Art in the Open 2011: Festival Diary

[Tony Robinson]

The countdown to the festival has officially begun.

 

Months of planning and preparation by the small committee and volunteers make up the AITO festival iceberg below the waterline. Fundraising, wheeling and dealing, meetings, arguing and communicating, re-designing logos, building websites, more meetings, stakeholders and sponsors, evaluating, re-evaluating, mailshots and menus - and we'd better have another meeting about all that.

Then Press and PRO, Andrea Keogh set Thursday 31st June as the start of the official countdown with the first festival photo-launch for the press. We'd never had one of those before!

 

We need a celebrity....?

Wexford has just engaged four excellent 'Cultural Ambassadors'; famous and distinguished Wexford writers Eoin Colfer and Colm Toibin and local sporting heroes, Kevin Doyle and Gordon D'Arcy. All were contacted but as luck would have it, one by one, for prior commitments each had to excuse himself from being the 'Face of AITO 2011'. But the clock was ticking.

 

And panic was setting in....

Meanwhile, a team of munchkins had been busy making signs, filling balloons, sawing a giant palette while 4 paint-tube suits were glued and stapled. Olga Conway's 'Discovering Drama' recruited 4 starlets to parade them at short notice.

Local development officer, Fran Ryan used all his contacts,  favours called in, chickens were choked, candles were lit in Rowe Street Church and the Spirit of Carnsore was invoked.....And, lo, in the nick of time, into Wexford rode current presidential candidate, and champion of the Arts Mr. Michael D. Higgins and fellow Irish speaker, the artist and Hothouse Flowers frontman, Liam O'Maonlai to save the day!

 

And here they all are:

Deputy Mayor, Cllr. Ted Howlin, Cllr. George Lawlor, Mr. Michael D. Higgins, President of the Labour Party

and in front, Neil O'Keeffe (AITO) and Liam O'Maonlai with the four shiny paint tubes: Emma O'Leary (yellow), Garvan Woodcock (green), Leah Cassidy (red) and Ciaran Woodcock (blue) all of 'Discovering Drama'.

 

A big 'thanks' especially Fran & Olga, our two celebs and all who pulled it off against the odds.

 

[Plein Eire Administrator]

The Famous Five...

More bizarre PR took place at 9.30 this morning as Paul Maloney, Karen Scannell and Tony Robinson were required to 'dress like an artist' (?) down at Hook Head lighthouse where they were joined  by two youngsters who braved the buffeting wind in berets and striped t-shirts to promote Art in the Open.

....and they say there's no such thing as bad publicity.

[Plein Eire Administrator]

Look out for the series of Art in the Open advertisements on TV3 all this week.

[Plein Eire Administrator]

Rainbow Government...

There was further coverage in 'The Wexford People' of last week's colourful launch with Presidential hopeful, Michael D. Higgins with musician Liam O'Moanlai and  4 paint tubes, (affectionately known as 'The Squirts') with a giant palette on Wexford quayside.

Meanwhile on South East Radio today, former mayor of Wexford, Helen Corish spoke of Art in the Open in connection with 'Wexford in Bloom' which concerns environmental awareness and enhancement.

 

 

[Plein Eire Administrator]

Tune in to KCLRfm at 11am today for Mairead Holohan in the first of a series of regional radio broadcasts.

[Geraldine Donohoe]

Absolutely fantastic lads! Well done........

[David Diaz]

Tony--just saw this--love it--great PR--kids are a great touch (you could have them parade through the street MON.  with their long color ribbon and lead up to the reception site.) Never the less, you are top of this--we should be taking notes.

 

[Tony Robinson]

 

Radio appearances, newspaper coverage and news today that RTE Nationwide will be broadcasting a SEPA paint-out in Clonegal on 20th July, the Art in the Open publicity machine risks overheating.

 

[Karen Scannell]

PHEEEEEWWWW! Just in the nick of time!!