A Cultural Fusions look at Banners
The vibrant banners paraded by both the Orange Order and the Ancient Order of Hibernians are among the most striking forms of artistic display in Northern Ireland. Causeway Museum Service and the Cultural Fusions PEACE III programme will present two speakers on the subject of banner culture at Coleraine Town Hall on Tuesday August 31st during which they will explore the making of banners and detail the histories behind the images and symbols used in banners.
The display and talks are taking part as part of the North East PEACE III Partnership’s Cultural Fusions project, which has offers exciting opportunities for local groups to develop culture and arts programmes with the collaborative assistance of the Cultural Fusions consortium. The overall aim of the programme is to promote a greater understanding and awareness of the rich cultural diversity of the North East, including ethnic minority and indigenous cultural traditions.
This free banner talk follows on from a banner evening held in February and speakers include local banner artist Philip Anderson and Dominic Bryan, Director of the Institute for Irish Studies at Queen’s University, Belfast. Philip, who is son to the late Bobby Anderson will also present some of his fathers’ banner work during his talk.
These talks are very relevant to the recently opened ‘Images of Ireland: 1867-1916’ exhibition at Coleraine Town Hall which will run until September 8th 2010. This exhibition, developed jointly by Causeway Museum Service and Mid Antrim Museum Service as part of the Cultural Fusions programme explores ideas of culture and identity in the north of Ireland in the late nineteenth and early twentieth century. This exhibition highlights diversity of identity during this historical period which incorporates the Gaelic Revival and Home Rule crisis but also draws parallels between the development of opposing organisations and the emblems and images they employed. This exhibition is open 12pm to 5pm daily.
For further information on any of the above Causeway Museum Service Initiatives please call 70347221.
