Dr Azelina Flint (Maynooth University) and Dr Brian Baker (Lancaster University) will host an image-making workshop inspired by the ancient artform of iconography at the Solas Bhríde Centre on 17th February 2024. The workshop is part of a larger programme of events hosted by the Contemporary Women Icons AHRC-funded Research Project, which raises awareness of women’s understudied accomplishments in the ancient sacred art practice of Orthodox iconography and supports local community groups in creating icons of overlooked, or obscured, women from their own communities. In the workshop, delegates will draw on the techniques, rituals, and theories of iconography to create images of early Celtic women as part of the year-long Brigid 1500 celebrations. During this interfaith event, we will discuss how to expand the visibility of Celtic women in sacred art, as well as the ways in which they straddle the two definitions of an “icon” as a devotional image and a celebrated person who is a symbol for a wider community. Together, we will explore how sacred art can portray spiritual encounters with female icons from our communities and discuss how we might expand the representation of women in Christian worship. Through welcoming delegates of all faiths and none, we hope to foster dialogue about how images, rituals, and female icons, have enriched our lives with a focus on the things we share.
The price of the ticket includes lunch and refreshments at 12 midday and the cost of art materials.
Dr Azelina Flint is a specialist in women’s writing and creative practice whose research explores the relationship between female faith communities and feminist advocacy. She has published extensively on nineteenth-century British and American women’s writing. Her creative practice encompasses poetry, memoir and the reflective essay and is primarily concerned with how contemporary creative writing is shaped by our engagement with the writers and artists who inspire us, especially forgotten women in history. She teaches at Maynooth University.
Dr Brian Baker teaches literature, film and creative writing at Lancaster University and lives in North Wales. In 2019 he decided to return to art-making and gained an MA in Art Practice from Wrexham Glyndwr University to add to his PhD in dystopian fiction from the University of Liverpool. He is a member of the Troiica art group. His first collection of visual poems, Argo-0, was published by Steel Incisors Pres in 2022.
