126 Gallery

Board of Directors

Members of the board of directors complete a two-year term at 126 Artist-Run-Gallery. They are professional creatives who give their time for free to keep the exhibition space open, to plan and deliver diverse and exciting programmes year in and year out. Democracy is fundamental to the way the Board of Directors operates. Your current board of directors are:

Jamie Bigley

Co-Director
Jamie Bigley is a graduate of the MA in Drama & Theatre Studies (2018/19) at University of Galway and will complete their PhD in contemporary queer performance and resilience summer 2025. Throughout their time at University of Galway, they have taught across a range of modules, bridging the gap between theatre and a broader performance culture, often with a queer slant. Their experience includes administrative and curational roles with Arts Care (2017-2018), an arts in health and social care organisation based in Belfast. In recent years, they have committed to expanding their knowledge and experience within the arts sector, providing programming support for Galway Theatre Festival (2023-2025) and as acting co-ordinator for the Vista Programme (formerly the Visual Arts Invigilator Programme) as part of the Galway International Arts Festival (2023-2025). Through this, they have built multiple professional relationships with artists and venues, such as Galway Arts Centre, Outset Gallery, and Arts Alive. They continue to build their own creative practices, investigating queer performance methods and their relationship with health and care.

Hannah Daly

Co-Director
Hannah Daly is a recent first-class honours graduate from ATU School of Design and Creative Arts. She lives and works as a Visual Artist in Galway City.

Hannah is primarily focused on painting and photography, with some form of manipulation happening within the making process. She is interested in the exploration of architecture by fracturing and disassembling the built environment and reconstructing its various forms. She is fascinated by optics and chooses to deceive the eye of the viewer by painting with vibrant patterns and colour which compliment and contrast one another.

Hannah’s recent exhibitions include ‘Next Wave’ and ‘OXO 2024’ at Outset Gallery, Galway—the latter earning her one of six artist awards. She has also shown work at 126 Gallery and Studios, participating in their 2025 Members’ Exhibition, ‘Ties that Bind’, as well as ‘Creative Connections’, a collaborative exhibition with Artspace Studios for Culture Night. Notable achievements include receiving the Residency Award with 126 Gallery and Studios and being longlisted for the RDS Visual Art Awards.

Hannah will present her first solo exhibition in August 2025, followed by a group show with fellow BACA Collective members in September 2025. Her work is held in both public and private collections.

Ciara Corscadden Hennessy

Co-Director
Ciara Corscadden Hennessy is a Galway-based visual artist whose work explores collective grief, gender, and care through embodied experience. Her practice examines how art can dismantle patriarchal and colonial structures while also serving as a tool for radical change. Through performance, installation, lens-based media, and immersive audio, she creates work that confronts the intersections of loss, identity, and power. By weaving together themes of shared vulnerability and resilience, Ciara aims to inspire critical reflection and foster new frameworks for healing, care, and transformation.

Amy Kramer

Co-Director
Amy Kramer is a multidisciplinary artist who recently earned an MA in Creative Practice from the Atlantic Technological University. With a background spanning contemporary art and ceramic design, she explores the intersection of nature, science, and artistic expression. Her work has been featured in exhibitions such as Sculpture in Context at the Botanic Gardens in Dublin, K-Fest in Killorglin, Kerry, and most recently, The Tide Rises, The Tide Falls at the Galway Arts Centre. Notable achievements include being longlisted for the Visual Artists Awards and shortlisted for two Future Makers Awards, both as a student and an emerging maker. Inspired by the complexities of microorganisms and natural patterns, Amy's art invites viewers to contemplate the beauty and interconnectedness of the world around us.

Eva O’Byrne

Co-Director
Eva O’Byrne is an artist and researcher based in Galway, with an educational background in psychology (University of Galway) and youth arts (Maynooth University & NYCI). She has a particular interest in how the arts can be used to enhance community health and wellbeing, encourage critical thinking and catalyse culture shifts. Eva currently works with the Active* Consent programme, and leads the Active* Artists project, which uses socially engaged art practice to explore sexual consent and sexual wellbeing with young adults. 

Emily Lohan

Co-Director
Emily Lohan is a visual artist and musician based in Galway. She graduated in 2021 from ATU with a Bachelor's degree in Contemporary Art and now continues her practice as a member of Barton Studios run by 126 Artist-Run Gallery. 
Her current visual work takes the form of paintings and wool based installations that explore the juxtaposition of existential loneliness and a profound connection between all things. She plays guitar and is the vocalist in her band ‘Cinch’ who play original songs varying from spoken word to fast paced punk.

Advisory Board

The advisory board maintains the long-term memory of 126 gallery. As well as advising the Board of Directors on a range of issues, they actively advocate for the gallery to support its work.

Previous Directors

Location 1 – 126 Laurel Park – 2005

Austin Ivers, Ben Geoghegan

Location 2 – Ballybane Beg – 2006

Eileen Healy, Aideen Barry, Megs Morley, Niall Moore, Sharon O’Grady, Norma Collins, Martin Rochford, Aoife Cassidy, Linda Monks, Jojo Hynes, Jim Ricks

Location 3 – Queen St. – 2009

Dave Callan, Alwyn Revill, Ann Maria Heally, Gina Ruane, Grainne McHale, Simon Fleming, Victoria Smith, David Finn, Jeroen van Dooren, Lisa Sweeney, Matthew Doherty, Allison Regan, Siobhan McGibbon, Zulaikha Engelbrecht, Anne O’Byrne, David O’Malley, Noel Arrigan, Tadhg Ó Cuirrín

Location 4 – Flood St. – 2014

Anne Marie Mc Kee, Bernie O’Donnell, Katriona Gillepsie, Ramona Burke, Martina Finn, Cormac O’Neill, Shelly McDonnell, Marie Hannon, Martin Rochford, Helen Caird, Joan Sugrue, Carol Anne Connolly, Adriana Betancourt, Grace Mitchell, Marcel Badia, Eoghain Wynne

Location 5 – St. Bridget’s Pl. – 2016

Lucy Elvis, Johanna Kavanagh, Louise Spokes, Gino Querini, Joanne Couch, Phil Foley, Cliodhna Timoney, Blaithin Hughes, Stephan Roche, Victoria Furey, Connor Robertson, Rita McMahon, Ronan Connor, Emma Zukovic, Meadhbh McNutt, Sarah Keenan, Simon Fennessy Corcoran, Tom McLean, Kaitlynn Webster, Emily O’Brian, Emily O’Flynn, Morgan Madison, Mary McGraw, Méabh Noonan, Liz Curran, Lindsey Merlihan, Sona Smedkova, Naoise Sheridan, Conor Burke, Vanessa Jordan, Kate McSharry

 

 

Interns

In June 2014, 126 launched an internship programme in partnership with ATU’s School of Design and Creative Arts (formerly GMIT’s Centre for Creative Arts & Media). The internship is awarded to those who apply through an open call and runs for six months every year. Those selected have the opportunity to take on tasks and learn new skills, they then have the task of curating an exhibition in the 126 Gallery at the end of the internship.