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Wicklow County Arts Office invites applications for 2024 Arts Act Funding schemes

Wicklow County Arts Office invites applications for 2024 Arts Act Funding schemes which are designed to support artists, communities, arts festivals, arts participation and art form development across Wicklow.

Open for applications from Friday, 1st December 2023, these schemes are integral to Wicklow County Council’s broader efforts to encourage excellence in the arts and enhance community involvement in artistic endeavours across the county. The deadline for receipt of applications is Friday, 16th February 2024 at 4 pm.

In 2024, the Wicklow County Arts Office will be accepting applications for the Artist Award Scheme, Artist & Community Collaboration Award Scheme and Arts Festival Award Scheme. Applications are welcome from all art forms including film, music, visual arts, theatre, dance, literature, architecture, animation, performance, circus, traditional arts, music and drama.

The Artist Award Scheme is designed to support professional artists to develop and realise a particular body of work or undertake professional development. Open to artists at all career stages that reside in or are native to County Wicklow, professional artists working in any art form, discipline or genre are eligible to apply.

The Artist & Community Collaboration Award Scheme is designed to support artist and community collaboration in any discipline or genre of the arts to co-create a high-quality project or programme which will support both the artists’ and the community’s creative development.

The Arts Festival Awards Scheme was created to support the production and commissioning of new work for festivals, to enable the engagement of professional artists or ensembles as part of the festival line-ups, to enhance audience development and public engagement or to assist with the development of new strategies or approaches to the delivery of Festivals in County Wicklow.

For the first time, Wicklow County Arts Office is offering a new application support service from Wednesday, 10th January to Friday, 9th February 2024. This service offers artists, communities, and festivals the opportunity to engage in a 30-minute consultation which will enable participants to pose questions and seek advice from a member of the Arts Office team To avail of this opportunity, please email wao@wicklowcoco.ie to schedule a suitable date and time.

Wicklow County Arts Office will also provide two Funding Clinics in early 2024. Leading the first session on Monday, 15th January 2024 is well-known curator and writer on art and architecture Marianne O’Kane Boal. For the past 11 years, Marianne has delivered professional development workshops for Visual Artists Ireland focusing on tendering, creative proposals, work presentations, and public art. This Clinic will focus on the Artist Award scheme and the Artist & Community Collaboration Award scheme.

The second clinic takes place on Thursday, 18th January 2024 and will be facilitated by arts consultant, coach and curator Helen Meany. Helen is an experienced assessor of funding applications for grants and awards for the Arts Council and local authority Arts Offices. This Clinic will focus on the Arts Festival Award scheme.

Cathaoirleach of Wicklow County Council, Cllr Aoife Flynn Kennedy, said she “Welcomes the return of the Arts Act Funding Scheme which enables Wicklow County Council to continue to support Wicklow artists, communities, and festivals to showcase ambition, innovation, and excellence in the Arts.”

Chief Executive of Wicklow County Council, Emer O’Gorman, stated: “The introduction of application support will ensure that these awards will continue to enhance Wicklow artist’s work, support an artist and community collaboration, or strengthen the development of Arts Festivals in County Wicklow.”

All applications must be submitted through Submittable, an online submission management platform. Downloadable guidelines relating to each scheme and further information can be found on wicklow.ie. Questions relating to the application process can be directed to wao@wicklowcoco.ie.

The closing date for applications is Friday, 16th February 2024 at 4 pm.