Crawford Profiles: Kayleigh Milner

Name
Kayleigh Milner

Where are you from?  
Cork, Ireland

What do you do at Crawford Art Gallery?
I recently joined the team as the Gallery’s Marketing & Communications executive.

Briefly describe your typical working day
There is constant change and innovation taking place during my day-to-day schedule: my most recent task was to prepare press releases and press contacts.

I liaise with the Communications team on social media posts and keep the virtual tour up-to-date.

I also assist with promotional activities and help to organise market research: this usually entails compiling reports, brochures and similar documents.

What do you like most about working at Crawford Art Gallery?
Not only is art and culture a core reason, but I am fortunate enough to be a part of a team with an abundance of expertise. I love working in such a dynamic job. You never know what you will have the opportunity to see or who you will be working with, but one guarantee is that it will always interesting.

Do you have a favourite artwork, exhibition or gallery space?
This is an arduous task every room has an irresistible treasure!

I have a particular fondness for Louis le Brocquy’s Image of Samuel Beckett. I studied History of Art at University College Cork and as a part of one module, we were asked to present an artwork to our peers and I chose Le Brocquy’s piece. I remember seeing the work hanging in the foyer and I was immediately taken by that hauntingly suspended head; the brushwork and colours are spectre-like. Le Brocquy encompassed Beckett’s human spirit from cultural memory and he called this ephemeral moment ‘an archaeology of the spirit.’

My most recent favourite is Stephen Doyle’s Meditating Tongqui. This newly acquired work can be seen in the current exhibition New Threads: Acquisitions 2021. For me this piece marks Crawford Art Gallery’s celebration of inclusion: the artwork is a part of the new LGBTQ+ gallery trail .

Do you remember the first time you visited the gallery?
I remember visiting as a young child. I suppose the gallery was a crucial place that nourished my love of art and led me to study History of Art at university.  As a child, James Scanlon’s Lonradh is imprinted in my mind as something very magical. This reminds me of why the gallery’s inclusion of children is so valued. We offer a window of shared experiences and complexity and this plays a key role in the growth of imagination and creativity in children.