The neon artwork, which features the phrase we make our own histories was co-created by artist Anthony Haughey as Artist-in-Residence at the National Museum of Ireland working with young people who live near the National Museum of Ireland - Decorative Arts and History, Collins Barracks, and National Museum of Ireland - Country Life, Turlough Park, County Mayo. The Artist-in-Residence Programme is supported by the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media as part of the Decade of Centenaries Programme 2012-2023.
This artist’s neon was produced by sampling and combining the handwriting of 120 young people who participated in a series of workshops hosted by Anthony Haughey during his residency. The workshops introduced participants to historical collections in the Museum, inviting them to reflect on the significance of understanding the past in order to shape an inclusive future.
“History and museums have the power to help us understand how past societies, cultures and technologies were built and functioned” according to Haughey, “for many young people, however, history is often perceived to be an academic subject studied in school but disconnected from their everyday lives. A collective action of writing a seemingly simple statement belies a powerful claim by these young people, acknowledging their individual and collective roles in providing the raw material for future histories yet to be written.”
Museum Director Lynn Scarff expresses how significant this artwork is in the context of the Museum’s engagement with young people, and those who live local to our sites in Dublin 7 and in Co. Mayo, adding
“It’s also really important to us to bring new people into the Museum, and Anthony’s way of working helps us achieve that aim, as well as encouraging all our visitors to see our collections from new perspectives. It’s very exciting to see this collaborative artwork installed in the Museum’s reception at Collins Barracks, putting our communities and their histories and narratives at the heart of the Museum. It is these personal histories and narratives which enrich us all as a society. We look forward to Anthony’s larger exhibition of work emerging from the Residency, due to open in the first months of 2023.”
Geraldine Nugent of the Aosóg Child and Family Project said
"This has been a great opportunity for our young people to actively participate, through Anthony's residency, in a fun and inclusive art project at the Museum. Although all the Aosóg young people live locally, for many of them it was their first time to visit Collins Barracks, work with an artist and be a part of a project with other local youth groups. We had a lot of interesting discussion about what the phrase ‘We make our own Histories’ means and about the project themes. Aosóg is delighted to participate in this artist-in-residence project at the Museum, which is part of our local community."
Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media, Catherine Martin, TD said:
“The Artist-in-Residence Programme is so important as we explore the final, most challenging phase of the Decade of Centenaries programme. Initiatives such as this can serve to bring some of our rich primary source material into the public domain in new and imaginative ways and it is great that Anthony’s work has encouraged young people to get involved and access these unique collections”.
The neon installation will be on display until the end of 2023. Haughey is working on a larger exhibition which will go on display at the Museum of Decorative Arts & History, Collins Barracks in 2023 and there are installations planned at the Museum of Country Life and the Museum of Archaeology.
https://www.museum.ie/en-IE/Museums/Decorative-Arts-History/Projects/Artist-in-residence/We-Make-Our-Own-Histories-Neon-artwork-installatio
Notes for Editors
About the Residency
This Artist in Residence project is a partnership between the National Museum of Ireland (NMI) and the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media and the Decade of Centenaries Programme 2012-2023.
The Museum is one of five national cultural institutions invited by the Department to commission an artist residency, to focus on the collections in the context of the Decade of Centenaries, and to create new and imaginative ways to engage the public with the collections.
Since taking up the residency at the National Museum of Ireland in 2021, Anthony Haughey has engaged with a wide and diverse range of Museum visitors, communities and groups across Ireland.
About the Artist
Anthony Haughey is a socially engaged artist, photographer, filmmaker, and educator. He collaborates widely with communities of interest to co-create artworks that share a common purpose; to challenge inequality and promote social transformation. His co-authored and solo artworks have been exhibited and collected by museums and galleries nationally and internationally. His artist studio is situated in the National Museum of Ireland - Decorative Arts & History site in Collins Barracks. Anthony's artist studio is conceived of as a learning lab, where dynamic conversations, workshops, and durational processes result in the co-creation of artworks that reflect an exciting time of change in Ireland. Anthony is particularly interested in how Ireland’s Decade of Centenaries raises important questions for how we understand and embrace emerging cultural identities. He is open to working with communities across the island. If you have an idea for a co-created project you can contact him to arrange a studio visit or an online conversation. Studio visits are also welcome from Curators and media by appointment.