County Mayor's Diary Cllr Mary Linehan Foley
When I have quiet days, one of my favourite places to visit is my local library.
They are community institutions and Cork County Council makes sure that each one has something for everyone, from a stacked selection of books to various arts and music events.
The last week as Mayor of the County of Cork was all about our libraries, beginning with the launch of this year’s Open Call Winter Exhibition that will run through November and December.
This edition will see 74 works from 68 Cork-based artists presented in Cork County Council’s LHQ Gallery in the County Library on Carrigrohane Road.
This year’s 2025 Open Call Winter Exhibition is called ‘Oh, the thinks you can think’ and it takes its title from the 1975 Dr Suess book of the same name. Our theme is the thinking behind artworks and the endless possibilities and dreams that imagination can create.
Out of this, came exhibitions like Bríd Moynihan’s ‘Memory’ which looks at the deterioration of memory through a partly demolished building and Aoibheann Kennedy’s exploration of everyday journeys through her lived experiences as a woman, who is an artist and a musician and also disabled.
This exhibition launched on Friday 7 November and will be open from Monday to Friday from 9am to 5.30pm until 19 December at the LHQ Gallery, and is open to everyone.
Our libraries will also play an important role in our Make One Change campaign this November as they will host numerous climate-themed events and exhibitions. This is part of Cork County Cuts Carbon month and it involves encouraging our citizens to adopt simple, yet impactful, practical changes to their lifestyles as we try to battle the climate crisis while building more sustainable communities.
This follows on from previous successful campaigns in 2022 and 2023 and reflects the council’s objective to engage with citizens in tackling climate issues articulated in our Climate Action Plan 2024-29.
We built this year’s programme around our local libraries, by putting together a busy schedule that includes workshops, talks, presentations, and competitions, all focused on contributing to a sustainable environment for future generations.
This was followed by Cork County Council’s Arts and Library Service announcing Basil Al-Rawi and Stephen Brandes as the recipients of the inaugural LHQ Impact Award which supports established visual artists.
The accolade will provide the artists with a financial bursary and the opportunity for a solo exhibition at LHQ Gallery, Cork County Council’s dedicated exhibition space.
Stephen Brandes’ work will be on display in the summer of 2026 and Basil Al-Rawi will have the space in 2027.
Both artists are now creating new sculptural works that will be available to view in the future at the LHQ Gallery.