Summer Art School for Teens in Wexford, Ireland

Art on the Farm at Cow House Studios:
Cow House Studios is a progressive artist-run studio space set in the farmland of County Wexford (approximately one hour's drive from Dublin) in South-East Ireland. We are proud to offer the only international teen summer art programme in Ireland. We are proud to offer the only international teen summer art programme in Ireland. Art on the Farm is a three-week course in painting, drawing and photography for students aged 15 - 18. During Art on the Farm, students complete excellent portfolio pieces for advanced placement and college applications.

A productive farm to this day, the 180 acres of land on the farm provides an authentic and inspirational backdrop, while facilitating multidisciplinary practices for artists in residence and students, focusing on cross-cultural learning and exchange.

Location and Facilities:

Cow House Studios value personal expression, innovative processes and meaningful exchange, believing that engagement with the visual arts provides intellectual and creative enrichment. To this end, we provide art education for children, teens and adults, facilities for college, school and artist led groups, and an artist-in-residence program for professional artists.

The Artist in Residence program provides opportunities to emerging artists, makes artists aware of a broader rural context, and brings critically engaging contemporary work to our community.

Cow House Studios’ Education Program supports engagement with the visual arts; providing the guidance necessary for students to be in charge of their own learning, yielding a more inquisitive approach to making art and curiosity for the world around us.

Cow House Studios is named for its practical origins on the O'Gorman family farm, where for over 200 years the family has lived and worked the land. Nestled at the foot of the scenic Blackstairs Mountains, it is located three miles from the village of Rathnure, County Wexford. The vision of two artists, Rosie O'Gorman and Frank Abruzzese, fortified by the generosity of the O'Gorman family, has transformed the function of the Cow House from a beautiful stone structure used for bedding cows into a studio committed to facilitating contemporary visual arts practice.

Michael O’Gorman, Rosie’s father, originally considered using the old farm buildings to hold art classes in 1997 when Rosie began her degree in Art Education at the NCAD, Dublin. However, the idea of converting part of the O’Gorman farm into an artist space really took shape and gained momentum when Rosie and Frank met at the San Francisco Art Institute in 2002. By that time, it was clear the Cow House had potential to not only offer classes but also to position itself as an artistic and cultural hub for the region.

In 2005, plans to transform two buildings were put in motion. Between November 2006 and June 2008, both the studio and the Barn were lovingly renovated, maintaining the structural integrity of their unique birthplace. In June 2008, Cow House Studios opened hosting a group of young international artists. Today, Cow House Studios coexists alongside the working family farm.