[ art@work ]

artists’ residency programme

As part of art@work, artists from any arts discipline, spend three weeks in a company or service in County Roscommon making work motivated by the environment, staff and working practices of the company Since its inception in 2001, the art@work programme has continued as a unique outlet for contemporary art to be integrated into society – introducing not only art, but also artists, and the processes of making art, to new audiences.

Artists are not necessarily expected to make work collaberatively; rather the artist is simply making work for a period of time in a different place of work than usual. Quite naturally however, the work is clearly influenced by the artists’ adopted environment, relating strongly to that particular situation thus providing a greater interest and involvement in the work from staff.

To the artist art@work offers the opportunity to explore different methods of working and to produce work in a unique context that allows for greater participation in the creation of the work. To staff at the company, art@work stimulates a pride and recognition of the value and nature of both the artists work and the work of the company. To the company the programme offers a valuable and unique advertising platform in both a local and national context as well as being an innovative project which reflects well on the company from many perspectives.

Last Year Create collaborated with Roscommon County Council Arts Office to produce a publication which further investigated the experiences of those involved, providing a rich insight to the motivations, processes and outcomes of each of the residencies. Sarah Tuck, Director of Create said that “the art@work programme provocatively re-inscribes arts practice as work, whilst simultaneously acknowledging the creativity of work itself. In situating the artist in work contexts, both the artists and the staff have an occasion to reappraise what it is that they do as part of the daily routine and ritual of working life.”

How the programme works –

Initially companies and artists are separately asked to express their interest in becoming involved in the programme. From this a one day group site visit is arranged where artists together visit each of the participating companies. From this the artist can prepare a proposal as to how they would approach the residency at their chosen company or companies.

How to get involved –

If you are interested in participating in art@work, simply email artsoffice@roscommoncoco.ie or call 090 66 37285 to register your interest before Friday 26^th March, after which a day of site visits will be arranged to participating companies. A full list of participating companies will not be available until April but previous participants are listed below.

The Proposal –

The proposal is not a definite “in stone” document but rather an indication of how the artist would complete the residency if their course did not alter during it. This is essentially an indication of the artist’s methodology and their understanding of the company. We would expect that the residency itself would dictate how the work would progress and that it would, in the end, substantially differ from the original proposal, but in order to decide who participates and how appropriate or feasible an artist’s residency is likely to be, we assess proposals only on the information and CV submitted. An artist can submit as many proposals as they like for as many companies as they like.

Schedule –

Registration            Before Friday 26^th March

Site Visits              Mid April

Proposals               Mid May

Residency              June – September

Publication             October

Fees –

Residency                          €500 per week

Materials/ Travel Subsidy     €500

Accommodation Subsidy     €500

Further Information –

www.roscommonarts.com or 090 66 37285

2009 participants’ comments –

“Significantly for me, the more I spoke with the archaeologists the more I began to re-examine and re-invent my own process of selection and interpretation” – Martina Cleary, resident artist at Cruachan Ai Heritage Centre

“I found the process hugely rewarding as it reconnected me with the buzz of making art. It might sound strange but it was a revelation of sorts as I had spent much time lately working on the conceptual and business side of art making and had not had that buzz for quite a while.” – Veronica Forsgren, resident artist at Feelystone.

“I found myself developing a more methodical way of working…the library’s archival system of gathering, recording and storing information influenced my practice here and will likely continue into future projects” – Sinead Conlon, resident artist at Roscommon County Library.

“art@work is a pioneering programme in touch with current trends in cultural production” – Elaine Reynolds and Amy King at Molloy’s Bakery.

“It inspired me to convert old offices into artists’ accommodation and work studio” – Finbarr Feely, Feelystone.

“Martina’s work captures a depth of meaning and an essence of emotion that standard archaeological recording cannot” – Dr. Niall Brady, the Discovery Programme.

“The artist’s work tells a story and this reflects on issues and techniques in the bakery. This in turn gets us thinking about what we do and how we do it” – Declan Molloy, Molloy’s Bakery

Previous residencies –

2002  Dympna Molloy, Arigna Fuels                       2006  Angie Duignan, Molloy’s Bakery

2002  Noel Molloy, AnsaMed                                    2006  Michael Fortune, Roscommon Champion

2002  Margo McNulty, System Label                      2006  Dennis Collins, Ros FM

2002  Anne Rigney Lally, System Label                2006  Pamela Wells, Roscommon Fire Service

2002  Dahlia Vitez, AnsaMed                                   2006  Garreth Kennedy, FDK Engineering

2002  Sue Hill, Arigna Fuels                                    2006  John Daly, Roscommon Herald

2003  Maria Casey, System Label                          2007  Orla Galligan, Feelystone

2003  Margo McNulty, Roscommon Herald          2007  Catherine Cronogue, System Label

2003  Klaus Vormehr, Arigna Fuels                       2007  Jennie Moran, FDK Engineering

2003  Honor Fitzgerald, System Label                   2007  Joanne Beirne & Ciarda Tobin, Abbey Hotel

2003  Billy Moore, FDK Engineering                       2008  Rebecca Walter, Gleeson’s Townhouse

2003  Paul Nulty, Roscommon Herald                  2008  Michelle Browne, Molloy’s Bakery

2004  Clive Bright, FDK Engineering                      2008  Carl Giffney, Arigna Fuels

2004  Tim Elford, System Label                              2008  David McCarthy, Feelystone

2004  Treasa O’Brien, Molloy’s Bakery                   2008  Cathal Roche, FDK Engineering

2004  Maria Casey, Roscommon Herald              2009  Chris Banahan, Nurtures Best

2005  Noel Molloy, Mote Park                                   2009  Martina Cleary, Cruachan Ai Visitors Centre

2005  Lynn Kirkham, Villigar Cigars                       2009  Sinead Conlon, Roscommon County Library

2005  Paul Finch, FDK Engineering                       2009  Veronica Forsgren, Feelystone

2005  Heather Fleming, Arigna Fuels                    2009  Cathal Roche, Carrick Cineplex

2005  Tracy Walsh, Garda Siochana                      2009  Elaine Reynolds & Amy King, Molloy’s Bakery

2009  Ruth Lyons, Lough Key Forest Park

Philip Delamere

County Arts Officer

Roscommon County Council, The Courthouse, Roscommon, Ireland

T +353 9066 37285 | F +353 9066 34443 | E mailto:artsoffice@roscommoncoco.ie | W http://www.roscommonarts.com