Alan Milligan - Sculptor

Alan Milligan is an artist who lives and works in County Fermanagh by the shores of Lough Erne. Alan works predominantly in bronze using lost wax technique, sand casting and reposse work. He is also a Lecturer at South West College Enniskillen. He teaches courses on Sculpture, Drawing, Print Making, Ceramics, Community Arts and most recently also Product Design.  

 

Born in Belfast Alan discovered the tranquility of the Loughs in his early teens and has returned home to Fermanagh ever since.

 

Alan's Studies

• Starting the foundation year in Newry

• Leading to study Sculpture at Bath

• Earning his postgrad in Education in Yorkshire

• Continues to learn at Umha Aois Symposiums and Milfield Foundry Belfast

 

Since his studies Alan has worked in the Visual Arts and in Education in Fermanagh. Most notably as part of Fermanagh District Council's scheme to encourage the arts in rural communties. He was drawn into this role for the chance of working along side the Environmental Artist and Sculptor Holger Lonze. It enabled Alan to have over two years experience of assisting with bronze casting workshops based on bronze age casting techniques, themselves based on experimental archaeology. It gave him a sound understanding of the casting process, a passion for archaic technology and an affinity with material of bronze itself. 

 

Since then Alan has been invited to join the Umha Aois Symposium group which run annual residences around Ireland and Northern Europe, casting and making artifacts and art works using bronze age methods. The group is a tribe of artists and archaeologists deepening their understanding of lost ancient techniques. 

 

 

 "If life is a gesture and I make poetic objects

that may last five thousand years.

My hope is they must reveal their humanity

to humanity given time".

 

Alan Milligan