Cork Arts Society (est 1963), trading as Lavit Gallery, is a not-for-profit arts organisation, registered charity and CLG dedicated to promoting an appreciation of art in Cork City through the provision of a gallery space in which artists can exhibit their artwork for public patronage. Lavit Gallery also serves the art community and the public through its non-commercial activities such as art installations, artist talks, exhibition tours, continued professional development and the provision of two graduate awards given annually to students at MTU Crawford College of Art & Design.

History

Cork Arts Society (CAS) was founded in 1963 to “to promote a lively interest in art subjects generally, including art appreciation, painting, sculpture, architecture, ceramics, crafts, etc”, as was stated in the first circular sent out on 16 February that year. The founding members and listed promoters of the society were architects PJ Scally, C. Aliaga Kelly and Jim Barry, Commandant A Beckett, P Byrne M.D., Mary Dwyer, Canon EW Mills, Eva O’Connell, Anne Scally and William Tompkins. Listed patrons included Lord Mayor of Cork Sean Casey, Mrs Dowdall T.D. (member of parliament), Accountant P. F. Parfrey, Mr. G.Y. Goldberg and artists Somhairle MacCana, Marshall Hutson and Seamus Murphy. The circular was specifically aimed at promoting attendance at a meeting to inaugurate the society, to be held on 21 February in the Crawford School of Art at Emmet Place (now Crawford Art Gallery) which, according to local press, was well attended. 

The first exhibition was held on the railings of the Model Schools on Angelsea Street (now Cork District Court between 15-19th May the same year. Much of the correspondence relating to this event is penned by Programming Officer PJ Scally and Honorary Secretary Ann Scally. In his 2001 article in The Lavit Review Volume 1, journalist and former board member Des O’Sullivan provided an overview of the national and international context in which CAS emerged. He points out that the visual arts were poorly catered for in Ireland during the 1960s when compared to other art forms and that direct access to visual art was restricted to museum-like institutions such as the Crawford Gallery. It is also noted that local tastes were conservative and living artists were treated with suspicion. There was a notable absence of commercial galleries in Cork and as such there were few opportunities for artists to exhibit in a suitable venue. So, it was timely that in 1964, the Crosbie family, proprietors of The Cork Examiner newspaper, made a premises on Lavitt’s Quay available to CAS. In 1966 Con Murphy of St Patricks Woolen Mills, Douglas provided a yearly sum of £100 for five years to be given to the Cork Arts Society Student of the Year, its first recipient being sculptor John Burke in 1967. That same year an exhibition took place in the gallery featuring Louis Le Brocquy, Melanie Le Brocquy, Michael Farrell, Patrick Scott, Maurice Desmond and Fergus O’Farrell. Four years later Cork Arts Society collaborated with David Hendriks Gallery, Dublin to stage solo exhibitions by Robert Ballagh and Cecil King as part of Rosc 71. Artist members of the Royal Hibernian Academy were also frequent exhibitors at the gallery in Cork. Looking at these developments from an art historical perspective one can be left in no doubt about CAS’s contribution to the visual arts in Ireland during this pivotal period. 

For CAS, running a gallery came with additional costs, so a commission from sales was necessary, as would be the case with any private commercial enterprise. With limited resources of its own, and operating in what was a limited local market, Lavit Gallery could not aspire towards providing fully fledged representation for artists. On the contrary, to maintain its own place in the commercial art market, and in line with its not-for-profit status, the organisation adopted a more fluid and inclusive approach. Rather than maintaining a fixed stable of artists, the organisation would work with regular contributors whilst also being open to approaches from new artists and makers on an ongoing basis as well as seeking out artists of interest. As such the exhibition programme and gallery stock could be adapted in response to audience and customer behaviour.  This open, responsive, and adaptive approach is arguably what has sustained the organisation over the decades.  

Our 60th anniversary in 2023 was a time of reflection as well as celebration. We found ourselves revisiting some of the broader objectives of our organisation and taking stock of our contribution to the arts, including initiatives which set us apart from private enterprises. This includes the Student of the Year Award which is given to one or more graduates of MTU Crawford College of Art & Design. The award traditionally comprised a cash prize from a sponsor but later evolved to include an exhibition at Lavit Gallery. The second award in the form of a group graduate exhibition was added later.  

To celebrate the organisation’s 60th anniversary and the legacy of these awards, Lavit Gallery presented the landmark exhibition, ‘Taking Form: Students of the Year 1973-77 | Maud Cotter, Eilis O’Connell and Vivienne Roche’. Curated by Gallery Director Brian Mac Domhnaill and arts writer and academic Sarah Kelleher, this show celebrated the foresight of Cork Arts Society in recognising the talent and potential of these three young sculptors, each of whom were awarded Student of the Year in the 1970s. In bringing together the narratives of these acclaimed artists, this exhibition pointed to a significant moment in the development of contemporary Irish art, when a dynamic and ambitious approach to sculptural practice emerged from Crawford College of Art in Cork. The exhibition presented new work along with rarely seen early sculptures and archival material spanning the artists’ lengthy and illustrious careers. The individual and shared experiences of the three artists informed the exhibition but also continued to be revealed through an associated programme of events hosted in collaboration with MTU Crawford College of Art & Design and Crawford Art Gallery, which was home to the college in the 1970s. 

As well as maintaining a stock room, Lavit Gallery currently programmes ten exhibitions per year. Annual fixtures include the Student of the Year Award, Annual Members Exhibition, Summer Exhibition, and Winter Exhibition. We also host our neighbours, Cork Printmakers and Backwater Artist Group, on an alternating basis. Between these recurring exhibitions, we programme a combination of solo, two-person and small group shows.

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