Location

Ballyvaughan, Galway, Aran Islands, Ireland

Program Description

What is the role of site within art and dance? This 3-week study abroad program, located in the Burren, Ireland, explores this fundamental question through direct experiences and hands-on learning, focused on creative and spatial practices. Themes of landscape, ecology, Celtic culture, place-making and material investigation will aim to examine long-standing associated relationships to the pictorial and the preserved within art and dance. In contrast, we will seek to discover both visible and invisible dynamic interactions between organisms and their environment, from micro to macro scales, emphasizing issues of time, duration, physical participation, interconnectedness, and contingency.

Studying at the Burren College of Art is focused on an Artist Residency-like immersion experience. Students will have 3 weeks to create new art and dance pieces while being located in the otherworldly environment of the Burren.
Rather than changing locations throughout the trip we will be making day or short overnight trips to nearby cities including Galway "the city of the arts", Dublin, Ireland's capital, and the Aran Islands, where the "Banshees of Inisherin" was filmed.

ART 392 introduces diverse approaches and methodologies of research within art and performance studies; students will engage in on-site observation and notation, social interaction, and the re-presentation of site through participation and gesture. This course will include visits and workshops with local contemporary artists with a focus on performance, discussions with curators and staff of contemporary galleries, and the creation of two collaborative Art projects.

DANC 390 This course fosters creativity in movement while developing proficiency in professional performance experiences. Students will explore the creation of work designed for site-specific, nontraditional settings. Through a residency-style approach, they will refine their creative skills and deepen their artistic practice.

Location Description

Burren College of Art is a small, independent art school situated on the Wild Atlantic Way on the northwest coast of County Clare in Ireland. It is located in the Burren, a region famous for its natural beauty and unique ecosystem. The College is an internationally recognized Irish non-profit college specializing in undergraduate, postgraduate and alternative approaches to fine art education.
Additionally, we will be taking short trips to the Aran Islands, Galway and Dublin.

Director

Robert Mertens | mertenrj@jmu.edu | School of Art, Design, and Art History

Julia Vessey | vesseyja@jmu.edu | School of Theater and Dance

Accommodations

Accommodations will be provided for students through furnished apartments and houses with internet access and full kitchen and laundry facilities.
Students will be in shared double rooms.

Students will be allocated a weekly meal stipend that will cover approximately 21 meals per week.

Additional Items to Consider

• Sunscreen
• Sunglasses
• Water Bottle
• Hiking/Walking shoes
• Swimwear
• Rain Jacket
• Warm coat / Sweatshirt
• Electronics as needed/ POWER ADAPTER
• Passport / Important Paperwork / Medications
• Covid Test kit / mask (plane)
• Camera / loaders / convertors
• International Cell phones

Applicant Criteria

Applicants must have a GPA minimum of 2.0

Sophomores, Juniors, Seniors

Open to all majors

Open to non-JMU students