Imelda May Collaboration
The National Print Museum is delighted to announce the release of a new print collaboration with singer-songwriter and poet, Imelda May – Beneath the Silken Sun, For Susan and Elizabeth Yeats.
May’s new Sky Arts documentary Lily & Lolly: The Forgotten Yeats Sisters aired on this same day. This documentary tells the story of two remarkable women, Susan (Lily) and Elizabeth (Lolly) Yeats, who were two significant figures of the Irish and international Arts and Crafts Movement of the early twentieth century. In this one-hour documentary, produced by an all-female team and directed by Maggie Breathnach of Red Shoe Productions, May sets out to explore their humble legacy.
The National Print Museum has been celebrating the achievements of the Yeats sisters for some time and were approached in the making of the documentary where the Museum’s Education Officer and letterpress printer, Mary Plunkett presents the traditional print processes used by Elizabeth Yeats throughout the books and broadsides of Dun Emer and Cuala Press.
Beneath the Silken Sun, For Susan and Elizabeth Yeats is a poem written by May. Handset and printed letterpress at the Museum by Plunkett on a handmade paper, the printed poem is now available in a limited edition of 50. Each print is numbered and signed by May. All proceeds raised will be reinvested in the preservation and celebration of the craft at the Museum (registered charity).
This is a unique opportunity to acquire new work by Imelda May produced in the traditional manner of the Yeats sisters.