We had the chance to interview Rayne Booth, Director of Dublin Gallery Weekend and member of the band Little Xs for Eyes. You can see the results below and also more details of the fabulous new Art Festival that will take place on Sept 11th to 13th around Dublin.

You can find a full list of the events, tours and talks happening around there city here.

How will this festival differ from the events such as culture night?

Dublin Gallery Weekend puts the focus firmly on galleries and visual art. Culture is a hugely broad term, its very hard to squeeze all of the cultural activity that goes on in a city into one night! As far as festivals go, Dublin has loads of theatre, music, live performance festivals, food festivals, comedy festivals but there is no festival that is focussed on visual art. For Dublin Gallery Weekend, as well as inviting visitors to galleries, the emphasis is on collaboration between galleries over a whole weekend, highlighting the great work that goes on – and the art work that is exhibited- every day of the year.

Is the aim to get people into galleries around the city?

Yes! We want to encourage as many visitors as possible to come and spend an hour, a day, or the whole weekend discovering something new. There are 30 galleries involved, which really brings home what a great wealth of infrastructure for visual art we have in Dublin, and yet it can be seen as a very niche area. This weekend is an invitation to find out what is going on in the gallery nearest you. If you have never darkened the door, this weekend is the perfect excuse to step inside and be inspired or challenged by what you find there.

Will this attract people that don’t normally visit Art galleries?

That’s the idea! The main problem we tend to have in the visual arts is that there are usually not enough resources to put money into marketing or advertising what we do. We are putting a big emphasis on spreading the word about the Weekend so that it goes beyond our usual mailing lists and contacts as galleries, so that we can reach people who have never been invited to attend a gallery before. This weekend is that invitation. Having said that, we also want it to be a moment to welcome back the art lovers who attend galleries regularly and to celebrate what we have in Dublin, a fantastic visual art scene which is rich and diverse, full of talented, creative and people.

Art galleries can be intimidating places, is the aim to break down that aura?

Yes! We are definitely looking to challenge the idea that galleries are intimidating! Art is made by people after all. It’s also made for people to see and interpret in their own way, so it is all about human interactions. The aim of Dublin gallery weekend is to let people know that galleries are here and working for artists and visitors, so that people can interact with art in their everyday lives.

There are some interesting talks and performances also?

Each of the galleries has programmed their own events, so there is plenty to choose from. We have a series of walking tours taking place each day around specific areas of Dublin, visiting the galleries in that area, meeting the staff there and learning about the exhibitions. We also have loads of evening time events and late openings on Friday night for people looking to experience the buzz of an opening night, culminating in a big party ‘Lost Friday’ at the Royal Hibernian Academy. During the day on Saturday there are loads of talks and workshops happening for people to wander around and discover, more tours and evening events like openings at Basic Space and Ellis King. Sunday is a bit more sedate, with some music at the Hugh Lane and a family workshop at IMMA. Also on Sunday, many galleries that are usually closed will be open for people to visit at their leisure.

Which is your first love, art or music?

I can’t imagine my life without either! In my day job as curator at Temple Bar Gallery + Studios I get to work with the most inspiring artists every day of the week, and I also feel very lucky to be in a band with such a great group of musicians as Little Xs for Eyes. I’m constantly learning and discovering new things in art and in music, and I think that is a good balance.

Dublin Gallery Weekend
3 Days, 30 Galleries, 60 Events, One Weekend to Discover Great Art in Dublin Galleries
11, 12, 13 September 2015
Dublin Gallery Weekend is a new visual arts festival taking place in Dublin from Friday 11th to Sunday 13th September 2015. Over one weekend, over 30 contemporary art galleries across the city will throw open their doors and invite visitors old and new to experience the fantastic art on offer in Dublin artgalleries. A series of special events, including exhibition openings, artist and curator talks, walking tours, late openings and workshops will take place over the weekend, and almost everything will be free of charge.

The wide range of events and exhibitions for all ages will be taking place across Dublin city in galleries such as IMMA, Nag Gallery, Science Gallery, Douglas Hyde, RHA, Project Arts Centre, NCAD and many more featuring a range of Irish and international artists. Walking tours will showcase the cultural delights of area such as Trinity, Parnell Square, Monto, The Coombe, St. Stephens Green and Temple Bar.
To navigate around the diverse and exciting range of participating galleries and exhibitions and to find out what events are on offer, pick up a copy of the Dublin Gallery Map in September in one of over 50 locations throughout the city or log on to www.dublingalleryweekend.ie .
3 days, 30 galleries, 60 events, one weekend to discover great art in Dublin galleries with Dublin Gallery Weekend.

Dublin Gallery Weekend:
When: Friday 11th, Saturday 12th and Sunday 13th September 2015
Where: 30 Galleries across Dublin