A key aim of Kinsale Arts Weekend (KAW) is to showcase local and emerging talent. In
keeping with this goal, we have a proud history of engaging with the local artist community in
the creation of the festival’s annual poster advertising campaign. The business community
supports us by ensuring prominent display of the posters in key locations around the town.
The design and quality have been to such a high standard that the posters have become a
“must have” collectible for many festival fans and indeed poster sales play a significant role
in the fund-raising effort that is critical to the overall event.
This year we were very excited to collaborate with young artists from Kinsale Community
School on the poster project. Art teacher Christina Roche worked with her students to
research and experiment with the brief provided by KAW over several months and there
were 14 final submissions, each reflecting a unique and masterful interpretation of the
challenge.
Led by festival visual arts team lead, Audrey Cantillon, a panel of judges ultimately chose the
design created by Ole Lehmann, a 5 th year Kinsale Community School student.
The judges remarked on “strength in terms of tight composition, colour palette and detail in
hinting at previous KAW festivals”. The winning design, as is traditional, also ensures that
our lovely town is a key feature on the poster, attracting visitors from far and wide.
KAW chairperson Anna Mulcahy met with Christina and her talented students on April 27 th at
Kinsale Community School to present Ole with his award.
The festival plans to showcase all students’ artwork as part of the artist trail this year and a
team of transition year students lead by teacher Brian O’Reilly are also developing their
reporting and broadcasting skills by developing a series of podcasts aimed at deepening
engagement between the festival and the student community.
The process of producing and printing Ole’s design is now underway with local resident
graphic designer Jon Carroll of Jamjo and will be available for sale on the KAW website
(www.kinsaleartsweekend.com) very soon.