Date: Tuesday 25 February 2025, 10am to 1pm
Venue: Queen's University, The Great Hall
Category: Arts and culture, Free

Book your place at an event that will explore the intersection of creativity and sustainability in the arts.
The event will interest people who are passionate about visual arts and crafts or working in the arts.
You'll get insights from artists on the business of being an artist and the importance of finance, creative sustainability and achieving commercial success.
Belfast Visual Art Forum will be joined by:
- Derek Wilson and Kevin Killen in conversation with Deirdre Robb (Belfast Exposed)
- Laura Callaghan and Jennifer Trouton in conversation with Sarah McAvera (Golden Thread Gallery)
- Sara O’Neill and Cara Murphy in conversation with Sinéad O’Neill-Nicholl (Creative Exchange and Vault Artist Studios)
Brian Kielt from Visual Artists Ireland (VAI) will explain how VAI supports artists.
To book your place, email [email protected] by Monday 17 February at 12 noon. You should include any accessibility or dietary requirements.
Information on the artists and their work
Derek Wilson
Derek is a studio potter and conceptual artist who produces abstract sculptural forms. He works from his studio in Belfast and regularly lectures and runs workshops. Prior to graduating with a Masters in Fine and Applied Arts from the Belfast School of Art, he trained as a potter with Design and Crafts Council of Ireland. Wilson sustained his own studio practice by producing porcelain tableware while continuing to explore and refine his sculptural work. He exhibits internationally. His work is held in public and private collections.
Kevin Killen
Kevin is an artist whose practice explores the unseen connections and movements that shape our lives. Drawing inspiration from urban landscapes, human movement and personal experiences, Kevin specialises in creating dynamic, light-based sculptures. His work captures the interplay between physical spaces and emotional responses, transforming intangible experiences into tangible art. Kevin’s work has been exhibited internationally. His work offers a unique perspective on how we navigate and connect with the world around us.
Laura Callaghan
Laura is an illustrator living in East Belfast. Her work is largely hand-painted using watercolour and gouache. Part fashion illustration, part satire, she creates images that cultivate a sense of unease and humour. As well as undertaking work for clients such as The Cut, Lazy Oaf and the BBC, she regularly creates and exhibits personal work.
Jennifer Trouton
Jennifer works within the discipline of paint, often incorporating materials such as embroidery and textiles. Her work has been exhibited nationally and internationally and is held in public and private collections. Accolades include the Golden Fleece Award, the Claremorris Open, the RHA Keating-McLaughlin Award and the RUA Drawing and Watercolour Prize. She received the Arts Council of Northern Ireland’s Major Individual Artist Award in 2022 and an Arts Council of Ireland Bursary Award in 2024.
Sara O’Neill
Sara is the artist and designer behind Éadach. Her hand drawn illustrations are based on Ireland’s myths, legends and heritage of strong women inspired by her grandmother’s stories and her native north coast. Printed on silk and Irish linen or painted on leather, she creates richly coloured contemporary prints, crafted into simple but dramatic garments. Since 2022 her work has raised £45,000 for Women’s Aid Federation NI. Éadach has graced the red carpet and winners’ stages of the Oscars, the BAFTAs, the IFTAs and the Emmys. Sara has also created hand-painted pieces for U2. She took part in Hainan Fashion Week, China, in 2024.
Cara Murphy
Cara trained as a silversmith at Glasgow School of Art and the Royal College of Art, London. She runs a silversmithing business in Northern Ireland. She’s a Freeman of the Worshipful Company of Goldsmiths, a QEST scholar, an Associate Academician of the Royal Ulster Academy of Arts, a selected member of Contemporary British Silversmiths and a selected maker with the Design and Crafts Council of Ireland Irish Craft Portfolio. Her work is represented in collections including: The Silver Trust Collection at Downing Street, The Worshipful Company of Goldsmiths, the Arts Council of Northern Ireland, the Ulster Museum, the National Museum of Ireland and the Irish Embassy Collection.