The aim of Riverbank Arts Centre’s Visual Arts Programme is to put the arts at the heart of Kildare life and people at the heart of the arts.
The Visual Arts programme works with professional artists in a range of art forms from the established media of painting, sculpture, photography and printmaking to moving image, new media, live art, design and architecture.
Exhibitions, projects, and events are selected and curated in-house by invitation and through an open selection process. Open Call’s for artists are published online, and through our various social media channels.
March 2023
VISUAL ART: Kathleen Lonsdale – an exhibition by Maeve Clancy
Artist Maeve Clancy presents the working life of Newbridge-born scientist Kathleen Lonsdale (1903-1971) through an immersive cut paper installation. The paper is combined with drawings, lighting and animation designed to take the visitor out of their world and into the extraordinary mind of Kathleen Lonsdale. The installation will allow audiences to follow this pioneer’s thought process, discoveries and scientific process, while looking at Lonsdale’s education, working life and achievements in science. Kathleen Lonsdale was an eminent scientist who helped to…
Find out more »June 2023
VISUAL ART: Unseen – an exhibition by Kildare Art Collective
Kildare Art Collective return to the McKenna Gallery in June as part of June Fest with a group exhibition featuring the work of 15 collective members. Unseen reveals what we generally do not, or cannot, see. This prompts us to question the invisible, the obscured and the unnoticed. In this exhibition Kildare Art Collective take their work to a variety of fascinating places. Addressing themes such as faith, philosophy, identity, time and memory this exhibition shines a light on the…
Find out more »July 2023
VISUAL ART: Our Place
Our Place playfully explores themes of happiness, human rights, and a sense of belonging by transforming the McKenna Gallery at Riverbank Arts Centre into a friendly multi-sensory environment through an electric combination of sound art, storytelling, tactile lighting, touchable sculptures and comfy seating for everyone to enjoy. A soundscape will play through a system of 12 audio speakers in the gallery with adjustable volume. To further enhance this experience for everyone, three distinct sensory areas within the gallery space will be…
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