Tour Guide Profile: Avril O'Brien

Name:
Avril O'Brien.

Where are you from?
Cork city.

What do you do at Crawford Art Gallery?
Tour Guide and Arts Workshop Facilitator and I created Learn and Explore content for teens and young adults. 

What is your experience/qualifications?
Masters in Education (Art & Design), Ba Fine Arts (Printmaking). I lecture and am the Course Co-ordinator of the main Arts & Engagement and the Certificate in Arts and Wellbeing in Crawford College of Art & Design.

Why do you enjoy being a tour guide?
I love seeing the ‘eureka’ moment when a visitor makes a connection to an artwork, particularly when it’s their first visit to a gallery. A tour helps us unravel cultural plot twists and forms reflections on our society’s past and present. I really enjoy the scope of the collection and the different ways we can frame a tour, depending on the audience. As a guide, I am often amazed by the power of art as a shared language in its scope to connect and inspire the diverse range of people who visit the gallery.

What are your special interests or something you always discuss on tours?
As the gallery holds a large part of the National Collection, i often bring this to the attention of visitors - that the artwork is a shared resource that we all have a right to enjoy. As it is often the first-time visitors have been in the building, it’s important for people to not only feel welcome, but to acknowledge that as a Municipal Gallery, it is a shared space where they will be welcomed every time they visit.

Is there anything you’d Like to say about working at Crawford Art Gallery that hasn’t been covered here?
As much as there are artworks that capture Cork’s cultural history, the team in the gallery ensure that the programme of exhibitions changes to reflect contemporary aspects of our society. It’s so good to work in a place that is always changing, thought provoking and deeply cares about communicating in a considered manner.

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