Bellarmine Museum of Art to open Kells to Clonmacnoise

Fairfield University's Bellarmine Museum of Art will open "Kells to Clonmacnoise: Medieval Irish Art in Context," a new exhibition, Monday, April 18, with an opening reception in the Museum from 5-7 p.m. to which the public is invited. Admission to the Museum, which is located on the lower level of Bellarmine Hall, is free. The exhibition will continue until Tuesday, May 24. Throughout April and May, there will be free talks and films, which are open to the public. Each event will highlight a different aspect of the exhibition. Additionally, the Bellarmine will host a Family Fun Day on Saturday, May 14 from 12 noon to 5 p.m. "Kells to Clonmacnoise" is an Arts & Minds presentation.

Marice Rose, Ph.D., assistant professor and director of the of art history program is co-curator of the exhibition with Jill Deupi, Ph.D., director of the Bellarmine Museum. According to Rose, the "Kells" exhibition is an important one as it draws attention to some of the lesser-known and extremely important aspects of Irish culture: "Discussions of Irish culture often revolve around music, dance, and literature, with little attention placed on the visual arts. Medieval Irish metalwork and manuscripts, however, were unparalleled in Europe in their intricacy and creativity. This semester I am teaching my course on 'Celtic and Early Irish Art' and this exhibition provides a rare opportunity to view the dynamic work of this period."

The exhibition will highlight five reproductions that evidence a fascinating period of Irish history and demonstrate Irish artists' ability to absorb artistic ideas from other cultures including Viking, Scandinavian, Italian and Egyptian, while keeping their own Celtic sensibility.

For more information on the exhibition, read the full press release or visit the Bellarmine Museum site at Fairfield University for more information.