In the heart of Dublin city centre, Temple Bar Gallery + Studios is a place where artists and the public have unique opportunities to meet and interact. The building encompasses a number of residencies; 30 artists studios; the International Studio Programme for artist-in-residence exchanges; a gallery space; and events and workshops catering to the public. All of this is organised under the watchful eye of gallery director Clíodhna Shaffrey – and we also talk to Sibyl Montague, one of a number of artists-in-residence (and a member of the TBG+S board).

Established in 1983 by artists for artists, Temple Bar Gallery + Studios’ mission sounds simple: to create, exhibit and engage. But there’s a huge amount of planning, hard work and imagination involved in running what is an exceptional creative enterprise. The gallery has just launched its new programme for 2019. A number of the planned events are open to the public, free of charge. These include artist and curator talks, studio visits, gallery tours and film screenings, as well as performances, listening events, studio exhibitions and workshops. “There are so many things to interest people who might have never come into the gallery before,” says Clíodhna Shaffrey. “The artists do fascinating workshops. So there’s a great cross-connection.”

Temple Bar Gallery. Copyright Miguel Ruiz

Recent successes include a winter workshop series, facilitated by artists-in-residence. “Each of the artists had a workshop and taught some skill, based around their practice,” Clíodhna continues. “The capacity for each workshop was 20, but there were waiting lists of over 80. It was amazing. We have a lot of artists at different levels of their career, which makes it even more accessible. Their practices are very diverse: painting, photography, film, sculpture.”

For 2019, the studio is offering one-year, three-year and six-year studio tenures, with five artists already named for the one-year openings. There’s also a graduate residency award, as well as two international residencies.

“What’s really special about this place is that there are so many artists involved,” Sibyl Montague, who has a three-year residency at the studio, observes. “And it functions as a gallery as well, it’s very multi-functional. There’s a lot of energy in the building.”

For art enthusiasts and newbies alike, there’s no shortage of ways to get involved. Ronan McCrea’s exhibition, Efference Copy Mechanism, opens on Thursday, February 14, with exhibitions running almost back-to-back from there; ten talks and events have been scheduled for the first half of the year; and there’s a membership scheme providing access to special events.

Temple Bar Gallery + Studios, 5-9 Temple Bar, Dublin 2, Tel: +353 (01) 671 0073 Find out more here: http://www.templebargallery.com/

Ronan McCrea