Nenagh exhibition to capture history of the rural Irish debs

A new exhibition at Nenagh Arts Centre is collaborating with the public to capture the unique memories, mementoes, styles and cultural significance of the rural Irish ‘debs’.

Curated by Artist In Residence, Sarah Thornton, The Debs is collecting stories, fashion and other modern artefacts which will be collated and used to transform Nenagh Arts Centre from January 13th into a magnificent palace of beauty and awe, inspired by the Dior Gallery in Paris.

A series of outreach workshops are underway as part of the project, each focusing on a distinct theme including body confidence, fashion treasures from the past, and upcycling old garments. A key aspect of The Debs is to raise awareness of the ethical, sustainability and inclusion issues around fashion and the debs. The exhibition will be sustainable, using only borrowed, gifted and repurposed materials.

Curator of The Debs, Sarah Thornton, who hails from Cloughjordan, is asking as many people as possible to take part by loaning or donating before Christmas:

- Debs/grad/other formal wear dresses, suits, accessories, shoes, ties, etc,

- Photos or other memorabilia from your debs/grad or other formal,

- Any blue/gold Tipperary merchandise that has seen better days and could be reused (e.g. flags, clothes, socks),

- LED fairy lights (working) you don’t need any more,

- And elasticated bead bracelets for a corsage.

Sarah is also eager to collect stories and memories which will be used to add a more personal touch to the exhibition.

Please phone Nenagh Arts Centre at 067 34400, e-mailing [email protected], or call to the centre at Banba Square in Nenagh. The final free outreach workshop, ‘Tipp Couture’, takes place on Tuesday, December 20th, 7-9pm, when Sarah will set about recycling old Tipperary merchandise and clothing into unique new fashion pieces for The Debs exhibition.