event
Stone Shelters Open Studio
DATE: 23 Aug, 2025TIME: 02:00 PM - 04:30 PM
all times are in Irish time unless noted otherwise
Join Wilderland artist Mary Conroy for an open studio afternoon.
We’re celebrating heritage week at Wild Nephin National Park with an Open Studio afternoon for artist Mary Conroy’s Stone Shelters project. Mary will be demonstrating the making process for her sculpture, using moulds of local river rocks to create ceramic stone shelters.
You can join in making these ceramic shelters, and get a glimpse into how the project developed, from research and rock samples, to the plaster moulds, works-in-progress and some of the fired ceramic pieces.
We’ll be hosting a space for conversation about art & ecology, the power of creativity and community climate action, and what sustainable arts practice really means, so join us for the afternoon.
You can also join in the NPWS guided habitat walk for some pond-dipping to discover what aquatic plants and animals we can find, and to learn about biodiversity in our river systems.
All welcome.
FREE Open Studio
Drop-in, no booking required.
This workshop is just one of our Heritage Week creative workshops and events celebrating our natural landscape, cultural heritage and craft traditions, you can find them all on our events page.
About the Stone Shelters project
In Ireland, stone has long provided shelter and support, both as a natural feature in the landscape and a building material. Stone is just as valuable to animals in the landscape as it has been to humans. Stone structures serve as important microhabitats, providing safe spaces for nesting, hibernation, and protection from predators for wildlife such as insects, frogs, lizards, and small mammals. Plants sometimes grow in the crevices, while mosses and lichens flourish on their surfaces supporting a broader food web.
Through a series of workshops and guided biodiversity walks, Mary has been making ceramic ‘stone’ shelters inspired by the geodiversity found in the rivers in North Mayo. These ‘stones’ will become a functional artwork, placed in the landscape to represent our ancient connection to this important material, while becoming homes and shelters for the animals that need them.
Find out more about Mary’s Stone Shelters project.
event artist(s):
related project(s) / collaboration(s):
event location:
Outdoor Education Hut - Ballycroy Visitor Centre, Wild Nephin National Park, Ballycroy, Co. Mayo
