Leitrim Design House Ireland

Background information

The Leitrim Design House is the most progressive and ambitious craft, applied art & design cluster in Ireland. County Leitrim is recognised as an area of emerging strength in terms of arts, culture and craft activities. The Leitrim Design House endeavors to enhance this positive cultural image of County Leitrim and through the development of the Leitrim Design House brand, aims to establish and promote the region as an area of excellence and progression in craft development, innovation, art and design. The Leitrim Design House has strived throughout its ten years in existence to stimulate a business perspective, to foster creative opportunities and to promote a culture of lifelong learning in a vulnerable area and sector for the benefit of disadvantaged target groups.

The Leitrim Design House activity within County Leitrim a number of distinct strands:

• The Leitrim Design House is considered one of the landmark tourist attractions in County Leitrim and attracts substantial visitor numbers into Carrick on Shannon providing positive social, economic and environmental gains for the broader community as well as LDH members.(Sunday independent article Dec 2006)
• LDH is an integral part of the creative landscape in the county. The LDH project has evolved through a range of responsive actions and supports. Since its origin in 1996, the LDH initiative has strived to promote both the art and craft sectors within the county. LDH provides a strong support system for artisans based in County Leitrim providing access to promotional and marketing opportunities, offering business development training, encouraging diversification through further training, providing invaluable networking options.
• The Leitrim Design House is the first point of call for new artists and craft workers seeking advice and support is one of the foremost incentives encouraging artisans to remain within the county. These creative enterprises interlink with, and help strengthen, other sectors such as tourism, hospitality, culture and, heritage and add to the attractiveness of County Leitrim as a location for artists and craftspeople to live and work as well as a visitor destination.
• The Leitrim Design House has become a National model of best practice in arts and crafts development as a comprehensive response to the needs of the creative sector in County Leitrim.  It is consistent with Crafts and Art Councils development policies and complies with local development strategies.
• The Leitrim Design House recognises the holistic nature of sustainable development. As well as assisting rurally based creative people to build stronger, more sustainable businesses whilst remaining rooted within their local communities, LDH is involved in enabling positive social, economic and environmental gains for the broader community by delivering a broad range of training interventions and networking opportunities. Many of the courses are tailored for community groups and individuals working with groups. With over two hundred members and associate members LDH has a rich resource from which we can draw tutors and facilitators to develop and deliver high quality training programmes.
•  In December 2000 the Leitrim Design House became established as a company limited by Guarantee and established a retail Gallery in Carrick-on-Shannon. In October 2005 the Leitrim Design House achieved a long term goal for the development of the craft and design sector in County Leitrim when it established a high profile retail gallery at the prestigious Dock Arts Centre. The store showcases the highest quality collective work from a membership of 70 artists, craft workers and designers based in County Leitrim.
• With over 200 affiliated members from the North West and all over Northern Ireland, The Leitrim Design House is a retail store which assists fledgling businesses and local talent to develop and showcase their designs. It provides the perfect promotional platform for small creative businesses to achieve economic growth through increased sales and market opportunities. It is recommended by the Craft Council of Ireland as one of the leading unique craft and design outlets in Ireland. The wide array of products includes visual art, textiles ,books, ceramics, furniture, jewellery and fashion. The Leitrim House offers a commissioning service amongst a range of other services.
• The Leitrim Design House provides a variety of services, facilities and grant aid aimed at helping its members launch, sustain and practice creative business. In particular we promote entrepreneurship through enterprise and self employment largely amongst women, young people and the long term underemployed. The Leitrim Design House has a strategic focus to tackle economic hardship, entrepreneurship skills deficits and social barriers faced by crafts people living and working in County Leitrim and the border region.
• The Leitrim Design House 2007-2008 programme offers skills development through training, exhibition support, National showcase events, professional development, mentoring and networking opportunities. These actions also develop the innovative capability of makers and designers to diversify sources of employment and income. The Leitrim Design House has established links with third level institutions both North and South of the border and offers a business development platform for graduates and fledgling businesses.
  
  

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"INTO LEITRIM" CRAFT TRAIL 2008

A gateway into a unique and sustainable way of life.
The "Into Leitrim" website and its accompanying book are virtual travel guides to the artists
and craft-workers of Leitrim .
"Into Leitrim" a Leitrim Design house initiative invites you to look behind the scenes and meet the makers.

Visit them at home and hear their stories. This is a unique opportunity to view each artist
in their studio and to share something of the process involved in producing
each piece of craft; to view exclusive designs produced in an environmentally-responsible way;
to experience the authenticity of the product and, ultimately, to feel the inspiration behind
each creation.

As well as the growing consumer demand for high-quality artisan products, there is an
 increased interest in both the person and story behind the product, and a need to
understand and enjoy the energy and care that has gone into its making. Into Leitrim
enables the widest of audiences, through the accessibility of the internet, to engage
 with the culture and creativity of County Leitrim as part of the Greenbox area.

Showcasing an exquisite array of innovative jewellery, textiles, fashion, selected glass,
ceramics, home wares and art work, Leitrim Design House offers the consumer the
opportunity to purchase gifts that reflect upon the natural beauty of our local landscape
and cultural heritage. As the value of the distinctive, the authentic and the local increases,
 it is important that an emphasis should be placed on the human activities which
 encourage, maintain or revive artistic and technical skills native to this area.

Craft has never been more important than now, as an antidote to mass production
and as a practice in which the very time is takes to produce an object becomes
part of its value in a world that often moves too fast.

2008 LAUNCH OF www.intoleitirm.com AND ACCOMPANYING BOOK

Cultural development- Life long learning-Community -Workshops
Leitrim Design House is the most progressive and ambitious craft, applied art & design cluster in Ireland: forging links with third-level institutions; encouraging diversification of skills through further education; providing access to promotional and marketing opportunities; offering business development training for its members.

Want to experience something a little different? Learn how to design a hat? Blow glass? Build a pot? Make wooden toys? The Leitrim Design House has a rich resource of qualified tutors and facilitators helping deliver a broad range of high quality training programmes. You'll learn more than a new skill. You may make a new friend. Our workshops bring you together with the artisans of Leitrim to hear their story, experience their world - and give you the opportunity to try your hand at their craft.
A programme of workshops will be available this Spring, visit www.intoleitrim.com for more information. If you would like to receive a copy of our 2008 book please contact.

Anna-Marie or Geraldine on 00353 71 96 50533 or email info@leitrimdesignhouse.ie
The Leitrim Design House
The Dock
Carrick-on-Shannon
County Leitrim