The Freeform Trouble Rare Monster Archives - The Fearful Facts of Year Five

😈👹👺🤖!!!!!MONSTER SEASON COMMENCES!!!!!!👾👽👻🎃

Hail Horror!!!

The much dreaded month of October has arrived again like shrieking nails on the chalkboard of my very soul!!! Dark formations of forboding cumulomalicious clouds gather on the near horizon promising a relentless maelstrom of monstrosity.

What weirdness shall we witness? What lurching creatures of the decrepid swamps of the human psyche are threatening to spill forth now? Do we really want to know?

We have a sickeningly rich assortment amongst the reports that are flung across my desk. These materials within have been carefully obtained by our world class agents through sneakery, snakery, covert maneuvering, safe-cracking, breaking and entering, trickery, misdirection, cajolery, roguery, conspiracy and outright armed robbery. Through these skills and others our daring team have gained exclusive access to ancient ruins, undersea laboratories, classified astronomical charts, underground military bases, forbidden libraries, lunar outposts and all manner of confidential records.

As always kudos to our inrepid research team, I dread to peer inside these dossiers of disaster for fear of what I may behold!

The stupendous scope of our scintillating specimens is summed up by this quote from the eminent Swiss-American Biologist and Geologist Louis Agassiz:

“The possibilities of existence run so deeply into the extravagant that there is scarcely any conception too extraordinary for nature to realize.”

So brave with us if you will in the coming days and weeks as we reveal the results of this year’s intrepid investigations.

Or if you are feeling particularly courageous you can explore the riveting results from the previous four years over at the Freeform Trouble Rare Monster Archives.

Upcoming Exhibition: "NEW REALITY: Contemporary Collage in Ireland"- Thursday the 13th – 24th of October 2022 -at St.Peters Centre, North Main Street, Cork, Ireland.

🔸🔹🔸UPCOMING EXHIBITION: NEW REALITY: CONTEMPORARY COLLAGE IN IRELAND”🔸🔹🔸

Opening Reception: Thursday the 13th of October 6pm - 8pm

Exhibition Running from: Thursday the 13th – Monday 24th of October 2022

Venue: St.Peters Centre, North Main Street, Cork, Ireland. T12 RF8D

I am absolutely thrilled to see the 'New Reality’ Contemporary Collage in Ireland exhibition make its way to my old home of Cork City. It is always a pleasure to show work here.

Organised by the wonderful Silvio Serverino, at the amazing venue of St.Peters, North Main Street, Cork, Ireland. This cultural centre is on the grounds of a deconsecrated church located on North Main Street in the heart of Cork City.

From the organisers:
“Art Exhibition opening on Thursday 13th October 6pm - 8pm After a successful run in Market House Craftworks, Cappoquin. New Reality Contemporary Collage in Ireland comes to Cork. This exhibition showcases collage artworks by 20+ leading collage artists living and working in Ireland today. The exhibition features analogue, digital and mixed media pieces, reflecting the varied approaches to collage as an art medium.”

Curated by Cork based artist Silvio Severino.

For more on this amazing event visit New Reality Festival.

Award Received: Arts Council Agility Award (Round 2) 2022 - The Arts Council of Ireland

I am absolutely thrilled with news that I have received The Arts Council Agility Award (Round 2) 2022 . This award is dispensed by the Arts Council of Ireland and aims to support individual Artists by allowing them to buy both the time and materials to undertake new and ambitious projects that would have not been otherwise realized.

I can’t wait to get to work on the secret project that I have planned, but more on this later. . .

For now I am just extremely proud to have my art practice recognised by the Arts Council of Ireland, and I am very grateful for the ongoing support of this wonderful organisation.

To find out more about the Arts Council of Ireland click here.

📢✒️ Featured Artist in Skylight 47 Poetry Journal - Issue 16 ✒️📢

📢✒️ Featured Artist in Skylight 47 Poetry Journal - Issue 16 ✒️📢

I am honoured to announce that I have been selected as the featured artist for Issue 16 of the Galway based indpendent poetry magazine Skylight 47. It is wonderful to see my Collage “A Cosmic Mystery Unravels At The County Fair” (2019) grace the front cover.

More of my artwork is also featured within the magazine alongside a promising bonanza of beautiful poetry!
I am looking forward to receiving my copy in the post, as well as attending the launch of this wonderful publication at Galway City Library:

6PM this Thursday,
The 29th of September 2022,
Galway City Library,
Hynes Buildings,
St Augustine St,
Galway,
Ireland,
H91 R6WF

For more from Skylight 47 click here.

📢✒️ Featured in Publication - Poetry X Collage Journal: Volume 2 ✒️📢

Cover Image Credit: A detail of “Community Revisited” by Laura Tafe.

I am thrilled to have had my artwork and poetry published in the latest Poetry X Collage journal (Vol:2). This journal features the work of some of the many fantastic artists who I had the pleasure to meet during this years Poetry & Collage residency hosted online by the Kolaj Institute. What an experience, I learned a lot!!!

This journal features six pieces of my visual poetry “The Supposed Stranger” & “Lost”, “Monkey Business” & “Impotent Computational Rage”, “Ghost In Your Orbit” & “A Deeper Season”; plus one collaborative poem with the artist Rosemary Rae entitled “Some Days Flicker”.

For a statment by the publishers read below:

“PoetryXCollage is a printed journal of artwork and writing which operates at the intersection of poetry and collage. We are interested in found poetry, blackout poetry, collage poems, haikus, centos, response collages, response poems, word scrambles, concrete poetry, scatter collage poems, and other poems and artwork that inhabit this world.

Each issue presents six movements of work by artists and curators. Page spreads are meant to be free zones of thinking where the contributor has chosen all elements of the layout: font, image place, composition, etc.

The initial volumes were produced by participants in Kolaj Institute’s Poetry & Collage Residency in March 2022 and April 2022 under the direction of Christopher Kurts with support from Ric Kasini Kadour and Christopher Byrne.”

PoetryXCollage Volume Two Features:

Anthony D. Kelly
Castlebar, County Mayo, Ireland
(@Freeformanto)

Carla E. Reyes
Astoria, New York, USA
(@carlacrafts)

Janice McDonald
Denver, Colorado, USA
(@janicemcdonaldart)

Samantha Brown
Blackrock, County Louth, Ireland
(@samantha.bmcg)

Laura Tafe
Lebanon, New Hampshire, USA
(@LJTafeMD)

Collaborations:
by Cathy Greenhalgh(@covidcollagechronicles), Thomas Mayer (@klettwandel),
Rosemary Rae (@rosemarydesign), Anthony D. Kelly,
& Cheryl Chudyk (@stitchpixie)

To find out more, purchase copies of the journal, or submit to later volumes click here.

WORKSHOP ANNOUNCEMENT - MONSTER WORKSHOP- Saturday 10th of September at 14.30 -16.30- The Parochial Hall, Cappoquin,Co.Waterford, Ireland, P51 VY40 - At New Reality: Contemporary Collage in Ireland.

WORKSHOP ANNOUNCEMENT

MONSTER COLLAGE WORKSHOP

Cappoquin! Get your monster hunting hats on!!!

You are invited to join me in this swashbuckling, hair raising opportunity to explore with humour, the topics of fear, monsters and the healing power of storytelling, through the rich medium of collage.

I will be demonstrating the three basic types of monsters “The Ghostees”, “Giants/Miniatures” and “Chimeras”. I will then invite you the dazzlingly courageous participants to generate “Monster Reports” of your own. Join me if you dare!!!

To visit the Rare Monster Archives simply click here.

WORKSHOP TIME:

Saturday the 10th of September at 14.30 -16.30

LOCATION:

The Parochial Hall, Cappoquin, Co.Waterford, Ireland, P51 VY40

PRICE:

€7.50

REGISTER:

!!!Booking essential as places are limited!!!

To register for this event call 087 2187962 or through Eventbrite by clicking here.

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I also highly recommend the “Lets Dance” workshop hosted by the amazing Una Gildea & Marta Janik. During this fun workshop you will be invited create a collage inspired by your favourite dance moves!

Sat, 10 September 2022 between 12:00 – 14:00

To register for this event call 087 2187962 or through Eventbrite by clicking here.

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For the other amazing workshops "Cut it Out" with Alan Murphy & Tatyana Feeney Come along and have some fun creating your own collage at 10am 11.30am . Call 087 2187962 or register here .

Or "Collect/Cut/Compose/Paste" with Tom Doig at 16.00 - 18.00. Tom Doig's workshop is an introduction to collecting collage materials, the use of tools, materials and practical techniques used in the collage process. Call 087 2187962 or click here.

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For more from this fantastic festival visit: https://www.instagram.com/new_reality_festival

For more from Market House Craftworks visit: https://markethousecraftworks.ie/

Upcoming Exhibition: "ARTISTS IN THE ARCHIVES" - September 2, 2022-January 7, 2023 - at the Henry Sheldon Museum of Vermont History in Middlebury, Vermont, USA

🔸🔹🔸UPCOMING EXHIBITION: ARTISTS IN THE ARCHIVES🔸🔹🔸

Opening reception and book launch: Friday, September 2, 2022, 5-7PM

Exhibition Running from: Friday, September 2, 2022-January 7, 2023

Venue: The Henry Sheldon Museum of Vermont History in Middlebury, Vermont, USA, VT 05753

I am delighted to have been asked to participate in this fascinating project by curator, collage artist and publisher Ric Kasini Kadour.

It was great to gain access to the Archives at The Henry Sheldon Museum, Vermont, to search their images and to be tasked with creating works that responded to the topic of community care. This peice created for the exhibition is titled “Close Knit” and refers to Vermont’s rich history of sheep hearding, textiles, industry and trade as community care, as well as referencing the tradition of the American Patchwork Quilt as form of biographical and historical document.

Read my statement here:

“Textiles are deeply interwoven with community care practices in rural communities across the world.  The farming of Sheep and other animals for their wools provide livelihoods for families, goods for transport and trade, in the past these trade routes fostered community connections and information sharing amongst towns and settlements within the regions that they existed, in this way opportunities arose for neighbours to interact and come to know one another.

On the more interpersonal level, individuals with particular skills in textiles and the fibre arts can weave and knit together clothing and household items like blankets, rugs and quilts. These are practical offerings of comfort, warmth and care to friends and family members.

Alongside the creation of physical items, there is the deep social good which exists in the sharing of traditional skills. Individuals who gather together in knitting circles or other forms of crafting workshop experience the privilege of working and creating with one another, knitting their communities more closely together.  

The creation of patchwork quilts in particular have become a tradition which represents stability, community care, and have even served as a unique form of historical documentation, with carefully crafted panels carrying visual information about personal, familial and community stories and events down through generations.”

This project has resulted in the exhibition, the production of a folio of prints, and the publication of a book.

The folio of prints is an edition of five plus one artist proof. One folio will be housed in the Henry Sheldon Museum’s permanent collection, a second will become part of the Kolaj Institutes permanent collection. The other editions are available for touring and/or sale contact: info@kolajmagazine.com

For more on this specific project please visit here.

To purchase the book visit here.

Or for more from The Henry Sheldon Museum visit here.

Upcoming Festival: "NEW REALITY: Contemporary Collage in Ireland"- Friday the 9th of September – Saturday the 1st of October 2022 -at Market House Craftworks, Cappoquin, Co. Waterford, Ireland.

🔸🔹🔸UPCOMING FESTIVAL: NEW REALITY: CONTEMPORARY COLLAGE IN IRELAND”🔸🔹🔸

Opening Reception: Friday 9th of September 6pm - 8pm

New Reality Festival: Friday 9th of September - Sunday 11th of September 2022

Exhibition Running from: Friday the 9th of September – Saturday the 1st of October 2022

I am absolutley thrilled to be invited to take part in the upcoming - 'New Reality’ Contemporary Collage in Ireland festival and exhibition. Organised by the wonderful Silvio Serverino, Una Gildea, Jane Jermyn and the Market House Craftworks.

The ‘New Reality’ exhibition opens with a Festival on the weekend of the 9th-11th Sept. The festival will feature a series of workshops a the Parochial Hall, Cappoquin, P51 VY40. Each hosted by mega talented master collage artists, Marta Janik, Una Gildea, Tom Doig, Alan Murphy and Tatyana Feeny.

I am also inviting you to join me in a “Monster” workshop hosted by truly on Saturday the 10th of September at 14.30 -16.30. Workshops come at a small cost and booking is recommended either through Eventbrite or by phone 087-2187962.

Other events will include live music by 'Mamacha & the Forest of Sound', fabulous screenings of Moving Collage, a talk by the man himself Sean Hillen (Sean Hillen Artist), subject of the award winning documentary "Tomorrow is Saturday".

The exhibition itself will be open to the public from 9th Sept - 1st October at Market House Craftworks The Square, Green Street, Cappoquin, Co. Waterford, P51 KD37.

For more on this rich and amazing event visit: https://www.instagram.com/new_reality_festival/

"Empty Nests" (2022) - Digital Collage - Anthony D Kelly From the Amazing Migracje/Migration Project.

"Empty Nests" (2022) - Digital Collage - Anthony D Kelly

"Travel to the island of Achill which hangs in the dark waters of the Atlantic, off the stark and wind beaten coasts of northwest Mayo. Bring yourself along to the foot of Slievemore mountain, you will find a deserted village there.

This abandoned settlement stands as a remnant, a scar, and a memorial site; one of many strewn across this county and country. Each site is a stark reminder of times in Ireland, that due to famine, as well as social and political pressures, survival was intensely difficult for most and truly impossible for some.

Elsewhere in Mayo, evidence of potato ridges rise high up on hillsides in areas which are now devoid of settlement. These areas were once so populous, that settlers resorted to cultivating their crops at awkward altitudes for lack of space.

When you stand in these once lively landscapes now, they feel haunted somehow. Indeed, our ancestors often held “Living Wakes” with their loved ones, before going to the docks; as they knew that they would never return.

In mid-June of this year the central statistics office announced that there are now five million people living in the Republic of Ireland. Yet records show that since the 18th century between nine and ten million people born in Ireland have emigrated away. Many of my own generation chose to move abroad as the impacts of the Global Financial Crisis of 2008 sent shockwaves throughout Irish society.

We are a nation of emigrants, and we have left in many waves.

In the contemporary discourse on migration, immigration and displacement there tends to be a heavy focus on countries of arrival. This shifts our perspectives away from the realities of what might be left behind. Yes, those who arrive in a new country are often taking flight from dire situations such as war, famine and oppression. Yet, just like our ancestors who fled, they are also leaving behind loved ones, family, friends, communities, favourite meals, old stories, familiar words, much loved songs, childhood bedrooms, streets, homes, and empty nests."

For more of Marta Janik's amazing work blast off to: www.planetmarta.com

For more about the Birr Vintage and Arts Festival visit: https://www.birrvintageweek.com

For more from the amazing venue in Warsaw check out: Pałacyk Konopackiego

📢✒️ANNOUNCEMENT POETRY X COLLAGE JOURNAL LAUNCH ✒️📢

I am delighted to be invited (did that rhyme?) to present work and poetry that resulted from my recent time spent on the Kolaj Institutes Poetry & Collage Residency. I will be presenting alongside the other artists who took part to celebrate the launch of the new Poetry X Collage Journal publication.

This will be a great event, see details below:

KOLAJ LIVE ONLINE

PoetryxCollage Journal Launch

Thursday, August 11th, 6PM EDT / 11PM GMT

"In January 2022, we issued a call to artists for a Poetry & Collage Residency and received so many excellent responses that we organized a series of three residencies. The artists heard from guest speakers Kevin Sampsell, Renée Reizman, Rod T. Boyer, and the Poetry Foundation's Fred Sasaki and were challenged to create page spreads to be included in a forthcoming book of collage and poetry.

In the residency, we challenged artists to move beyond taxonomical debates. Ric Kasini Kadour said, "What is a poem? We do not need to have a singular answer to that question. Individually we must each answer that question for ourselves. In practice, every poem we make will be an example of what a poem is. In considering other people's work, we should ask ourselves, How is this a poem?" During the residencies, artists interrogated each other's artwork, collaborated, and shared ideas. And at the end of it, they sent us more page spreads than could fit into a single book. Impressed and moved by the volume and quality of cultural output and a deep belief that this practice--however you want to describe it--at the intersection of collage and poetry deserves a platform, we decided to create a new journal dedicated to it. Christopher Kurts named it PoetryXCollage and said, “How do you pronounce it? You can say the letter ‘X’ or it can stand for the words ‘and,’ ‘in collaboration with,’ or ‘featuring.’ The X is an intersection, a crossroads, or an equation. X marks the spot.”

Join Kolaj Institute and several of the contributing artists— Anthony D Kelly (Castlebar, Co. Mayo, Ireland), Carla E Reyes (Astoria, NY, USA), Cathy Greenhalgh (London, England, United Kingdom), Cheryl Chudyk (Kirkland, WA, USA), Janice McDonald (Denver, CO, USA), Jennifer Roche (Chicago, IL, USA), Samantha Brown (Blackrock, Co. Louth, Ireland), Thomas Mayer (Berlin, Germany)—in a discussion surrounding the residency, their artwork, and the intersection of collage and poetry. Artists will share images of their work and read their poetry. The event is free & open to everyone. Registration is required.

To register for this amazing event click here:

For more from the wonderful Kolaj Institute visit: http://www.kolajinstitute.org/

For more of the work of Anthony D Kelly follow the words: www.freeformtrouble.com