovators.

Mary Hawkes Greene, President of the Burren College of Art stated: "Mollie Douthit's achievement is something that everyone at the College is immensely proud of. Our alternative approach to education has provided students like Mollie the time, space and inspiration to develop their individual talents and we are delighted that her works are being celebrated on the international stage."

Commenting on the upcoming 20th anniversary celebrations and the College's status as Ireland’s only independent fine art third level college, Ms Hawkes-Greene  said: "The College has become the all year round economic and social mainstay of Ballyvaughan and the wider Burren Region for the past two  decades, our  students breathing life into a community whose own youth have  emigrated. The college operates sustainably on a non-profit basis without any operational funding from the State. This  is something we are very proud of considering the arts and education sector in Ireland is generally heavily subsidised by Government funding."

Speaking about her work and  studies at the Burren College of Art and her involvement in the Saatchi Art exhibition, student Mollie Douthit said: "Being based at the Burren College of Art has been really important for my work these past two years, yet it has been great to make this connection with the Saatchi Gallery just as I am about to leave here and embark on my career."

"For many artists, the goal is to have their work shown and seen in major cities and galleries around the world and what is so exciting about being part of this show is that I can be based in this wonderful rural location and still receive this great exposure. To work with Saatchi Gallery has been great as they have been so supportive and easy to work with," she added.

"The Burren is a place where one is able to find clarity in self; Burren College of Art  provides a space and facility in the Burren in which that clarity can be filtered if you allow it, and channelled into an artistic practice. You can find yourself in the Burren, and you can express yourself here because of the College.

This place, and the mind set I have gained here will never leave me, I will grow from it for the rest of my life," Mollie concluded.

For more on the Burren College of Art, Newtown Castle, Co. Clare, and it 20th anniversary celebrations on July 17th-20th, visit www.burrencollege.ie.