delivering fresh contemporary art to the public

Scratch is a platform for new emerging and graduate art. The Scratch panel selects a broad and strong representation of the next generation of emerging art and brings this work into the public domain. At Scratch we want to capture the essence of energy innovation and creativity that can be experienced at graduate shows and studios of emerging artists. We select all practices of emerging visual art, such as installation, sculpture, textile art, graffiti, animation, painting, drawing, etching, ceramics and calligraphy. Scratch ’07 had an attendance of 5,000 people from Mon 12th to Fri 15th November. With over half the work being sold by the 48 artists exhibited. Each artist’s work was put in front of 1000 galleries internationally – such as Art Fusion galleries Design District – Miami, Caroline Mullan, Mullan Gallery – (Belfast) Cleo Fagan – the Stone Gallery (Pearse St., Dublin) collectors, buyers and art agents such as -: Andrew Herdon (Saatchi Galleries) international art agent Helga Fox (H.F. Contemporary London). Introductions were made with five artists being successful with four galleries and one production company. A catalogue of the show was also given to 150 press. Artist Nick Jenson was featured in Sophie Gorman’s Review in the Irish Independent Sat 10th Nov. Installation artist Ashling McGovern was interviewed by Nationwide (R..T.E.) and Expose (TV3) and Newstalk Radio. Her work was also featured in the Sunday Business Post Sun 11th Nov ’07 Piper Mavis photographer (Slade London) works were also featured in the Irish Times Weekender magazine Sat 10th Nov’07. Other press coverage - The Monaghan Post Nov-Dec ’07, Prudence Feb ’08, Irish Tatler Jan ’08, Metro, The Star. The last word from scratch At Scratch we want to create an exhibition of emerging art that will help to communicate successfully in multicultural, intercultural, interdisciplinary and rapidly changing external environments. The Judges for the 2007 Show were: Caroline Mullan - The Mullan Gallery, Belfast Sophie Gorman - Irish Independent, Dublin Cleo Fagan - The Stone Gallery, Dublin

Why do this? We want to source work at graduate level internationally and create a dialogue through art with students and artists where they can experience and appreciate the emerging art from each other’s cultures. Scratch has created a valuable contact point for graduate artists to meet with art dealers, buyers, agents, and the public.

Who is behind it? The event is organised by Helen Steele, Irish artist, Sonia Reynolds, P.R. guru and Hugh Scully Event Management with the back up of an excellent team who have put on exhibitions in Ireland (Scratch 07, Bank of Ireland Arts Centre, Brown Thomas), England (the Design Club, Chelsea Harbour Design Centre, London, the Garden Cube, Outdoor Event, Redcliffe Gardens, Chelsea London). The event is further supported by renowned art experts including: Caroline Mullan (the Mullan gallery, Lisburn Rd Belfast), Sophie Gorman (art critic Independent newsgroups), Cleo Fagan (the Stone Gallery), and features work from artists from IADT Dun Laoghaire, Crawford College of Art, Limerick College of Art, Ulster College of Art, Belfast, NCAD, The Slade London, The Chelsea College of Art, Central St Martins London. The exhibition also contained new work of artists from Lebanon, Sweden, Ireland, UK, Lithuania, Latvia, Greece, Russia, USA, Peru, Argentina and China.

What is the Scratch USP? • • • • •

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Unique concept - nothing like it at present in Ireland Emerging talent in all sectors of art from the top colleges in Ireland and England (with plans to include international colleges in the future) and independent artists all under one roof. A one stop shop for new art – consumers, agents, gallery owners, buyers and collectors can all fish from a new pool of talent. Supports the arts and provides a further step for emerging artists to make new contacts, show their work and gain recognition. This is a chance to team up & be part of the nurturing & growth of a new age in art. Wouldn’t it be great to be part of the discovery of the next Andy Warhol? Or even be an integral part of a movement in art? An innovative and inspirational, boundary-pushing picture. There will be a grand prize (Cash / Exhibition) and a winner chosen - launch a career. We create interactive workshops with local schools.

“Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbour. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.” (Mark Twain). What Does Scratch Offer a Potential Sponsor? This years sponsorship will be broken into several prize sponsorships which will result in a prizegiving on the opening night of scratch Nov 09 in Dublin. The prize categories are as follows: animation, sculpture, painting, drawing, textile art, ceramics, etching, calligraphy, abstract, and representational, installation. Each prize costs €5000 to sponsor. • • • • • • • • • •

Sponsorship & Ownership of Event Unique opportunity to target wide consumer group Name on all marketing material (All Media, Tickets, POS, Online) PR opportunities Launch night Event Tickets & branding opportunities Co-promotion opportunities Opportunity to be on judging panel & be involved from start Become an integral part of a future in new art. Finding the next big talent or movement in art.

Scratch Documentary (Portrait of an Artist) This documentary follows the story from scratch! It tells the story of how the exhibition came to be. We also have filmed in-depth interviews with each exhibiting artist, the public’s reaction to the exhibition and the guided tours and workshops. In the interviews with each artist they explain their work, what college they are from and a little about themselves. We intend to do a follow up this year with selected artists to see where they are a year on after Scratch and ask what where the benefits? How has it helped? What are they working on now? What is the reality of making it in the art world from the bottom up? We will show some of our ’07 artists who have got some great breaks (feel good stories). We hope to take the Scratch camera on the road to some of the grad shows in Ireland and England to show the diverse level of work out there. At Scratch we intend to document each artist (through film) that exhibits at all future shows.

Workshops Scratch ’07 held workshops with local secondary school The Larkin College off Cathal Burgh St., 2nd and 5th class, textile students from N.C.A.D., and a local old folks group that the Larkin College were running a project with. The feedback was inspirational. The Larkin college classes wrote a critique of the exhibition and re-created their favourite piece as part of their schoolwork. The workshop also included guided tours and sketching. The Scratch Award The recipient of this award will receive €1000 and an exhibition at the Market House Gallery, Monaghan.

Scratch ’09 What‘s happening at this year’s show... This year we will be visiting many Irish and English grad shows such as; N.C.A.D. Dublin, I.A.D.T., Dun Laoghaire, Ballyfermot Dublin, Crawford College of Art, Cork, Limerick College of Art, University of Ulster Belfast and Derry, Central St.Martins, London, Chelsea College of Art London, The Slade College of Art UCL, Goldsmiths College of Art London, Camberwell College of Art, London. We hope to have submissions from international colleges, and plan to show award winning and innovative work in sculpture, painting, installation, animation, textiles, performance art and ceramics.

New Attractions This year we will have an animation and video-screening tent and a space showing a selection of the best of ’08 animation. The entrance wall will be built for graffiti artists to jam over the duration of the show. The paint box system is created by the public on a weeklong roll of canvas, thus creating one of Ireland’s largest paintings.

Scratch - a show that can travel Scratch has the potential to travel to different countries, source new art within each country and show collectively under the Scratch umbrella with other international new art and emerging actual art, Scratch intends to create workshops and to document through film at each show in each country.

List of Universities IRELAND DIT Mountjoy, Ballyfermot, Crawford Cork, Burren College Co. Clare, GMIT Galway, Sligo IT. ENGLAND The Slade College of Art, UCL Central St. Martins, Goldsmith College, Camberwell London, LCC, RCA, Chelsea School of Art and Wimbledon College of Art. BARCELONA Uinversitat de Barcelona, Eina Escola De Disseny 1 art. PARIS Ensad Ecole Superior Des Arts Decoratif SPECOS - photography school Ecole national Superieure D'Arts Parsons

FURTHER SOURCES FOR EMERGING SHOWS FROM 09 ONWARDS Asian Art Colleges and Universities European set Colleges and Universities University of Arts, Quatar Zayed University in United Arab Emirates, Asia The American International School - Abu Dhabi Alexandria University, Cairo, Egypt University of Jordan Notre Dame University, Lebanon

For further details, contact Helen Steele, tel : 00353 86 2424218 email : [email protected]