Crawford veterans: 'We had books on the history of art that had no women'

Vivienne Roche, Eilis O’Connell and Maud Cotter currently have a joint exhibition at the Lavit in Cork. All three were part of a pioneering generation of female artists to graduate from the Crawford in the 1970s 

Some of the 1970s Cork arts graduates exhibiting at the Lavit Gallery

Established by the Cork Arts Society in 1963, the Lavit Gallery has played a crucial role in promoting new and emerging artists. An early initiative was the Student of the Year Award, which in recent times has been conferred on those graduating from MTU Crawford College of Art & Design. Originally, however, it was presented to students of promise at any level in the college.

As part of its 60th anniversary celebrations, the Lavit Gallery presents Taking Form, an exhibition of work by three Student of the Year Award winners in the 1970s. Vivienne Roche, Eilis O’Connell and Maud Cotter are all members of Aosdána, and exhibit internationally. All three work in various media, but are best-known for their sculpture, and particularly for their work in metal.