Wicklow County Arts Office has commissioned, collaborated and supported an exciting programme of events and activities in several locations across the county to celebrate Culture Night which returns on Friday, 20th September.

This free programme of happenings showcases a diverse range of events purposefully selected to open up pathways to creativity.

Events include:

• Book a forty-minute portrait sitting with artist Conor Walton in Arklow Library on Friday 20th September. 18 slots are available, running from 10 am to 10 pm. The portraits will be hung in the Library’s exhibition space as they are completed.
• The Colour Club will host two workshops on Culture Night. The first will be for children ages 4-10 and the second will be for ages 14+ and adults. Participants will create their own kaleidoscopes and explore how simple shapes and colours can form intricate patterns inspired by global cultures.
• Bray Community Addiction Team (BCAT) is hosting “Discovering Recovery: Open House with BCAT” an event designed to engage the community, raise awareness about addiction, and showcase the essential services provided by Bray Community Addiction Team (BCAT). This event will feature music from BCAT’s Music Group (Finding Your Voice), food, an art exhibition, and guided tours of our facility, offering a comprehensive look into our services and the impact of our work. This will be a collaborative event with other local community-based projects.
• The Drawbridge Workshop is a participatory engagement workshop in collaboration with Howff architects. The workshop aims to highlight and generate discussion on town-wide accessibility issues, starting at the front steps of Kunstverein Aughrim. Participants will assemble and test a temporary access ramp in the form of a drawbridge that can be inserted into a building’s threshold.
• Join the Flowers of Ukraine on Culture Night in Blessington Library for an enchanting event featuring Ukraine’s rich cultural heritage — delight in traditional Ukrainian folk songs alongside a selection of English favorites. Experience the grace of Ukrainian dance, and enjoy the melodic tunes of well-known pieces played by a professional pianist.
• The introduction to Lino printing workshop with local artist Terry Lawless will introduce participants to the basic skill of relief printmaking. The participants will have the chance to make their own one-colour design that they will transfer onto a lino block, carve out, ink up and print. They will look at a brief history of lino printing and how it has impacted on the areas of craft, graphic arts as well as fine arts. How print is currently enjoying a revival and where you can see it.
• Join the opening of Leisure Seekers, a new exhibition from Harold Offeh. Leisure Seekers is a multi-media installation emerging from Harold Offeh’s research visits to Bray where he has explored the town’s history as a holiday destination. Working with local stories, fables, communities, families and sea swimmers, Offeh explores aspects of this rich history of Bray as a place for fun and leisure through the ages.
• Celebrate the launch of Holy Show arts magazine at The Bandstand on Bray’s Seafront. The magazine will feature a new poem, essay and photographs of Bray’s seafront. Poet Jane Clarke and photographer David Stephen capture the sights and sounds of the promenade, with a particular focus on the people who use it (and the things you hear them say in passing!) Jane will read her new poem and talk about her Springtime ‘residency’.
• Siobhan Donohue and friends will play a mixture of traditional and contemporary music in Enniskerry Library. Local poet, Judy Russell, will read from her own compositions. Portrait and wildlife artist, Catherina Cudlipp who works in pencil, pastel, acrylic and oils (pet-portraits.ie) will exhibit a selection of her portraits of family pets.

All events are free and people are advised to book early to avoid disappointment.

See the full Culture Night programme at www.culturenight.ie/wicklow.