Bogside Artists from Derry, N. Ireland

THE BOGSIDE ARTISTS are coming to UC Berkeley and San Francisco, March 13 through 15. The group comprised of Tom Kelly, Kevin Hasson, and William Kelly have produced a range of works of art in various mediums, but are world famous for their huge murals painted on the side of houses and buildings in the Bogside area of Derry, N. Ireland. These murals graphically depict historic images of the struggle for basic human rights endured by their community during the last thirty years. The artists have lived in the Bogside most of their lives and have experienced the worst of the conflict in the north of Ireland. This exhibition of their work is a chronicle of those events that they consider to have been the most significant.

Ten murals span the entire length of Rossville Street in Derry making it one of the most significantly unique cultural sites to be seen anywhere in the world. Thousand of people flock each year to see the murals. Gerry O’Hara, the Mayor of Derry pointed out “the massive contribution” made by the Bogside Artists to tourism in the city “They are an inspiration to artists everywhere.” The Derry City Council has pledged to light all ten murals. Derry will then have a permanent and spectacular site commemorating over thirty years of civil conflict, a lasting testament to the spirit and resilience of a people who, inspired by Dr. Martin Luther King, set out 35 years ago on the long and painful road to democratic freedom from political oppression. This journey is now marked by the Bogside Artists’ penultimate mural depicting the early marches for civil rights.

The artists published a book about their work in December 2001 – “MURALS: the bogside artists” which has impressive commentaries from some of the most influential people in Irish politics. In “MURALS,” there is a detailed systematic procedure on making a full-scale mural from scratch, making this art book unique and of special interest to all students.

The Bogside Artists have been the subject of no less than eight television documentaries and will be showing the one produced by the BBC during their presentations. Their fervent wish is “that the peace process will give us time to put right what has been so drastically put wrong. To this end we devote our craft and our energy, our imagination, our story and our hope.”

The Irish American Unity Conference, Global Exchange, and the Irish Heritage E-Group are proud to sponsor Tom Kelly and Kevin Hasson on their first visit to the Bay Area.

Please call Briana Learnihan at 510-910-0966 for more information on other planned events for the artists.