Common Ground

Common Ground; Common Good – Online Art Exhibition 2022

Curated by Carole Kane, we asked 8 artists to create a piece that explored how art can comment on community issues and contribute to the development of common ground and common good.

Eleanor-Jane McCartney

Eleanor-Jane designs and makes small-batch, unique, fused glass and vitreous enamel pieces – wall art, costume jewellery, free-standing work and welcomes commissions. Each piece is original, hand-cut, assembled and fused with care. Her practice is often informed by weathered marks on our rich and ancient layered land with references made to Celtic crosses, standing stones and volcanic land formations. Eleanor-Jane lives and works on Ireland’s North Coast. You can find out more about Eleanor-Jane and her work Here

Fergus Cooper

Fergus Cooper is a documentary filmmaker. In October 2019 his first feature length film: The Quiet Shuffling of Feet, premiered in the Fermanagh Live Arts festival. A portrait of David Bolton, who led the community trauma response to the Enniskillen and Omagh bombings, it sensitively explored the issue of conflict-related trauma and recovery. It received feature coverage in the Irish News, Newsletter and Irish Times. His most recent short film: A Further Shore – profiles artist and mental wellbeing advocate Noelle McAlinden.

You can watch this and more of Fergus’s work here:

Paul Hutchinson is a mediator, artist, educator and creative facilitator. He is a former Director of Corrymeela and is the founder/Director of Imagined Spaces. Paul is a renowned storyteller and uses narrative practices throughout his work. His latest book is Between the Bells – stories of reconciliation from Corrymeela(2019 Canterbury Press). His latest film VACANCIES was shown at St Anne’s Cathedral as part of a reflection on Lament in (21 June 2021) and his next film (in production) is a meditation on the statue of Edward Carson. You can learn more about his work by contacting him at [email protected]

Stephen Wilson

Stephen Wilson is a photographer based in Northern Ireland. Over the last 25 years his photographs have been featured in numerous national and international publications. Now as well as Lecturing in photography Stephen continues to work on long form documentary projects looking at the relationship between identity and landscape or built environment especially in the Loyalist Protestant community of Ireland. Alongside this Stephen runs photography workshops in interface areas using photography as a means of communities exploring ideas around identity, you can read more about his work here

Bronagh Lawson

Bronagh Lawson is a believer in the power of art, she has a 10 year collaboration with Adjunct Professor at school of art institute Chicago, together they have devised and exhibited work on both sides of the pond sometimes developing performative healing walks. One of which Fr Martin Magill came on which inspired him in part to think of starting the 4 corners festival. She is past chair of the Women’s tec and Belfast print workshop and gallery and current chair of Paragon studios, Pssquared gallery and a member of Bbeyond performance art group. Further information about Bronagh and her art insights can found here

Peter Murray

My name is Peter Murray. I live in Ballyclare, Co. Antrim with my wife, Liz. I was born in Malawi, Africa, where my parents were missionaries but I’ve lived most of my life in Ireland. I’ve always loved to draw and paint but I became a geography teacher in Belfast and then a Methodist minister and only began painting when I had a three month sabbatical from work as the minister in Carnalea, Bangor. I’m an amateur painter, self-taught too, but my passion is to express my Christian faith in painting and enjoy God’s gift of creativity.

If you’d like to contact Peter about his work you can do so at: [email protected]

Jonny McEwen

I paint mostly abstract landscapes. I am inspired by the landscape and intrigued by the act of painting itself. I create Imagined spaces where something might happen. In these pieces, I was thinking about the connections that 4 Corners try to create, the new encounters. A conversation across the canvas. I was thinking about the possibility and the emptiness that invites encounters. The bridges we attempt to build and the possibility of new narratives in new spaces. There are dialogues happening between the different sides of the canvas, and between the sky(heaven?) and earth. And this invitational space in the centre.

You can find out more about Jonny and his work here

Carole Kane

Carole Kane has many roles within community settings. She coordinates projects and facilitates across expressive arts, community arts and education, conflict transformation and peacebuilding. An example of a longitudinal, three-phase community art project that she initiated and facilitated was Petals of Hope, Rays of Light. Immediately after the bomb in Omagh in 1998, she led the affected local community in their creative response to the atrocity and this work concluded at the 20th Anniversary in 2018.

If you want to see more of Carole’s work or contact her for information you can do so here: