Own Art On The Road | Northern Ireland

We’ve had an amazing time touring the UK and we’d like to thank you for keeping us company on our virtual road trip. This year has been exceptionally difficult on our galleries, especially when tourism is at an all-time low. This road trip began in order to drive all of you art lovers safely to the wonderful galleries that are on the Own Art scheme, where you can take your favourite artwork home and split the cost in 10 easy and interest-free payments!

We’re heading to Northern Ireland now, where we have a handful of exceptional galleries selling paintings, drawings, prints, crafts, bespoke jewellery and much more! Join us on this leg of our journey and browse the fantastic Northern Ireland collections.

HAVE WE MISSED ANYTHING EN ROUTE?
GET IN TOUCH HERE AND WE’LL ADD IT TO OUR ITINERARY.

Let’s make a start at Artisann Gallery in Belfast, where we can take a look at the award-winning artists in their collection. You can buy art through the Own Art scheme; giving you interest-free credit over 10 months – and you still get to take the art home today.

It’s only an 8 minute drive west to St George’s Market, where, if we get there on a Saturday or Sunday, we’ll have a wonderful array of crafts, antiques and fresh produce. We can relax with a coffee and a newspaper while listening to some of the best local musicians play live, before we continue on our gallery tour.

We’ll take our time and walk through the beautiful gardens that Belfast has to offer, Ormeau Park and Botanic Gardens are on either side of the River Lagan and the perfect lunch spot with a view to nibble on the delicious treats we got from the market.

Eakin Gallery and Gormleys are situated on the same road and both offering a vast collection of Irish art. Eakin Gallery has gained a reputation in stocking a large selection of traditional and contemporary Irish paintings and Gormleys showcases Irish contemporary art, as well as the work of important international contemporary artists including Andy Warhol, Banksy, Damian Hirst, Robert Indiana and Keith Haring. We are absolutely spoiled for choice down this road!

Collect your artworks and let’s set off on foot to our next spot, only 24 minutes away! Our next stop will be at established independent craft Jewellers, Steenson’s. With a flagship store on Bedford St, Belfast and a workshop and showroom in the village of Glenarm, this Own Art gallery member is the perfect place to pick up a few special gifts in time for Christmas. It’s also located a short distance to some amazing attractions. Fancy getting cultured at the Grand Opera House? The venue is closed for restoration until 2021, but you can get tickets booked in advance! Or we can book some live shows at Limelight? It’s been a while since we’ve been able to get our fill of cultural activities like this, but venues have your safety at heart and will be ensuring COVID health and safety protocols are being adhered to.

Another short walk away we have Own Art galleries Royal Ulster Academy, Belfast Print Workshop, and The MAC. The Royal Ulster Academy have recently celebrated their 138th Annual Exhibition, which you can view virtually on their website. Belfast Print Workshop offers an extensive programme providing opportunities for residencies, exhibitions, skills and professional advancement, to support the income, wellbeing and livelihood of its artists and the communities they work with. Have a snoop around and support the artists by buying the fantastic prints for sale. Add a few to your basket and split the cost with Own Art! Easy!

Whilst we’re in Belfast’s Cathedral Quarter, we have to have a look at St Anne’s Cathedral (obviously) before we make a stop at The MAC, a cultural hub home to all kinds of exhibitions, theatre performances and experimental works. MAC Artist Editions are beautiful, exclusive, artworks made by selected artists within their gallery programme, which you can easily and affordably take home with you today with an Own Art application.

Time to get back on the road, virtually! We’re heading north, just over an hour away, to Gallery 1608. The final Own Art gallery on our tour of Northern Ireland! GALLERY 1608 is a bespoke art space, based in Bushmills, County Antrim in Northern Ireland. The gallery houses a huge range of Fine Art and Crafts by Ireland’s top Artists. It’s also situated in between Dunluce Castle and Giant’s Causeway, so we can take in our final breathtaking sights of Northern Ireland before leaving for our next destination: Scotland!

Our next stop will be SCOTLAND, so get in touch to give us your travel tips!