Prestigious RHA West Exhibition Opens in Ballina
At Saturday's opening of the RHA West Exhibition were, from left, Susan Heffernan, Project Manager at the Mary Robinson Centre, Sandra Hennigan and Alice Dixon, Youth Project Ballina. Picture: John O'Grady
A large crowd attended the launch of RHA West in the Municipal Gallery at Ballina Civic Offices on Saturday evening. Presented by Ballina 2023 in partnership with Ballina Arts Centre, the prestigious exhibition was launched by Chief Executive of Mayo County Council, Kevin Kelly, and marks 300 years of Ballina and 200 years of the Royal Hibernian Academy of Arts. The exhibition also marks the first time the entire membership of the RHA has shown together in the West of Ireland, and includes 44 works by artists including Mick O’Dea, Aideen Barry, Donald Teskey and Alice Maher.
Speaking on the night, Director of the RHA, Patrick T. Murphy highlighted the growing influence of North Mayo on visual artists in Ireland, with five members of the RHA currently based in Co. Mayo. President of the RHA, Mick O’Dea, who resides in Portacloy, spoke of his experiences of living in the region, while Ballina 2023 Project manager Lisa Hallinan paid tribute to Mayo Arts Service who continue to be at the forefront of cultural development in Ireland, consistently delivering nationally leading arts programmes.
Entertainment on the evening was provided by the young musicians of Music Generation Mayo’s Harp Ensemble.
RHA West will run until Friday, October 20 in Ballina Civic Offices.
