Very Special Exhibition in LSAD Church Gallery

The Plane Invasion is an exhibition of monumental endeavours, showcasing the work of sixty different creative practitioners. One linking element between each member of the ‘Plane Invaders’ is that each person has in some way been inspired or touched by the work, life and friendship of the late artist Orlagh Spain.
In August 2012 Orlagh Spain, a Limerick-based artist from Tullamore, died too soon. Having graduated with first class honours from LSAD in Printmaking in June 2010 Orlagh’s first and final show was Anchorage; the Limerick Printmakers Studio and Gallery in 2011.
Orlagh excelled during her time at Limerick School of Art and Design and we are delighted that L.S.A.D will host the exhibition which will include many of its current students and staff along with many alumni. The exhibition will be opened by Anne Culhane, Librarian, L.S.A.D. and Des MacMahon Course Leader Printmaking and Contemporary Practice, L.S.A.D, on Wednesday the 8th of April at 18.00. They exhibition will be open to the public from Thursday 9 April – Wednesday 22 April, 10.00-17.00.
Anne Culhane LSAD librarian is also exhibiting at the show, her creation of five artist books are both poignant and beautiful.

Mary Clare O'Brien LSAD art Student graduate who is now on her way to being a librarian

Childhood book:
I get very nostalgic about the books that were read to me as a child. They were very often from the ladybird collection, most memorably ‘The Magic Porridge Pot’. I found Roald Dahl’s books very encouraging when I started to read myself and loved ‘The Twits’. Like most of my generation the Harry Potter books were a must read!
College Years: ‘Animal Farm’, ‘Slaughterhouse 5’, ‘Fight Club’ and graphic novel ‘This One Summer’ were some great books that I read while in college. The ‘Attachment and Loss’ trilogy by psychologist John Bowlby provided pivotal research for my final year in college. ‘The Paradoxical Object’ was a major source of inspiration for my college work that really helped me grow as an artist.
Library Story: I cannot think of one particular story about a library but rather an amazing overall experience. As recent graduate of L.S.A.D. I can safely say the Library there was an invaluable resource for me as a student. I would not have been able to achieve my academic goals without the help and support of the Librarians at the college. Their commitment to the library and the students has inspired me to follow their example and become a Librarian.
Desert Island Book: I always find myself going back to ‘Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas’ as it never lets me down for a good laugh although ‘The Lord of the Rings’ would be a more tactical choice to bring to a desert Island as I’d get a bit more mileage out of it!

A &SL Annual Conference & Exhibition 'The inside out library: collaboration, inspiration, transformation' Thursday 26th & Friday 27th February 2015

LSAD Librarian Anne Culhane and I had the pleasure of presenting a case study on the special collection of artists books in LSAD library at the recent Academic & Special Libraries Annual Conference held in Dublin
The whole conference was effectively about how our libraries are becoming part of a wider community. Our case study demonstrated how proactively collaborating with staff, students and outside agencies and galleries, we effectively showcased and marketed the special collection, and therefore LSAD library, in new ways and to new audiences.
An artist book is a hybrid between a book and art...it’s basically a book that is art! There are many types - altered, zine, photo, pop-up, personal stories, to name a few- and they come in all shapes and sizes (pictured below). We began the collection when an LSAD student donated her end of year project -a beautifully carved artist book- to the library, we had helped her in her research into the genre and thereafter were hooked on it ourselves. We began buying from book fairs, word spread and lecturers and students collected them from far and near. Limerick Independent Publishers Salon (LIPS) was born as a result of a collaboration between LSAD library and the limerick Gallery ‘Ormston House’. We have had two exhibitions there to date, drawing huge crowds and participation from staff and students. There have been many class projects and workshops in LSAD and a huge amount of students creating their own artist books.
To date we have 1,200 artist books (and counting). To be given the opportunity to discuss the collection at the conference was a fabulous experience, and we were quite overwhelmed with the positive response and feedback we received.