Void Art Centre Archives - Void Derry | Contemporary Art Derry

Void welcomes new team members: Cecelia Graham and Shakira Nelis

Posted on November 2, 2024 | by marketing

Join us in welcoming two new members of the Void Art Centre team:

Cecelia Graham, Curator of Civic Engagement

Cecelia Graham (she/her) is a curator based between Derry and Belfast, whose work often considers modes of working that emerge from collaborative and slow methods within ecology, agriculture and participatory knowledge gathering. Cecelia joins us from CCA Derry~Londonderry, where she was Marketing and Digital Programmes Coordinator, and she has previously been a co-director of artist-led organisation Catalyst Arts and Curator in Residence at Pssquared. Cecelia is a previous Jerwood Curatorial Accelerator Fellow and recently was part of British Art Networks Emerging Curators Group.

Shakira Nelis, Facilities Assistant

Shakira Nelis is Void’s Facilities Assistant. With a background in graphic and interactive design, Shakira had a media development business in Dublin, whilst lecturing and mentoring students at DIT Dublin and the University of Ulster at Magee. In 2006 she started travelling around the world with her family and recently returned to Derry. She will be assisting the Co-ordinator of Production and Dynamics with the Art Centre’s day-to-day running, and supporting the team with Void’s ongoing projects, including website development, brand identity and archiving. In her own time Shakira creates digital and analog collage that coalesces her long held interests in photography and typography.

Photo (left): Eslam Abd El Salam

Woman with white blonde hair tied up and wearing black rimmed glasses looks face-on to the camera in a head and shoulder shot. There are artworks hung on the wall behind her and she is smiling at the camera.

Announcing Pamela Whitaker as AHRC IAA Practice-Based Researcher in Residence Programme 2024-25

Posted on July 29, 2024 | by marketing

Recently we disclosed a collaboration with Ulster University, funded by the Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC) Impact Accelerator Account (IAA), whereby Void would host a Practice-Based Researcher in Residence in 2024-25.

Void Art Centre is delighted to share that art psychotherapy lecturer at Belfast School of Art, Ulster University, Pamela Whitaker, will begin her selected project in September with her work, titled ‘The Nature of Life: Gardens as Art’.

Pamela is an art therapy lecturer at the Belfast School of Art. She is also an artist researcher with the Creative Ireland Urban Food Sanctuary project in County Louth. She supports people to garden as artists making nature at home and in their localities.

Pamela’s Void residency proposal encourages the cultivation of home gardens, gardening in neighbourhoods and public homeplaces (such as parks) as artistic endeavours. She is keen to work with local people on these topics and also explore climate change gardening, companion gardening, and the art of home gardening. Pamela invites members of the public to contact her to discuss the project further at p.whitaker@ulster.ac.uk.

Her research residency aligns with Void’s civic engagement ambitions as well as Ulster University’s People, Place and Partnership strategy to promote the co-production of knowledge and projects to enhance civic life. The art of gardening encourages positive mental health and can be a vital act of making that creates both nature and pride of place. Pamela plans to link the research residency to learning and teaching at Belfast School of Art and to co-design opportunities for public engagement at Void Art Centre and within local neighbourhoods. The overall goal of the residency is supporting people to enhance their surroundings with the art of gardening that provides a resource for environmental activism and artistry.

Void looks forward to welcoming Pamela and supporting her in her research this autumn. More to follow!

Acknowledgements

The AHRC IAA Practice-Based Researcher in Residence Programme 2024-25 aligns with the 175th anniversary celebrations for the Belfast School of Art – with partnerships forming one of the core themes of the birthday celebrations.

Void Art Centre is kindly supported by Arts Council Northern Ireland, Derry City and Strabane District Council, Future Screens NI, Garfield Weston, Ulster University, Halifax Foundation for Northern Ireland, and the Henry Moore Foundation.

Four women stand together - two on either end of the row hold their arms out in a gesture of enthusiasm - and each smiles at the camera. One woman in the middle holds a blue t-shirt indicating a charity walk. They stand in front of a glass-fronted building with the word Void in white lettering to their left. Behind and to the right is a large white building with several windows and a tree. The scape depicts an urban area.

Mourne Madness charity walk!

Posted on July 6, 2023 | by marketing

Void team embark on Mourne Mountains walk in support of Autism NI!

Sunday 6 August 2023

Help us support Autism NI as we take part in the charity’s Mourne Madness walk this summer!

On 6 August, Void staff will embark upon the epic trek up one of Northern Ireland’s most beautiful mountains, Slieve Donard, as we aim to raise £500 for the Autism NI.

Help us to raise money for this great cause – you can donate by clicking here.

You can also scan the QR code below:

Acknowledgements

Void Gallery is supported using public funding from Arts Council Northern Ireland, Arts Council National Lottery Fund, All Island Fund, Austin and Hope Pilkington Foundation, Arnold Clarke Foundation, Bank of Ireland Begin Together Arts Fund, Community Foundation Ireland, Derry City and Strabane District Council, Enkalon Foundation, National Lottery Community Fund, The Ireland Funds, Ragdoll Foundation.