We’ve received a press release from the West of Ireland (which featured in the March 2010 issue of Prim Perfect and on the St Patrick’s Day edition of Designing Worlds):
West of Ireland, Second Life – The West of Ireland Discovery Maze announces its new installation featuring the art and poetry of the Brothers Yeats: Painter John “Jack” Butler Yeats, and Author William Butler Yeats.
“The true artist has painted the picture because he wishes to hold again for his own pleasure – and for always – a moment, and because he is impelled… by his human affection to pass on the moment to his fellows, and to those that come after him.”
–Jack Yeats
The installation compliments the “permanent collection” of Irish Artifacts contained within the Maze, with paintings and poetry spanning the late 19th and early 20th Centuries. William Butler Yeats is best known for winning the 1923 Nobel Prize for Literature for what the Nobel Committee described as “inspired poetry, which in a highly artistic form gives expression to the spirit of a whole nation.” Younger brother John “Jack” Butler Yeats painted through a period of time where visual arts underwent some radical challenges to classic forms. His work spans romantic, illustrative, and abstract styles, always in celebration of his home in the West of Ireland – predominantly Sligo.
The West of Ireland Discovery Maze is tucked away in the Southwest corner of the main West of Ireland region in the West of Ireland charity estate. Celebrating the premise that “the journey is more fascinating than the destination” the Maze contains a permanent collection of Irish Artifacts including plates from the Book of Kells and famous stone iconography that is occasionally rotated. Every two months the rest of the Maze’s contents are changed to present unique Irish culture and feature post-renaissance Irish art and artists. The Maze is interactive with informational notecards and texts available by clicking on display panels within the installation. Previous features have included: “Five Irish Haunts,” “The Music of Turlough O’Carolan,” “Women in Irish Painting,” and “Celebrations of the Emerald Isle.” The current feature, “Mother Yeat’s Boys” will remain on exhibit through May and June.
The West of Ireland is a Second Life charity estate created to support the programs of the South Texas Celtic Music Association (STCMA), a recognized 501(c)3 nonprofit organization in the United States. Additionally, the West of Ireland has been approved by Linden Labs, the creators of Second Life, as a certified nonprofit.
The mission of the West of Ireland is to promote Irish and Celtic culture within Second Life and raise awareness and funds for its partner charity, War Child North America, while providing guests and community members with an entertaining and welcoming environment.
Visit the West of Ireland website: http://www.irelandsl.org
For weekly performance schedules and other event information for the West of Ireland, visit: http://www.irelandsl.org/about/events-live-music/
Useful SLURL:
The West of Ireland Discovery Maze . . . http://slurl.com/secondlife/West%20of%20Ireland/36/67/23
War Child North America works with children all over the world to reduce poverty, to provide education and to defend their rights. We work tirelessly to help children whose lives have been torn apart by conflict, providing them with the means to build a brighter future. War Child provides programs focusing on education, child rights, and poverty reduction. War Child works collaboratively, and respectfully, with local partners and communities. More than 90 cents of every dollar received goes towards War Child international programs. The organization keeps administrative costs low in order to ensure that funds raised go directly towards children and their families affected by war.
For information on War Child North America: http://www.warchild.ca/
Pictures supplied by the West of Ireland
Prim Perfect 