Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Angelina Foster. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Angelina, appreciate you joining us today. Can you talk to us about a project that’s meant a lot to you?

“A Little Book of Brigid” has been my most meaningful project to date and its purpose and message is still growing.
2024 marks 1500 years since the death of St. Brigid of Kildare in Ireland. A Little Book of Brigid initially started small through an open call in 2023, asking writers to respond by submitting short poems which represented Brigid as every ordinary woman. We received 160 entries from all over the world, 28 poems were selected but this was only the beginning.
We collaborated with 28 writers and 6 other visual artists to create an edition of 100 books dedicated to all the women forgotten in history and every young girl who dreams of greatness. The books are not for sale which is something alot of people have difficulty understanding. The purpose of the project is to recognise women throughout 2024 whilst commemorating 1500 years since the death of our matron saint, Brigid of Kildare. The books will be gifted to 100 inspiring women or institutions who have campaigned for women’s rights or support women in their communities in Ireland and worldwide.
I always had an interest in women’s history and survival, as a socially-engaged artist I work with women and children in community projects alot. A Little Book of Brigid was inspired by a previous visual project “War Widows” – which explored the experiences of Irish women and families whose loved ones died and were buried in Europe during WW1, they died as British soldiers before Irish independence which created shame and decades of cultural silence. I searched for stories of widows and what became of their families and found very little in archives or books. It was upsetting to realise their lives were of no importance, especially after Irish Independence when the Cathlolic Church had immense power within our country. I made 2 small books for this exhibition and silently vowed to help illustrate more women past and present in my work.
Brigid has become a powerful symbol of female endurance and feminism in Ireland. We are lucky in Ireland that Brigid has survived through the centuries through the duality of Brigid as both Goddess and Christian Saint. St Brigid is also the patron saint of poetry and printing so this project was destined to happen. When funding from our local council was announced in 2024, I felt all the forgotten women who went before me calling.

Angelina, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

A Little Book of Brigid was launched in Narraghmmore village on Saturday 13th of April. The first 10 books were presented to inspiring women, nominated by their communities, including Ireland’s First Lady, Sabina Higgins.
A Little Book of Brigid is a distinctive celebration of women’s strength and creativity. I feel very lucky to meet the artist Emily Rainsford a few years ago who became my partner on the project. We recently exhibited in Sweden and England, and we were unsure if audiences abroad would understand our project but soon realised that our book connected with people through revealing women’s stories. People are surprised when we say the book is not for sale and only 100 editions exist but we want these gifts to honour women’s work. When I run community workshops, women working quietly in the background is often a discussion point. We all know these women, we are aware that 100 books is nowhere near enough to thank women in communities throughout Ireland and abroad. However, we hope this initiative makes people think of the good deeds carried out quietly in the background in many communities throughout Ireland and abroad.”

Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?

Emily and I worked crazy hours to finish the printing, and the production of the books became a mammoth task. We individually hand- printed 8,800 prints for the edition by letterpress and screenprinting, completed entirely by intergenerational women from the age of 15 years up. We were “out of sorts” many times (a letterpress term for when you run out of letters), which required editing with the writers to reduce the i’s or l’s or d’s in a poem or reformatting the text block! Letterpress printing has a strong connection with women’s activism through the centuries, we intend to spread the voice of all women by reconnecting the public with this age-old art. Once the printing was complete many people thought we finished the book but then came the cutting of book boards and book cloth, glueing, stitching and screenprinting the covers.

To connect with Brigid’s era & elements of Weave, bindings were hand-sewn individually with Coptic Stitch using French linen thread. The Weaver is the maker of opportunity, the weaver of fate with the weaver’s distaff a symbol of power. Women as weavers of community, weave intentions and fate.

Have you ever had to pivot?

Covid saved me & my business, I’ve had to pivot and adapt many times but the outbreak of the pandemic made me stop and explore new ways of working, and find the value of collaboration which is what I really love. Before Covid, i was killing myself working at craft markets and events, I was a busy fool. As a member of a small shared studio in Kilkenny, Ireland I was completely crushed when it closed down permanently. I decided at this point to go it alone and set up what would become Blueway Art Studio in Co Kildare. I took advantage of the many government grants available during Covid and was lucky to be accepted into a program for Irish tourism businesses. I developed a range of workshops to service creative tourism, and started working on more projects by collaborating with groups, businesses and organisations who reimagine ways to communicate climate and system changes through creativity. I have a huge interest in heritage and the role art, particularly print, plays in activism and exploration through the centuries. In times of crisis, whether war or climate, women and children are most affected. I host workshops which celebrate both women in print and the impact of the letterpress on suffragism.
Through Blueway Art Studio, I engage in creative and sustainable tourism highlighting the role creativity can play in economic development and rural regeneration. Community arts projects and events harness the sensory and emotional power of the arts, cutting across differences in ages, backgrounds, and experiences to generate meaningful connections which also foster respect for the artist.
The cycle of reciprocity in sustainable art-making is at the core of my work and I feel blessed with the people I met and worked with over the last few years especially.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://bluewayartstudio.ie/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bluewayartstudio/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BluewayArtStudio
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/angelinafoster1/
• Other: Nominations for A Little Book of Brigid are open until December or until all books have found homes. You may nominate by completing a form on my project page https://bluewayartstudio.ie/brigids-book/

Image Credits

All photos except group photo by Angelina Foster. Group photo of recipients of A Little Book of Brigid with Sabina Higgins by photographer Justin Farrelly.