Anna O'Sullivan, Director and Chief Curator Butler Gallery

Anna O'Sullivan, Director and Chief Curator

Anna O’Sullivan is the Director and Chief Curator of the Butler Gallery in Kilkenny, Ireland where she also manages the Butler Gallery Permanent Collection.

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Prior to joining the Butler Gallery in 2005, Anna spent over twenty years in New York, first as curator of Performance Art at the avant-garde arts venue Franklin Furnace and then as Director of the Robert Miller Gallery. Anna has worked with many internationally-renowned artists and artists’ estates to realise projects and exhibitions including Alice Neel, Eva Hesse, Lee Krasner and Patti Smith at the Robert Miller Gallery and Mary Reid Kelley and Patrick Kelley, Cartoon Saloon, Fischli & Weiss, Michael Snow, Marilyn Lerner, Bob and Roberta Smith, Hans Op de Beeck, Ian Burns, Louise Bourgeois, Werner Herzog, Tony O’Malley, Barry McGee, Jeanne Silverthorne, and Eve Sussman at the Butler Gallery. Anna has written many catalogue essays and published catalogues on Irish artists including Richard Mosse, Tony O’Malley, Barrie Cooke, Michael Beirne, Gypsy Ray, Jane O’Malley and Stephen McKenna.

In 2013, Anna was the Commissioner and Curator of the Irish Pavilion at the 55th Venice Biennale with Richard Mosse as the artist representing Ireland. She has been a visiting lecturer at various third level institutions and served on many artist review panels including the Arts Council of Ireland and Culture Ireland. Anna graduated from the National College of Art & Design Dublin and also studied at the Whitney Museum of American Art Independent Study Program, New York and the University of Massachusetts, Amherst. Whilst in New York, she was a member of ArtTable Inc. (organisation dedicated to advancing the leadership of women in the visual arts) and served on benefit committees for non-profit art spaces such as Art in General and the New Museum of Contemporary Art (1995-2005). Anna was a board member of the Kilkenny Arts Festival from 2005 - 2020.

Rebecca Reynolds, Development & Marketing Director Butler Gallery

Rebecca Reynolds, Development & Marketing Director

Rebecca has twenty years’ experience working across the SME, Multinational and Not-for-Profit sectors and is skilled in strategic management, project management, team management, fundraising, marketing, communications and development roles in the arts, heritage and charity sectors.

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Rebecca has worked on projects with Waterford’s Theatre Royal, Kilkenny Arts Festival, The Heritage Council, Visual Carlow, National Opera House, and from 2014 – 2019 prior to joining Butler Gallery, was a Senior Manager with Focus Ireland, Ireland's leading Homeless Charity. Rebecca has strong CSR and Corporate expertise with a MA in Arts & Heritage Management from Waterford Institute of Technology and a Bachelor of Science (B.Sc.) focused on Marketing & Strategic Management from Dublin Institute of Technology and Trinity College.

Rebecca's appointment was made possible thanks to the Arts Council RAISE initiative, which supports Arts Council funded organisations to grow and develop by building capacity to generate significant new private philanthropic investment.

Ann Chumbley, Collection Registrar Butler Gallery

Ann Chumbley, Collection Registrar

Ann is an experienced Registrar within the museums and galleries sector, with a wide-ranging knowledge of collections management, loans, exhibitions and their installation, documentation standards and systems, conservation standards and collections care. Ann has managed high-level loans and touring exhibitions both within the UK, the USA and Middle-East.

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She has worked for a broad range of national and large regional galleries and museums in the UK, including Tate, Sheffield Museums and the Ashmolean. Before joining the Butler Gallery she was Interim Registrar for the Crawford Art Gallery in Cork where she was involved with on acquisitions to the collection, conservation standards, exhibitions, decant planning and storage. With a longstanding commitment to delivering the widest possible access to collections and associated information, she has managed and undertaken many collections-based display, documentation, digitisation and storage projects.

Jean Mann, Learning and Public Engagement Curator Butler Gallery

Jean Mann, Learning and Public Engagement Curator

Jean informs content and practice across Learning and Public Engagement and contributes to L&PE curatorial strategy and participative approaches at Butler Gallery. With over 15 years' experience in teaching, gallery and museum education, Jean has particular interest in creating platforms for artists to share contemporary art practice with new audiences from the youth and community sectors.

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Prior to working at Butler Gallery, Jean was Education Curator of Creative Generations Arts-in-Education Programme at TBG+S, which brought high-quality visual arts education to children in Dublin inner city schools, creating projects, opportunities and platforms for artists to work collaboratively with children to create an ambitious new artwork for their school.

Previous roles include, Art Education Consultant, Black Church Print Studio (2021- 2022); Creative Generations Arts-in-Education Programme Curator, Temple Bar Gallery and Studios (2013-2015 and 2017-2020); Interim Learning and Public Engagement Curator, Butler Gallery (2019); Art Avenues Community Education Programme Curator, Mason Hayes and Curran in conjunction with Royal Hibernian Academy, (2016-2018) Assistant Education Curator, TBG+S, (2012).

Jean holds a Postgraduate Diploma in Art and Design Education and Bachelor of Arts in Fine Art Sculpture from National College of Art and Design, Dublin.

Gaby Kavanagh, Marketing and Administration Executive Butler Gallery

Gaby Kavanagh, Marketing and Administration Executive

Gabriella has five years’ experience in marketing, working in international real estate and high-end retail, developing successful marketing strategies, creating engaging content, improving SEO and advertising on digital platforms and traditional marketing mediums.

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Gabriella has a MSc in Digital Marketing from UCD Michael Smurfit Graduate Business School and a BSc in Applied Psychology from Dún Laoghaire Institute of Art, Design and Technology.

Shane Gallagher Visitor Experience Manager

Shane Gallagher, Visitor Experience Manager

Shane is the Visitor Experience Manager of Butler Gallery. He leads the Visitor Experience team and co-ordinates the gallery volunteer programme. The Visitor Experience team ensures a friendly, informative and excellent experience is received by each visitor of the gallery.

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Shane has over fifteen years in client services and over five years experience working within contemporary art spaces such as Temple Bar Gallery and Studios and The Complex Dublin. He holds a First Class BA (Hons) in Business with Dun laoghaire Institute of Art, Design and Technology and a Postgraduate Diploma in Digital Marketing, National College of Ireland.

Frank Brennan, Head Technician Butler Gallery

Frank Brennan, Head Technician

Frank Brennan is the Head Technician & Facilities Manager of the Butler Gallery. Previous to working with the Butler Gallery, Frank has 12 years’ experience leading the planning and implementation process for the production of temporary exhibitions, collection exhibitions and cultural projects. As Production Manager he had key input into the delivery of exhibition programming working with Festival/Gallery Directors, Curators and Head of Operations.

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Frank advises on planning and delivery methods of production and coordinates the construction/installation/deinstallation activities to deliver exhibitions on time and within budget. He is experienced in establishing project controls to monitor progress, budget and risks assessment and, in the management of logistics of movement of works.

Frank has a 1st class BA (Hons) Photography from IADT and 10 years’ experience working in Engineering as Senior Engineering Technician. Frank also works as a Tutor in Photography/Art on QQI level 5 and 6 programmes and Adult Education programmes within the ETB Further Education colleges.

Visitor Experience Team:

Paula Lynch: [email protected]
Katie Byrne: [email protected]
Stephanie Harvey: [email protected]

More to Explore

The O’Malley Collection

The O’Malley Collection includes work from Tony O’Malley (1913 – 2003) and Jane O’Malley (1944 - 2023).

Heritage & Archaeology

Several archaeological digs were carried out from 2010 onwards as part of the Evans' Home refurbishment.

Monastic Site

The site of Butler Gallery has a long and diverse history spanning over 800 years.

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Clock Icon Opening Hours

Monday: closed (except Bank Holidays when Sunday hours apply)
Tuesday-Saturday: 10.00–17.00
Thursdays: Late Night 10.00–20.00
Sunday: 11.00–17.00
Last admission is 30 mins before closing times