Recent Events
The Quiet Persistence of Making
The Quiet Persistence of Making (Oct, 2025) was a collaborative exhibition by Macken + Magner, Galway-based artist Sinead Macken and artist and educator (Textiles, ATU Galway) Tony Magner, showcasing a body of current work rooted in process-led, repetitive, and meditative practices. Through the mediums of stitch and knot, the artists explore rhythm, materiality, and the contemplative nature of making.
Throughout the week-long exhibition, the gallery adopted an Open Studio format, inviting visitors to engage directly with the artists’ methods. Without the barrier of skill visitors had the opportunity to slow down and experience the stillness that repetitive making brings. Creating their own stitched or knotted pieces and contributing to a growing communal artwork. These individual contributions were assembled and presented collectively during the closing event (Finissage), celebrating shared creativity and the evolving nature of the artists’ practice.
Macken+Magner ‘The Quiet Persistence of Making’ Exhibition Walk Through
Workshops with public in Stitch & Knot as part of the Macken+Magner ‘Quiet Persistence of Making’ Exhibition
Dr. Seamus McGuinness, socially engaged practicioner and textile artist opened the show, with a public reception on Friday 23rd October at 7.30pm in KAVA, Courthouse Gallery, Kinvara, Co. Galway to a packed house. The exhibition ran from Saturday 24th Oct-Sunday 2nd Nov. with over 250 visitors to the space.
In addition to presenting their work, the artists explored the impact of inviting the public in to participate in a calm and welcoming environment. This experimental initiative took on it’s own life, with the open studio format quickly becoming a weeklong workhsop, sowing many seeds for future exploration……meaningful multigenerational dialogue, improved wellbeing, and strengthened connections to creativity, self and community. Notably, the project challenged traditional gender norms associated with engagement in textile arts and demonstrated substantial potential for further community engagement and creative exploration.
These outcomes highlight the value and scalability of this approach for future arts programming, so onto the next phase………watch this space!
Macken+Magner present on Bold Boys + Bold Girls at The Atrium, Cork City Hall (4:00mins)
