‘Open Season’ was made in 1997 and was first shown in ‘Once is Too Much…’, an exhibition of work dealing with the subject of violence against women. The exhibition was made by women from the Family Resource Centre Inchicore, working in collaboration with artists Joe Lee, Rhona Henderson, Rochelle Rubenstien and Ailbhe Murphy, and with the Education and Community department of IMMA.

In this installation the viewer confronts the stark reality of events that are all too frequently reported in the media. The piece traces the patterns of violent abuse in the lives of women and juxtaposes this with the objective, measured tones of a newsreader. The video footage and editing were created by the women working with Joe Lee and the music was written and performed by Derek Cronin. The women had previously worked with the Museum’s Education and Community department to make a body of artwork called ‘Unspoken Truths’, which was shown at IMMA in 1993.

‘Open Season’ is the first piece of work made by a community group to have been purchased by the Museum.