Exhibit Dates
Quinnipiac University is bringing its unequalled art collection home to Dublin and Skibbereen in 2018, to share with the people of Ireland. Join Ireland’s Great Hunger Museum in making this event a huge success.
Introduction
Ireland’s Great Hunger Museum at Quinnipiac University in Hamden, Connecticut, is sending its acclaimed art collection to Ireland in 2018. The works will go to Dublin Castle and Skibbereen—diametric epicenters of the Great Famine (1845-52)—for the exhibition Coming Home: Art and the Great Hunger. The museum’s collection, the only one of its kind in the world, constitutes an incomparable direct link to the past of almost 6.5 million Irish and 40 million Irish-American people.
The death and dispersion of 2 million people, followed by a further 2 million emigrations to the end of the century, makes the exhibition an important gesture of cultural reconnection. The Irish diaspora defines Ireland’s place in the world today. The impact of the Famine is still with its descendants—both at home and abroad.
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The Victim
Rowan Gillespie
The World Is Full of Murder (detail)
Brian Maguire
The challenge in commemoration in the 21st century is to find ways to remember a past that shaped the present. The Great Hunger has molded Ireland’s history, land, politics, culture, character and relations with others. For these reasons, each new generation should know the scale of the Famine, the horror of it, how it permeated and changed Ireland and its diaspora irrevocably.
Top image: "Derrynane" Jack B. Yeats
The Finishing Touch
James Brenan
Exhibition Details
Coming Home: Art and the Great Hunger will be displayed at Dublin Castle from March through mid-June 2018, and at Skibbereen’s West Cork Arts Centre, Uillinn, from July through October 2018. An additional display of newspaper illustrations contemporary with the Famine is planned for the Skibbereen Heritage Centre. To show this collection in Skibbereen, described as the “ground zero” of the Famine, and Dublin Castle, where so little was done to alleviate the catastrophe, is particularly poignant.
Visitors to the exhibition will have the opportunity to read invaluable primary research presented in a new museum catalogue, as well as other publications, plus the opportunity to attend a rich program of cultural, artistic and educational events in both venues.
Rainbow's End
William Crozier
Gorta
Lilian Lucy Davidson
Coming Home: Art and the Great Hunger—a collaborative act of cultural reconnection with Ireland’s past and living diaspora—will be a major cultural, educational and tourist event, worthy of local, national and international interest.
This major undertaking aims to strengthen the deep cultural connection between Ireland and its diaspora by showcasing the world’s largest collection of Great Hunger-related art never before exhibited on Irish soil. Please join with us in making this powerful artistic, cultural and educational endeavor a memorable one.
Black '47
Micheal Farrell
Giving Levels and Recognition
Giving Levels and Recognition
Ireland’s Great Hunger Museum at Quinnipiac University is fully committed to making Coming Home: Art and the Great Hunger a great success. Total cost for this major exhibition and related programming held between March and October 2018 is estimated at $800,000. Of this amount, Quinnipiac University has committed $200,000 toward this project, with the balance to be achieved through public and private fundraising. Corporate, foundation and individual sponsorships will raise the visibility of both the exhibition and its supporters while contributing to a lasting legacy through sponsor recognition in associated media and programming.
$250,000
Limited to one. Exclusive “Presenting Sponsor” for the exhibition in both Dublin and Skibbereen.
- “Presenting Sponsor” recognition in all printed and digital materials
- “Presenting Sponsor” inclusion in all advertising and marketing materials
- Twelve invitations to a private reception prior to the exhibition opening in Dublin and Skibbereen
- VIP access to the exhibition and invitations to special events in Ireland and the U.S.
$100,000
Limited to three. Lead sponsorship for the exhibition in both Dublin and Skibbereen.
- Recognition in all printed and digital materials
- Inclusion in advertising and marketing materials
- Six invitations to a private reception prior to the exhibition opening in Dublin and Skibbereen
- VIP access to the exhibition and invitations to special events in Ireland and the U.S.
$50,000
Limited to five. Contributing sponsors for the exhibition in both Dublin and Skibbereen.
- Recognition in all printed and digital materials
- Four invitations to a private reception prior to the exhibition opening in Dublin and Skibbereen
- Invitations to special events in Ireland and the U.S.
$25,000
Supports the production of a children’s video about the Famine for distribution to schools in Ireland and the U.S. and screened at Ireland’s Great Hunger Museum and venues in Ireland.
- Recognition in the video and all related printed and digital materials
- Four invitations to a private reception prior to the exhibition opening in Dublin
- Private viewing of video prior to its initial release, followed by a reception
$15,000
Supports the project to commission internationally renowned artist Alanna O’Kelly to develop a new, live, site-specific performance work for Schull Workhouse to take place during the exhibition at West Cork Arts Centre (Uillinn).
- Recognition in all printed and digital materials
- VIP access to the opening performance and two invitations to a private reception
$10,000
Supports a panel presentation by Irish artists, art historians, historians, cultural theorists and other scholars to explore and discuss aspects of the Great Hunger in Ireland and its diaspora.
- Recognition in all printed and digital materials
- Private dinner with panelists
$5,000
Supports lectures and children’s and family activities, dance, musical performances and other events.
- Recognition in all printed and digital materials related to funded program
- Priority access to programs
$1,000
- Recognition on Ireland’s Great Hunger Museum website
- Two copies of Coming Home: Art and the Great Hunger catalogue
$500
- Recognition on Ireland’s Great Hunger Museum website
- One copy of Coming Home: Art and the Great Hunger catalogue
Donate Now
Donate today
To support this major endeavor, please contact:
Claire Puzarne
Interim Director
claire.puzarne@qu.edu
203-582-6574
ighm.org
Programming
Visitors will have the opportunity to attend a rich schedule of cultural, artistic and educational programming
Proposed programming includes:
Artists Panel (Dublin)
Featuring artists represented in the museum’s collection
Lectures (Dublin and West Cork)
Possible subjects include: hunger, visual representation of the Famine, immigration, global famine/hunger, trauma/memory, food scarcity/insecurity, poverty, etc.
Readings (Dublin and West Cork)
Poetry and literature readings by internationally known poets and authors.
Concerts (Dublin and West Cork)
By local and international artists.
Children/Family Activities (Dublin and West Cork)
Including art workshops, cooking classes, etc.
The Bad Times: A Graphic Novel (West Cork)
Discussion with author, Dr. Christine Kinealy, and illustrator, John Walsh. Irish language session or illustration workshop.
Performance at Schull Workhouse (Schull)
Artist Alanna O’Kelly will develop a new, live, site-specific performance work for Schull Workhouse. Alanna O’Kelly is one of Ireland’s internationally renowned multimedia artists who works in video, film, sound, photomontage, text and performance, fusing the ritual and the radical, in innovative ways.
Teacher Workshops (Dublin and West Cork)
Workshops designed specifically for teachers to integrate the exhibition and subject matter into their classrooms.
Walking Tour of Famine Sites
Dance Performances (West Cork)
Theater Event (West Cork)
Legacy projects include:
- An exhibition catalogue of the museum's collection with new and original materials.
- A children's video on The Great Hunger to be used in classrooms across Ireland and the United States.
- An app or digital game related to issues of hunger targeted toward youth.
About Us
Museum Staff
Claire Puzarne
Interim Director
claire.puzarne@qu.edu
Niamh O'Sullivan
Curator
nosullivan18@gmail.com
Margaret Vaughan
Assistant Manager
margaret.vaughan@qu.edu
Kate Sweeney
Visitor Services Assistant
kathryn.sweeney@qu.edu
Board of Directors
John L. Lahey
President of Quinnipiac University
Chairman of the Board
Lynn M. Bushnell
Vice President for Public Affairs
Quinnipiac University
Patrick J. Healy
Senior Vice President for Finance Emeritus
Quinnipiac University
Jean L. Husted
Vice President/Executive Associate to the President
Vice President for Human Resources
Quinnipiac University
Niamh O'Sullivan
Professor Emeritus of Visual Culture
National College of Art and Design, Ireland
Curator
Ireland's Great Hunger Museum
Mark S. Varholak
Vice President for Finance and Chief Financial Officer
Quinnipiac University
