Kildare artists join forces to promote work during lockdown
SULT
A group of Kildare artists have recently come together to form a collective to promote their work nationally and internationally.
Sult currently consists of 11 artists - Margaret Becker, Pamela de Brí, Sylvia Hemmingway, Liza Kavanagh, Lia Laimbock, Mary McGrath, Ann McKenna, Brian O’Loughlin, Mary Ronayne, Noel Scullion, and Eleanor Swan.
The Irish word Sult means enjoyment, satisfaction and fun and the group has adopted artist Ann Hamilton’s quote as its mission statement.
"A work of art should interest the eye, excite the brain, move the mind to reflection, involve the heart and come at us from an unexpected angle and stop us short in wonder" - Ann Hamilton, The Body and the Object.
Sult was formed as a marketing platform during the first Covid lockdown, which emphasised the scarcity of marketing and sales opportunities for artists. It is a one stop shop for those interested in purchasing all kinds of art.
The members include stained glass and ceramic artists, painters, printmakers and sculptors. It is a dynamic hub of talented creative people who want to connect with a wider audience.
During the Covid restrictions artists were able to continue working in their own studios but with the lockdown, there were few available routes to market the resulting artworks.
"We recognised the power of a group of likeminded people and are using our united energies to promote our art
through our new website: www.sultartists.com , through Facebook, (Sult Artists) and through Instagram (SultArtists). Our message is that 'Art is for Everybody'. Original art is fun but it is also important. It celebrates a moment and place in time. It is personal and it honours our combined heritage," said the group.
Margaret Becker, a Sult Artists member, founder of the Leinster Print Studio and Kildare Cultural
Ambassador said: "Art brings something special to people. Art contributes something to a person’s soul and it is all
about the soul. People need their soul to be nourished."