New Irish Art, 26 Years [2000 - 2026]

Reflections [at 26 Years]

The New Irish Art website presents a collection of more than 22,000 visual artworks that reflect some part of the contemporary visual art in and about Ireland. This unique project includes Amateur, Emerging and Professional artists and welcomes those wishing to show their work on a truly open platform.

Unlike that tree falling in the forest which might never be heard, here at New Irish Art we believe that visual art produced should be seen and that making that artwork more accessible is a job worth doing. We support artists in getting through some of the barriers to reaching the audience, communication is a key benefit delivered by Internet technology and it must be held open and not tethered to monetary gain.

While the website does not sell artwork, and nor does it charge fees to those wishing to show, it does deliver a professional service that allows the art and the audience to meet however fleetingly across the medium of the Internet. That is where the project's quality is hidden, in plain sight, in it's delivery. It makes it easy for those who will not see, to choose not to see, to ignore the value.

We make no claims about the quality or merit of the artwork on show and we require only basic information from artists who have chosen to show their creations. We expect clear images, good information about the artwork and originality. We also expect some cooperation in getting that original artwork in front of the greatest audience.

New Irish Art has always underlined, highlighted and shouted out, the importance of copyright, each image clearly asserting the copyright ownership of it's creator, the copyright signal appears more than 100,000 times on the New Irish Art website.

There has been fun over the past 26 years, driven by the constant demand, the challenges of changing technology and the expanding online audience, exploring the artwork, the joy of finding new artists and having a place that might almost seem a million miles away (some imagination required) from all that Really Crazy Stuff out there.

That said, our task is not becoming any easier and support is always needed, we could not have gotten this far without our supporters. So, when this project fails, as it will as all things do, it will not be the fault of those supporting it or for the want of creativity or drive, it will be the fault of those who continue to look the other way, who choose not to see any value here.

This is what a note looks like, untouched by AI! [typos and poor writing style are all my very own]. We may be moving away from everything that has the human touch as we are driven hard into the glorious AI future but, while we still can, we say it as plainly as possible, THANK YOU FOR BEING PART OF IT, FOR MAKING IT HAPPEN and THANK YOU FOR VISITING.

Tom Hogarty, founder
The New Irish Art Project [2000-2026]