Jules’s practice combines socially engaged collaborations with a studio-based process of painting, photography and drawing.
The physical surroundings she comes in contact with through the community projects become sources in the studio. Photos and notebook notations made out in the landscape are the basis for her paintings. Most recently, themes are peatlands based. She is interested in knowledge and how it is shared, how new relationships can be formed when diverse interests and groups are brought together, and where the points of familiarity and common ground can be found. This may be reflected in the paintings, which though abstract maintain a sense of the familiar and the site itself.
Her community collaborations are in an ecosocial art context. She devises inclusive, embedded actions specifically designed to activate engagment, sharing, creativity and community, while supporting awareness of conservation strategies and habitat preservation. She incorporates the surrounding hinterland of farming traditions, local food production, plant and hedgerow lore into her primary theme of connecting peatlands and communities and especially Drummin Bog, South Carlow's only raised bog.
Integrating elements of these places into the paintings creates a circular relationship between the studio and the community projects, and grounds the paintings in the living world around her.
With a background in community arts facilitation with older people in healthcare settings, Jules returned to full-time education in 2009, graduating with a First Class B.A. (Hons) from the Wexford School of Art and Design, followed by an MFA from the National College of Art and Design in 2015. She is a member of Nine Stones Artists, and her studio is alongside where she lives in rural Co. Carlow. Jules has her Adult Ed. Teaching Council registration and is an ETB tutor, mainly in community care settings. She is currently coordinator for https://drumminbog.com/creative-drummin/ and volunteers for the Drummin Bog Project and the Arts sub-group of The Community Wetlands Forum. She is managing the 3 acre field surrounding her home and studio as a biodiversity project.
Links:https://drumminbog.com/
https://communitywetlandsforum.ie/
2013 - 2015MFA (Painting), NCAD, Dublin
2012 - 2013Arts in Healthcare Settings Post-Grad Certificate, (First Class), NUIM, Level 9
2009 - 2012B.A. (Hons) Fine Art, (First Class), Wexford School of Art and Design
2006 - 2007Certificate in Community Arts Management, Wexford Campus, Carlow IT
1982 - 1983Foundation Level Diploma, NCAD
Solo Exhibitions:
2017 Nimmo's Pier Project Space at PP/S, Pallas Projects/Studios, 115 - 117 The Coombe, Dublin 8
Group Exhibitions:
2018The Book Project, 9 Stones Artists, VISUAL, Carlow
2017PeripheriesOPEN: GSA, Gorey, Co. Wexford
Neu-Gen 2017: Towards Both the Parts NCAD Gallery, 100 Thomas St. Dublin 8
Soul Noir, 13 North Great George's Street, Dublin 1
2016The Possibilities of Place VISUAL, Carlow, Nine Stones Artists ten year anniversary show
2015Customs House Studios, Winter Group Exhibition
Conversation King House, Boyle Arts Festival
Frawleys Specials MFA Postgraduate Exhibition, Frawleys Department Store, Thomas St, D8
State of Play group show, 137 Emmet House, Thomas Street, D8
2014 RDS Student Art Awards, RDS, Dublin, and subsequently to the Bourn Vincent Gallery, UL, Limerick
Between Here And ThereNCAD 1st Year MFA interim show, Pallas Project Studios, Dublin
2012 Eigse Open Submission Finalist, curators Barbara Dawson, Brian Duggan
More Diverse Than Universal B.A.(Hons) Degree Show, Wexford Arts Centre
Nine Stones Artists, Deighton Hall, Eigse Festival, Carlow
2011 Nine Stones Artists, Borris House, Borris, Co. Carlow
Block 8 group show, Studio Nine Gallery, Wexford
2010 Please Touch group show, The Grainstore, Wexford
2008 Nine Stones Artists, The Norman Gallery, Co Wexford
2006 Nine Stones Artists, The Norman Gallery, Co Wexford
Creative Communities - Collaborative Arts
2024 Gnáthóga Nádúrtha installation in Studio 12, Earth Rising, IMMA.
2024 - (ongoing) Gnáthoga Nádúrtha (Phase 2) continuation of below, funded by Creative Ireland.
2022 - 2024 Gnáthoga Nádúrtha (Natural Habitats) lead artist for Carlow, under the Arts Council funded Invitation to Collaboration Scheme led out by Carlow Arts Services with the support of Meath and Kildare Arts Services. https://drumminbog.com/gnathoga-nadurtha-programme-development-from-creative-drummin/.
2023 Tales and Taste of the Bog as part of Gnáthoga Nádúrtha (Natural Habitats) https://www.ucd.ie/earth/newsevents/news/body,719729,en.html.
2022 - 2023 Borris Lace Exchange funded by Creative Ireland and EU CraftHub, a project including Borris Lacemakers, textile artist Ally Nolan and Jules Michael. For this, Jules brought together Borris Men's Shed, Borris Lacemakers, sculptor Michelle Byrne, members of Borris Lodge Nursing Home on a project based on the local and traditional craft of Borris Lace and native hedgerow plants.
2020 – 21The Banner Project and The Trackway Project, project co-ordinator and co-creator (with Dr. Cathy Fitzgerald), funded by Creative Ireland and linking to The Drummin Bog Project
2018 - 19An Fraughan, Creative Ireland funded project between the three primary schools surrounding Drummin Bog. Jules also produced the An Fraughan publication from the project with supporting essay from Cathy Fitzgerald (available on The Drummin Bog Project website).
The Bog Rosemary Project, an original song composition by jazz muscian Carole Nelson inspired by Drummin Bog. Carole and Jules currently working with the children of the above primary schools to perform the song.
Supporting facilitaion to Alanna O’Kelly, Liminal States, Tramore Direct Provision Centre
2012Friday’s Men, collaborative book project with older men, Southend Family Resource Centre, Wexford
2011Oral history transcription project between selected Wexford School of Art and Design students and the Southend Family Resource Centre, Wexford
2004 - 2009Weekly sessional arts facilitation, New Houghton Hospital Day Care Centre, New Ross, Co, Wexford
Awards/Residencies
2023 Age and Opportunity National Nursing Homes Award for Gentle Traces, the Borris Lace Exchange element conducted in Borris Lodge Nursing Home.
2023 Borris Lace Exchange "Sustaining the Arts" category winner, Chambers Ireland Excellence in Local Government Awards.
2020 Artlinks, to support a mentorship with Dr. Anita McKeown of CoDesRes www.codesres.ie
2018 GlogauAIR, Berlin (upcoming)
RHA Panel Discussion: Painters Talking Paint II, RHA, Dublin 2
2017 Carlow County Council Arts Act Grant
RHA Peer Critique with Philip Allen
Bealtaine Mentoring Session (Vivienne Dick), Cow House Studios, Wexford
2016 Carlow County Council Arts Act Grant
2015 Customs House Studio Residency, Westport, Co Mayo
OPW collection
Shortlisted for RHA Studio Residency
Shortlisted for EIARA '15
Carlow County Council Arts Act Grant
2012 Wexford Arts Centre Student of the Year Award
2007 Lundbeck Art Award, 'Best Recent Development within Clinical Context, ’ New Haughton Hospital Day Care Centre, New Ross, adjudicator Brian Maguire