Mac-room on your calendar

Cancel your plans as Chapel Hill School of Art in Macroom is hosting a fun, free open day on 20 August from 12.30-4pm in honour of classes reopening come September.

All are welcome to this free event, which includes a series of heritage based workshops and demonstrations to be showcased for your enjoyment on the spacious grounds and buildings on Chapel Hill.

Bernadette Tuite the Programme Coordinator at the School of Art said: “From the success of last year’s open day, Open Day 2022 will share the vibrancy of creative talent around us, showcasing our heritage and bringing the community together in a fun and engaging way in our beautiful and spacious amenity.”

Chapel Hill School of Art (CHSA) was founded in 2020 by sculptors Joe Neeson and John McCormack. The school is based in the historic former Mercy Convent on Chapel Hill in Macroom. They offer a range of weekly art classes, and one day workshops for all ages from fun have-a-go creative opportunities to the master class experience.

Founders John McCormack and Joe Neeson met and started working together in The National Sculpture Factory in 1997. Since then, they have collaborated on many large- and small-scale sculptures for national and international artists. This work is exhibited in both public and private collections.

Commenting on Chapel Hill, founder Joe Neeson and John McCormack said: “We both felt that it would be important to continue with the educational history of the building. The logical path for us, considering our backgrounds, was to create the Chapel Hill School of Art.”

This history of education continues with fresh endeavours to contribute to meaningful culture, heritage and celebration of the visual arts and heritage in the area with the exciting opening of CHSA and its offering of art classes in September of 2022, with classes ranging from crochet to painting, willow and textile weaving, painting to mosaic making.

The programme for classes and workshops is available at chapelhillschoolofart.ie.