Board Members

Mary founded our organisation, last August after Kilkenny Arts weeks. She had studied Fine Art at Ormonde College back in 2019 & having returned to Kilkenny in 2022 after graduating as a mature student at Waterford Institute of Technology (SETU)
with BA  Hons in Visual Art, she took up a studio in the city.  After networking with alot of local people on the ground during the Arts festival she felt there was need for space in the city to provide local artists an outlet to either create or exhibit work. With this in mind she formed the organisation and set up a workspace to incorporate studios for local artists. In September Mary approached manager Katie Quinn of Dunnes Stores, Kieran Street to enquire about letting the old restaurant space upstairs on their premises as a new Gallery for the organisation. Receiving  a positive response here, a meeting was set up with Head Office at Dunnes Stores. After months of negotiations the lease is now signed and a new venture begins for Kilkenny, soon with a new gallery to bring the best of Kilkenny art to the whole community of Kilkenny. In December the organisation was awarded a grant under the  Workspace Scheme from the Arts Council of Ireland to assist with the running costs of the Studios which are now based at 10, The Parade, Kilkenny.Aswell as a passion for Art, Mary has a vast experience in administration roles in Insurance & Banking, and aswell as her Degree in Visual Art, holds also a Diploma in Cultural Studies with Telesales & French, Higher Certificate in Insurance (IBA). She has a background over a 20 year span in Gaa, volunteering in roles such as Chairperson, Secretary, Project Manager for development work  and successfully managing various fundraisers for her club & community.
During Kilkenny Arts Week 2022, she was invited by the OPW to exhibit her works from her graduation show (which was held at Garter Lane, Waterford) in Kilkenny Castle grounds. She was part of the online Irish Arts Review "New Generation Gallery" in the August edition & was supported by @kilkennyartsoffice for project in 23, also upcoming exhibition @divaireland Oct 23.

Graham is from Kilkenny and a painter and mixed media artist. He works in acrylics and watercolour but also uses permanent markers, household paint, and aerosols to cover his surfaces with imagery and text, which run from rant to mythology to poetry to personal stories. 

He likes to paint birds, flowers and superheroes and sometimes altogether

He spent many years in Charlotte, NC, USA where He co founded Goodyear Arts, an innovative, nonprofit, artist-led  project that has artist residencies and events in underused buildings in Charlotte, NC, USA. 

He also co founded Wallpoems  A poetry-based nonprofit mural project, with more than 20 permanent painted walls and installations in Charlotte, NC, USA. 

He used to run  The Artist in the Shop Window Project at Fogartys in Castlecomer an artist run empty space project

He is currently working on a series of murals in the kilkenny area.

Originally from the heart of west Cork, Marian now lives in rural Kilkenny. With vast administrative experience from her many years working in a dynamic role with an agricultural Co-Op, Marian also has a BA in Irish Music & Dance from the Irish World Academy of Music & Dance, UL and a MA in Arts Policy & Practice from NUI Galway. Marian has lent a helping hand to many arts events and festivals over the years in west Cork, including the West Cork Literary Festival, Skibbereen Arts Festival, and the Drimoleague Singing Festival. Her preferred location is her veggie and flower garden with the radio on.