The Bogside Artists of Derry, Tom Kelly, William Kelly and Kevin Hasson are on their way to St. Bonaventure University Buffalo to give talks and paint a mural for campus. “We look on this as a farewell gesture of sorts,” explained one of the trio Kevin Hasson. “The focus of our creativity from now on will be in Europe as part of the Art of Reconciliation program begun by our friend and agent Desmond Doyle.”
From Buffalo they will travel to Boston College to hold workshops and similarly give talks on their lives and work. Many documentaries have been made about the artists and one or two of these will comprise the visuals of their presentations.
The Bogside Artists are world renowned for the series of twelve murals they created for Derry called The People’s Gallery. These august images that stand like colossal sentries guarding the Bogside – the area that witnessed the worst of the troubles since 1968 – constitute the most visited tourist attraction in the city if not the whole of Ireland.
It has been over a decade since the artists last addressed the students of BC. Now, new students take the place of the old but their eagerness to hear the story of N.Ireland’s three decades of political strife is assured by hosts Profs, John Michalczyk and international peace negotiator Raymond Helmick both friends of the artists. Said spokesman Tom Kelly. “It will be wonderful catching up with old friends at BC. We have very fond memories of the people we met there. Our sincerest thanks to St. Bonaventure for inviting us over in the first place. The murals we created, as everybody knows, have been dumbed down by incumbent politicos who flourish and are kept in power by a Westminster sponsored policy of appeasement. Understandable as that may be, it is entirely reprehensible on many levels, as the murals contribute mightily to the economy of the city. One would think that, at a bare minimum, they would be properly marketed to the world at large but personal resentment towards us and political in-fighting have ensured that the exact opposite has been the consensus policy – to keep them hidden, in a word, an idiot interprise at best and very insulting not just to us but to all those who fought for democratic rights for so long and whose story we have told in the Bogside. Nevertheless, the murals we have created have made their own way in the world and are visited annually by tens of thousands of people despite the shameless attempts of Sinn Fein and Unionists alike to keep them out of sight. As we speak these paintings of ours that have featured in countless documentaries and articles all over the world have fallen into a bad state of disrepair from lack of local funding. We have just recently submitted an application so that we can bring the matter before council. That we are driven to do this is an appalling indictment against those who have purportedly been elected to represent the interests of the people. History, the very thing they have tried to stifle, will be their judge. In America we look forward to receiving the respect we feel we deserve. It will be a breath of fresh air for all of us.”
You can follow the adventures of The Bogside Artists in the United States via their Facebook address. And for more information visit their website — http://www.bogsideartists.com.
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