Barbara Freeman: A Retrospective

14 June to 27 September 2025

The F.E. McWilliam Gallery is delighted to announce Barbara Freeman: A Retrospective. Born in London in1937, Freeman studied at Central St. Martins and Camberwell Colleges of Art, followed by postgraduate study at the University of Leeds before moving to Belfast where she has lived and worked for over 40 years.  Utilising a wide range of media including sculpture, painting, print, installation, sound and film, Freeman’s constantly evolving practice fluctuates between figuration and abstraction to explore themes including time, memory and history.

Collaboration is at the heart of Freeman’s art. She has often worked with composers and musicians to create installations that combine sound and image and respond to a particular place, both as a physical space and a sonic environment. In 2020, she joined NA CAILLEACHA, the collective of formidable older women artists based in Ireland, with whom she continues to work and exhibit.

The first large-scale survey show of Freeman’s work, the exhibition aims to introduce the public to this award-winning artist who has exhibited internationally and now in her late 80s, continues to experiment and push herself to create new innovative work.

Curated by Dr Fionna Barber, Reader in Art History, Manchester School of Art and Dr Riann Coulter, curator and manager of the F.E. McWilliam Gallery, Barbara Freeman: A Retrospective is accompanied by an illustrated catalogue featuring an essay by Fionna Barber and an interview between Freeman and art historian and NA CAILLEACHA colleague, Catherine Marshall.

As Far As The Eye Can See: Contemporary Painting from ABC

1 March to 31 May 2025

The F.E. McWilliam Gallery and Armagh City, Banbridge and Craigavon Borough Council are delighted to present As Far As The Eye Can See: Contemporary Painting from ABC. Showcasing 11 painters from the Borough, this exhibition features the work of established artists:  Jennifer Trouton, Paddy McCann, Ian Cumberland, Dougal McKenzie, Mark McGreevy and Eddie Rafferty and rising stars, Hannah Clegg, Daniel Coleman, Michelle McKeown, Cameron Stewart and Gemma Kirkpatrick.

Connected by ties to the region and shared experiences at the Belfast School of Art, these artists offer diverse and distinctive practices, highlighting the rich and varied artistic talent that has flourished in ABC over recent decades.

Many of the participating artists are linked through their involvement with Queen Street Studios, a cornerstone of the regional art scene. 7 of the 11 featured artists are based at this artist-run organisation, which has long served as a space for creative exchange and collaboration. These connections extend beyond professional associations, revealing a deeper network of friendship, mentorship and shared histories as classmates, teachers and students.

Despite stylistic differences, the artists presented in As Far As The Eye Can See are unified by their commitment to the medium of painting at the highest level of contemporary practice. Taking inspiration from a broad range of fields ─ from art history and film theory to psychology and digital culture ─ they engage with complex and pressing themes from spirituality and grief to women’s rights and climate change.

Curated by Feargal O’Malley and Dr Riann Coulter, both of whom are deeply connected to the area, this exhibition is about both the artworks themselves and the conditions that enable their creation. It speaks to the importance of localised networks, the value of shared experiences and the power of place in shaping artistic vision. As the title suggests, the horizon for contemporary painting stretches far beyond the expected. By looking beyond urban centres, this exhibition invites us to reconsider the spaces where creativity thrives and flourishes wherever artists find the support, inspiration and freedom to create.