Kilkenny festival goers to Savour feast of culinary and artistic treats
Art lovers attending this year’s Kilkenny’s Savour Food Festival can look forward to a visual feast to compliment the culinary treats on show.
Organisers said this year’s festival, which takes place on the October bank holiday weekend, will feature “a range of art-themed events at Butler Gallery” that are “designed to engage and inspire”.
The festivities kick off with ‘Imbibing Art: Art Tour, Mixology, and Tasting’, led by food designer Clare Anne O’Keefe on Thursday, October 24, at 6pm. A spokesperson for the festival said: “Immerse yourself in the vibrant world of art at Butler Gallery through a unique tour accompanied by bespoke cocktails and libations, each inspired by Kilkenny’s rich local produce. This sensorial journey will allow participants to experience art in an entirely new way, as creative beverages bring the gallery’s cherished exhibitions to life.”
On Friday, October 25, at 3pm, Clare Anne O’Keefe will return to host the ‘Gallery Art Tour’ alongside Butler Gallery Tour Guides at 3pm. The festival said this free tour “offers a fresh perspective on the gallery’s collections, examining the artworks through a culinary lens. Attendees will explore the significance of food in artistic expression and even get to savour a taste of the art itself.”
Butler Gallery will also welcome young artists to ‘Edible Art’, described as “a hands-on food and art workshop for children aged 6 to 14” on Monday, October 28.
On Saturday, October 26, Rothe House will host a Culinary Treasure Hunt for children aged 8 to 14 at 11am, where “participants will embark on a quest in the Renaissance Garden to unlock a sensory recipe before joining the kitchen team to create delicious, sweet ‘treasures’ inspired by Tudor recipes and Gothic Art”.
Meanwhile, Savour will host ‘Relishing the Past; a food workshop and garden tour at Rothe House, will which also take place under the guidance of Clare Anne O’Keeffe, who described this year’s festival as “an exploration of senses, and a celebration of the deep-rooted connection between the culinary and the artistic”.
Jean Mann, Assistant Curator of Learning and Public Engagement at Butler Gallery, added: “We are delighted to be part of the Savour(ing) Art programme of events at Butler Gallery and see it as an exciting new avenue for audience engagement with Butler Gallery’s collection and exhibitions programme. Savour(ing) Art will give audiences opportunities to look closely at artwork in the gallery and to create culinary responses to that work, in a way that is fun and thoughtful and uncovers a deeper context around how and why artists make work.”
SAVOURING THE MOMENT: Pictured above, left to right, is Clare Anne O’Keeffe, food designer, Anna O’Sullivan, Director and Chief Curator at Butler Gallery and Shane Gallagher, Visitor Experience Manager at Butler Gallery.
For further details, visit http://www.savourkilkenny.com or follow @savourkilkenny on Instagram for updates
