A Mayo County Council Public Art Commission lead by artist James Winnett.
Mayo County Council is delighted to announce James Winnett as the successful artist for the Public Art Commission: N5 Westport to Turlough Road Project. James Winnett’s project The Touchstones will consist of a series of intricately carved stones located in Islandeady, Breaffy and Turlough.
Each community will have its own distinctive artwork(s) incorporating imagery, narrative carving and text that will reflect the distinct character and qualities of the area where they are sited. The stones will be carved by hand using traditional techniques.
James Winnett is an artist, stone carver and workshop leader interested in the crossovers between sculpture, archaeology, folklore, place and memory. He holds a Masters of Fine Art from the Glasgow School of Art. He has worked in public art for 15 years, having produced and installed approximately fifty large stone public artworks in public spaces in the UK and Ireland. Recently he completed a public art project in Kerdiffstown Park Co. Kildare. As part of this project he has been researching and developing work within an Irish context with a focus on landscape, archaeology, folklore and storytelling. James Winnett comments on the project:
“I have been exploring the distinct identities of each area, gathering stories and deepening my understanding of the way that people have related to these landscapes over time. I've always been interested in the way that stories and memory reside in a place and in thinking about how a series of artworks might promote moments of curiosity and connection. It's a great project to be a part of and I'm excited to see how it develops.”
James has completed the research phase on the project and has started carving the individual stones. The final artwork will be installed this summer and launch events will take place as part of Heritage Week 2025. Exact dates are to be confirmed and will be updated on this webpage.
This project is part of Mayo County Council’s Public Art Programme, funded under the Per Cent for Art Scheme by Transport Infrastructure Ireland as part of the N5 Westport to Turlough Road Project and the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage.
For more information contact:
Aoife O’Toole, Acting Public Art Coordinator, Arts Service, Mayo County Council.
Email: aotoole@mayococo.ie, Phone: 094 9064376.