Irish Arts Review

Roll of HonourSource: Irish Arts Review (2002-), Vol. 21, 50th Anniversary of the Texaco Children's ArtCompetition (2004), pp. 9-11Published by: Irish Arts ReviewStable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/25503150 .

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73

O

,?*VB* *o

children's art

?

Honour Many successful figures in broadcasting, politics and the arts have testified that winning a prize

in the Texaco Children's Art Competition provided that crucial spur to their future careers

I Robert Ballagh

Woman and a Pierre

Soulages 1972

acrylic on canvas

121.92 x 243cm

? Robert Ballagh (Collection Bank of

Ireland)

The Texaco Children's Art Competition roll o? honour includes many names that have now

become very familiar on the Irish cultural and commercial scene. Previous winners are keen

to acknowledge just how important the experience was for their subsequent development.

Former Minister for Finance and Labour Party leader Ruairi Quinn TD is a four-times

Texaco Children's Art Competition winner. He relates that the Texaco experience did three things for

him?and continues to provide the same benefits for generation after generation of youngsters.

'Winning the Competition gives you external recognition that you have a talent,' he explains. 'It

conveys that recognition to your brothers and sisters, to your parents and to your peer group. And it

also gives you the self-confidence to pursue a career in the area of design, the visual arts or whatever.'

Public relations consultant Terry Prone's mother sparked off her interest in the Texaco Children's

Art Competition initially. 'I think at some stage my mother just entered a couple of my paintings?and

I won!' Terry recalls. 'After seeing your art on the wall, you got hooked and entered every year.

S P i: C I A L EDITION IRISH A R T S R E Y I E \\ I 9

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2 Dorothy Cross

Jellyfish Lake 2002

DVD 6 minutes

(edition of 4+1AP)

?Dorothy Cross

Courtesy of the

Kerlin Gallery

3 Dorothy Cross

Three Witches of

Macbeth 1973

Award-winner in

the 18th Texaco

Children's Art

Competition Poster

paint on cardboard

63.5 x 50.8cm

?Dorothy Cross

73

So much so, that you even got very good at judging the

Competition yourself!

'You knew who the enemy was?when I was entering, I

knew there was a girl named Louise Mansfield who was

the one to beat. I only discovered lately that she and

Thelma Mansfield, the broadcaster, are sisters.

'I still admire the approach of the Texaco organisers

today. They sponsor the competition, but they never try to

make any direct link between their product and the chil

dren's art. That's unusual these days?it's much more like

a decent patronage.'

Several Texaco Children's Art Competition winners

have gone on to make a major impact on the art scene and

carve out careers there. Leading Irish artists who emerged

early on the national scene as Texaco Children's Art

Competition winners include Robert Ballagh (Fig 1), Bernadette Madden (Fig 4), Dorothy Cross (Figs 2 &3), Graham Kn?ttel, John Keating (Fig 5), Janet Mullarney

(Fig 5), and Shane Cullen.

'Winning a prize provided a great fillip?a great confir

mation that you had something to say,' Robert Ballagh

recalls. 'The Competition continues to fulfil that role for the

current generation of children'. Artist Bernadette Madden recalls the Competition as

'a wonderful childhood experience and a magical memory.' She adds that the confi

dence she gained from winning the Competition has benefited her down the years.

The Texaco Children's Art Competition experience has stood others who fol

lowed a career path into business and other spheres in good stead also. Dermot

Morrissy, an accounting analyst in ChevronTexaco's Dublin office, was awarded first

prize in the Competition in 1964. In fact, each year for a period of five years, he

3 received an award of which

his coveted first prize award

was one. His siblings also

entered. 'Both my brother

and sister also won prizes

though not as often as

myself,' he recalls. He remem

bers vividly the year 1965

when his siblings joined him

at the podium to collect their

prizes. 'This was a proud day

1 O I

I S II A R T S R E Y 1 E \Y H P 1 I. K I) I T I O N

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4,4

both himself and his daughter who won a prize in 1994. 'The Texaco ^^^R ?.A Children's Art Competition gave me a life-long interest in art,' he comments.

^^B JSL ??S^M?^??K^^K^?^^ The Texaco Children's Art thread has, however, weaved its way widely indeed ^^L \^^^^HBBB^^^^^^^^^^^F

through all echelons of Irish society. Other distinguished past winners of the ^^L _^^^^^^^^^^^^p^^^^

Competition include fashion designer Paul Costello, ICTU General Secretary ^^^k ^?^?^B^^^^^^^^^^^M David Begg, novelist Clare Boylan, actress Jeananne Crowley, musician Ethna ^^^^^^^^I^^^^^^^^^^^^^^H Tinney and National Education Board Chairperson, Ann Louise Gilligan. ^^^i^^^^^^^^^l^^RSB^^?

Professor John Turpin, Head of Faculty, HADCOM, National College of Art <Sc ^^^HHHHBBk^

Design; Eunan O'Halpin, Professor of Contemporary Irish History, TCD; Mark Costigan, ^^j^^^^^jjj? broadcaster; Paul Drury, editor and journalist; Susie Hall, President ASTI; Judith ^^P^^^^^^^B

Woodworth, National Concert Hall Director; and Eugene Downes, Arts Consultant and ^^^^^fl^^^t. ^^^^B

Abbey Board Member were also Texaco Children's Art winners in their day. H ^^^^^^^^^^^^Ktefljj^tag^B

The Texaco Children's Art thread has ^^^^^^^^^^ weaved its way through all echelons of ^^^^^^^^^^fc

5

for all of us,' he adds.

Dermot's experience

of the Competition had a real effect on j^L y^*v

+ - *

children's art

?

4 Bernadette

Madden

From Liberty Hall

2004 Batik on linen

46 x 56cm

?Bernadette

Madden

5 John Keating

Head 1994 mixed

media on paper 40.5 x 30.5cm

?John Keating

6 Janet Mullarney

Unfitted 1987

painted wood, cloth

119 x 155 x 107cm

?Janet Mullarney

(University College Cork) Photo: Cristina

Marra

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