Catherine Owens invited me along to meet her at the swish Irish-American Society on Central Park West. I didn't know what the event was, but as it turns out her friend Brian Kennedy (she has two good friends called Brian Kennedy, the other one was my flatmate for a while on Raglan Road) was curating a wonderful show of surprising non-traditional Irish craft here called: "MATERIALpoetry". That's Ann Mulrooney (maybe we're distantly related, we're not sure), of the Craft Council of Ireland sitting attentively on the step listening approvingly to visual artist and curator Brian Kennedy's short speech. Check out Brian's site with his partner, ceramicist Peter Ting: www.briing.uk.com. This was a truly stunning show - no stage Irish cliches here, believe me. In fact we come across as an incredibly sophisticated bunch through this polished, thoughtful exhibition, It's the start of an ongoing 3-year project, Brian told me.
