Geraldine O'Reilly
Geraldine O’Reilly is a native of Killucan, Co. Westmeath. She graduated in 1983 from the National College of Art and Design with an honours Diploma and Degree in painting. From 1983-88 she worked developing ‘arts in the community’ throughout Ireland. For four years she worked on the award winning Arts Council ‘Murals in Schools Scheme’. She also worked in community theatre and in arts administration. In 1984/85 she organised the Monaghan Arts Festival, and the very successful exhibition ‘Cork Art Now’ for the Cork 800 celebrations.
In 1989, she was awarded a Fulbright Scholarship to New York City. Her first major exhibition Journal was held in the Triskel Arts Centre in 1990 where she was artist in residence. Work from the exhibition was selected for the GPA exhibition of Emerging Artists, Douglas Hyde Gallery, Dublin in 1990. To date she has had 14 solo exhibitions, five 2 person exhibitions and three 3 person exhibitions. Her most recent exhbition will open in November (2007) at the Civic theatre gallery, Tallaght, Co Dublin. It will be accompanied by a fully illustrated catalogue. essays by Aidan Dunne and interview by Dermot Healy and will tour to Triskel arts Centre in Cork in February 2008 and in May to the Sligo Art Gallery.
She has shown in many group exhibitions throughout Ireland, England, USA, Sweden and Tasmania, Australia. She has received a number of awards for her work. Among the residencies she has held are: The Banff Centre for the Arts, Canada; The MacDowell Colony, New Hampshire, USA; University of Tasmania, Australia; The Tyrone Guthrie Centre; The Ballinglen Arts Foundation, Co. Mayo; Firestation Artists’ Studios, Dublin. In 2003 she was artist in residence at Áras Éanna, Inis Oirr, Aran Islands. Work from the residency ‘Ar An Oilean Oirthir was exhibited at Áras Éanna in 2004.
Her work is held in many private and public collections, most notable: Office of Public Works, Monaghan VEC, Monaghan County Hospital, Collection of Marie and Denis Foley at the Irish Museum of Modern Art (IMMA), Trinity College, National Library of Ireland, National Gallery of Ireland, Chester Beatty Museum and Library, McMullen Museum, Boston College, USA, State University of New York (SUNY), University of Tasmania, Australia, Arts Council of Ireland and the National College of Arts and Design. She is a member of the Graphic Studio Print Workshop. She was elected to Aosdána in 2004 and to the board of the Graphic Studio Gallery and Workshop, Dublin in 2005. She presently lives on Inis Oirr, Aran Islands
Website: www.geraldineoreilly.net
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