'Creative Places Athy' Announce Arts Residency And Commission Award

Tuesday, 11 July 2023 15:19

By Caoimhe Harney

The artists will work with the communities in Athy West Urban, over a period of 10 months.

Following a national open call, Kildare artists Mark Durkan and Mary Jo Gilligan have been awarded the Woodstock Artist in Residence opportunity, to work with the communities in Athy West Urban, over a period of 10 months.

The artists aim to produce a body of work ‘that responds to the people and place and create a vision for the future of the area.’

The Artist in Residence opportunity is part-funded by Slaintécare Healthy Communities and Kildare County Leader Partnership’s Empowering Communities Programme.

Elsewhere, visual artist, Ciara Chapman, a native of Carlow, will work with Athy Access Group in collaboration with KARE, Athy Irish Wheelchair Association and other stakeholders to create work to engage people around the barriers and impediments facing people with disabilities.

The project will be presented on International Day of Persons with Disabilities, 3rd December 2023. This opportunity is part funded by County Kildare Access Network CKAN.

Creative Places Athy, led by Kildare County Council, now in its second year, continues to develop and support work to strengthen the existing arts & cultural sector in Athy.

Through socially engaged art projects that are rooted in community development principles, the programme is expanding to explore local, traditional, and contemporary arts practice opportunities.

The programme is delivered with support from the Arts Council and through Local Property Tax, provided by the Athy Municipal District.

Cathaoirleach of Athy Municipal District, Councillor Brian Dooley explained that “the benefits of the arts across all sectors in our society are of huge importance and have the potential to be transformative to an area.”