Exhibition & Event Launch and Opening Talk Wednesday 13 December 2017, 5pm, with artists Alice Maher, Cecily Brennan, Eithne Jordan and Paula Meehan. All welcome.

The NCAD Gallery is pleased to present Art & Action, an Artists’ Campaign to Repeal the Eighth Amendment event & exhibition of visual art, film and activism. This event & exhibition invites attendees to consider the artist’s role in political activism and the forms that this activism can take.

In the Gallery, audiences have the opportunity to view the vibrant textile banners made by artists Alice Maher, Rachel Fallon, Aine Phillips, Breda Mayock and Sarah Cullen, which were produced for the 5th Annual March for Choice on September 30, 2017. In the NCAD Harry Clarke Lecture theatre, a short film programme is screened daily, 5.50pm — 6.30pm, featuring a selection of films and documentaries made between 1983 and 2017 which directly focus on the lack of abortion access and impact of the Eighth Amendment on women’s lives in Ireland.

In advance of the referendum 2018, Executive Director of Amnesty International Colm O’Gorman and Vice-President of Equality and Citizenship of USI Siona Cahill will join founding campaign member and artist Cecily Brennan for a Q&A session on ‘How to Talk About Repeal’, Wednesday 13 December, 7pm. Particularly aimed at those who intend to canvass in the run up the referendum, this session aims to provide the tools to make an informed decision about one’s vote, become more confident in arguing for repeal and to educate others. All are welcome.

* The Artists’ Campaign to Repeal the Eighth Amendment would like to thank the NCAD Gallery/ Anne Kelly for their kind invitation to create this event with them and event organisers Sarah Cullen, Kim Gleeson, Bassam Al-Sabah.

Art & Action | Event and Exhibition Schedule

Exhibition :: Wednesday 13 & Thursday 14 December, 10am — 9pm
Campaign Banners are exhibited in the main NCAD Gallery space, shown in conjunction with a selection of photo books about abortion access in Ireland. Also on view in the Gallery: the short film, ‘Statistic’ (1983) directed by Alison Kelly, provides an important context for artists’ involvement in this movement, and a selection of women’s real life testimonies read by some of Ireland’s best known performers and artists from A Day of Testimonies which took place in Project Arts Centre on August 26 2017.

Event & Exhibition Opening Talk :: Wednesday 13 December, 5pm
An opening speech will take place in the main gallery space where attendees will hear from the founding members of the Artists’ Campaign to Repeal the Eighth Amendment Cecily Brennan, Alice Maher, Eithne Jordan and Paula Meehan about what the Artists Campaign does and how the banners came into being.

Why We Must Repeal the Eighth Amendment :: Wednesday 13 December, 7pm
Amnesty Ireland Director Colm O’Gorman and USI Equality Officer, Siona Cahill will join Cecily Brennan for a Q&A session on the 8th Amendment and the importance of repeal.

Shred-It :: Wednesday 13 December, 1pm — 9pm
In the NCAD gallery foyer, anyone can join us and be filmed shredding the Eighth Amendment. In addition, anyone, anywhere can participate by shredding the Eighth and uploading their clips to a dedicated online channel.

Film Screening Programme :: Wednesday 13 and Thursday 14 December, 5.30pm — 6.30pm
Finalised Programme TBC, Harry Clarke Lecture Theatre, NCAD.

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On November 29 2017, the Irish Times writes: ‘The Oireachtas committee on the Eighth Amendment to the Constitution, which gives effect to the State’s abortion ban, will vote in two weeks [Wednesday 13 December, 2017] on whether the amendment should be repealed and what law, if any, would replace it.’
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Find out more about the Artists’ Campaign to Repeal the Eighth Amendment at the following links:
www.artistsrepealthe8th.com
www.facebook.com/artistsrepeal8/
https://twitter.com/artistsrepeal
https://instagram.com/artistsrepeal8

Anne Kelly Programme Curator NCAD Gallery: gallery@staff.ncad.ie
National College of Art & Design, 100 Thomas Street, Dublin, D08 K521, Ireland. twitter.com/NCAD_Gallery instagram.com/ncad_gallery

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ABOUT THE CAMPAIGN www.artistsrepealthe8th.com
The decision to set up the Artists’ Campaign to Repeal the Eighth Amendment came from conversations among a group of artists in February 2015 about the consequences of this Amendment.

We were frustrated and extremely disappointed that, despite many shocking instances of neglect and mismanagement of women’s care as a result of the Eighth Amendment, there seemed to be a lack of political will to tackle what we saw as an urgent issue. We wanted to act and decided that we should appeal to our fellow working professional artists.

We have been very encouraged by the response of our colleagues, some 200 of whom have already attached their names to a statement calling for the repeal of the Amendment. This website has been launched to allow artists working in architecture, dance, film and television, literature, music, theatre and visual artists to add their own names to the list of supporters of the Artists’ Campaign to Repeal the Eighth Amendment.

Our aim is to communicate to the public, to the political parties, and in particular to the relevant ministers in the context of the up-coming election, that the artists who have attached their names to this statement believe the Amendment has been extremely damaging for women, and must be repealed

The Artists’ Campaign to Repeal the Eighth Amendment is seeking to gather signatures from artists who are calling for the repeal of the Eighth Amendment. Our aim is to publicise the signed statement as widely as possible through the Artists’ Campaign to Repeal the Eighth Amendment website, national and international press and social media.

The campaign is organised by artists for artists. We believe and hope that other sectors of Irish society will also call for the repeal of this detrimental amendment.
Cecily Brennan
Eithne Jordan
Alice Maher
Paula Meehan
Lia Mills
Mairead O’hEocha
Rachel-Rose O’ Leary

We would like to thank John Sutton, Director at Persuasion Republic for his help and support. Daragh O’ Toole, Creative Director at Persuasion Republic, designed the persuasive Campaign logo