17 January–2 March 2013

Schoolwork is a series of paintings detailing the everyday life of Presentation College, a co‐educational secondary school in Carlow. The school commissioned the artist as part of the 1% for Art Scheme. The series is a contemporary portrait of the school, and by extension the education system of today.

Blaise Smith painted daily in the classrooms from September 2011 to the first day of the Leaving Certificate in May 2012. Portraying events from the mundane minutiae to the fully present and engaged class participant, Smith's work describes the visual language and the mechanics of the school thus enabling the viewer to observe and reflect upon the community of the school.

Blaise Smith was born in 1967. He has exhibited widely and has won many awards, commissions and been selected in numerous juried exhibitions notably the RHA Annual in Dublin and the BP Portrait Award at the National Portrait Gallery, London. He was elected an Associate Member of the Royal Hibernian Academy in 2012.

Artist Talk: Thursday 7 February, 5:30 pm

For guided tours and education contact: anneboddaert@crawfordartgallery.ie