2 days ago
A place for art to live - 40 years of West Cork Arts Centre
Ann Davoren, the Director of Uillinn: West Cork Arts Centre, celebrates the 40th anniversary of the foundation of the venerable Skibbereen-based arts institution.
As I reflect on 40 years of West Cork Arts Centre and a decade in our purpose-built home at Uillinn, I'm struck by the depth of connection between art, place, and people.
West Cork Arts Centre (WCAC) was founded in 1985 by a group of visionary artists and community members who saw the transformative potential of the arts for West Cork. That spirit still drives us today.
From the early days in the Sutherland Centre on North Street, where the very first Members and Friends Exhibition took place, to the vibrant creative hub we now call Uillinn, our journey has been one of resilience, vision, and above all, community.
The 41st Members and Friends Exhibition this year is a living archive of that journey featuring artists who have been with us since the start, such as Brian Lalor, Pat Connor, Kevin O'Farrell and Jim Turner, and newer voices like Murrough O'Donovan and Alice Clifford. Each piece tells a story of West Cork's dynamic and ever-evolving creative identity.
When I was appointed director in 2001, the idea of a new, purpose-built space was still a dream, one we would spend the next decade bringing to life. The design and development of Uillinn, completed in 2015, was the result of tireless dedication from board members, artists, architects, funders, and the wider community. It is, quite literally, a building that art built.
West Cork has long had a magnetic pull for creative people, drawn by the landscape, the light, and the rich cultural life of the region.
Our architects envisioned Uillinn as an active cultural space - not precious or ornamental, but robust, open, and alive. Drawing on the textures and tones of the West Cork landscape, with corten steel, cedar, concrete and lime render, it responds to light and the elements. It was designed to be a new kind of public space: a cluster of working rooms and studios around a central courtyard, echoing the old town patterns of street, archway, backlands and water. The silo-like tower is now a familiar landmark, visible from the surrounding hills and townlands — a beacon for creativity.
More than just a building, Uillinn has enabled us to expand what's possible. We now host artists-in-residence from Ireland and abroad, provide year-round programming for schools and community groups, and offer flexible spaces for performance, film, and dance. Our education and health-based programmes engage people of all ages from children to older adults, fostering connection through creativity.
Watch: Launching the 41st Annual Members and Friends Exhibition at Uillinn
In 2025, we're delighted to introduce new awards and opportunities as part of the Members and Friends Exhibition, including the Morgan O'Driscoll Award, the Cnoc Buí Exhibition Award, and our own Uillinn Studio Residency. These prizes are about recognising excellence, but they also reaffirm our belief that art flourishes when it's nurtured, shared, and celebrated together.
West Cork has long had a magnetic pull for creative people, drawn by the landscape, the light, and the rich cultural life of the region. Uillinn and the West Cork Arts Centre are a vital part of that pull. What we've created here couldn't exist anywhere else: it's deeply rooted in this place, shaped by its community, and open to the world.
That's what makes it so special — and why the story of the arts in West Cork is far from finished.
