Fingal County Council and Ardgillan Castle Ltd. announce Studio Award 2024-2025
Fingal County Council, in partnership with Ardgillan Castle, is pleased to announce the return of the Studio Award, offering a funded studio space for professional artists for a one-year period starting 1st October 2024.
This significant award includes full coverage of studio rental, utilities, and administration costs, offering artists an invaluable opportunity to develop their practice in supportive environment.
In addition, this year’s award also includes a €5,000 bursary, which commissions the artist to create work for a solo exhibition or to produce a publication or event to mark the culmination of the residency.
County Arts Officer, Sarah O’Neill said, “This year in addition to the studio award, Fingal County Council are proud to include a bursary which will support the studio award. This crucial funding will enable professional Fingal artists to research, develop new work and expand their practice.”
Open to professional individual artists, small collectives, or groups of artists at any stage of their career and working in any artform, applicants must have been born or currently reside in the Fingal administrative area to be eligible to apply.
Thomas Brezing, recipient of the inaugural award in 2023, reflected on his experience “I found this studio very conducive to my art making and writing and had an interesting and exceptionally productive time here, engaging in a large new body of work. An all-round wonderful experience. I am very grateful to Fingal Arts Office and the Ardgillan management for giving me this incredible opportunity.”
Ardgillan Castle Ltd. and Fingal County Council currently support 15 studio spaces for artists and designers with a diverse range of practices, an initiative began in 2020. Ardgillan Castle opened Ardgillan Gallery in March 2023, providing a contemporary artistic space in Fingal. The gallery hosts exhibitions, artist talks, workshops and events. Additionally, the Castle offers a year-round programme of theatrical and musical productions.
Artists wishing to apply should visit Ardgillan Castle’s website for more details: www.ardgillancastle.ie or see the link.
The closing date for applications is Friday 16th August 2024 at 5pm. Any questions or requests for further information can be forwarded to [email protected]
Additional Information
Thomas Brezing
Thomas Brezing is a multi-disciplinary artist. He was born in Germany in 1969, moved to Ireland in the early 1990’s and is based in Co. Dublin. Previous solo exhibitions include This Dark Storehouse, Ardgillan Castle Gallery (2023), The Loneliness of being German, at Limerick City Gallery (2021, with Vera Klute), Perhaps our Awakening is our Deeper Dream at the Golden Thread Gallery Belfast (2020), Anvil Dust at the Molesworth Gallery Dublin, 2018, Father, Lapua Art Museum, Finland, Linenhall Arts Centre, Mayo (2015) Highlanes Municipal Gallery Drogheda (2011), The Lab, Dublin (2007) and the Ashford Gallery, RHA, Dublin (2005). Group shows include 7.42 at Lapua Art Museum, Finland and Cable Factory, Helsinki (2012/13) & Altered Images at the Crawford Art Gallery Cork and Irish Museum Of Modern Art, Dublin 2010/11.Brezing has been on residencies at the Heinrich Boll Cottage, Co.Mayo (2018), Creative Spark, Dundalk (2017), Boathouse Studios Loughshinny (2015 & 2017), Lapua Arts Museum Finland and the Tyrone Guthrie Centre in Monaghan. He has been the recipient of an Arts Council Professional Development Award, Arts Council Visual Bursary Award and Fingal Artists Support Scheme Awards. His work is included in the collections of the National Portrait Collection Ireland, Permanent Collection Limerick City Gallery of Art, Fingal County Council Collection, Lapua Art Museum Collection Finland, Highlanes Municipal Collection, Mayo County Council, Contemporary Irish Art Society, Boyle Civic Collection and the Office of Public Works. In 2023 he was selected for the Irish Writer’s National Mentoring Programme and won the Fingal Ardgillan Castle Studio Award. His debut poetry collection Anvil Dust was published by Scotus Press in April 2022 for which he received the John Richardson French Residency Award, and his second collection Scaffold will be published in 2024. He won the Strokestown International Poetry Competition in 2024.
Image Credit: Brian Connolly, Bang Bang Visual
Ardgillan Castle
Ardgillan Castle, a grand country house located in Balbriggan, North County Dublin, was built in 1738 by Robert Taylor, with its west and east wings added in the late 1800s. The house, consisting of two storeys over a basement extending under the southern lawns, has been restored with the ground floor rooms and kitchens open to visitors for guided tours. The expansive 200-acre grounds also feature a rose garden, walled garden, and seasonal gardens.
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