Thursday 29th January 2026 | 11am–1pm | Online

The North West is home to some of the island’s most dynamic visual arts organisations—spaces that champion experimentation, nurture emerging talent, and cultivate strong artist-led communities.

Join us for a special Connected Horizons online event spotlighting five key organisations shaping the cultural landscape across Donegal and Derry:The VOID Art Centre in Derry, An Gaelearaí in Gweedore, CCA Derry~Londonderry, The Model in Sligo and Artlink Fort Dunree.

This showcase offers artists a direct window into the work these organisations do, the values that drive their programmes, and—crucially—how artists can get involved. Whether you are seeking exhibition opportunities, residencies, collaborations, professional development, or simply a stronger connection to the region’s artistic ecosystem, this session provides an invaluable point of entry.

Each organisation will present an overview of their activities, upcoming opportunities, and ways they support artists, followed by an open Q&A.

The second half of the event features a Show & Tell from selected artists working in the North West, offering insight into the diverse practices emerging from the region. This is a chance to hear from peers, make connections, and expand your awareness of contemporary artistic voices rooted in Donegal and Derry.

What to Expect

11:00–12:30 — Organisation Presentations & Q&A Five 15-minute presentations from:

• An Gaelearaí – Úna Campbell
• VOID Art Centre – Mitch Conlon
• The Model – Lorna Kavanagh
• CCA Derry~Londonderry – Catherine Hemelryk
• Artlink Fort Dunree – Martha McCulloch

Followed by 15 minutes of Q&A

12:30–1:15 — Artist Show & Tell & Q&A Three regional artists (selected via open call) share their work in concise 10-minute presentations.

Final 15 minutes Q&A + Wrap-Up

This event is ideal for artists at any stage—emerging, mid-career, or established—who wish to deepen their understanding of opportunities in the North West, strengthen connections across borders, and learn how to plug into the artistic community.

Discover new pathways. Build connections. Be part of the North West creative conversation.

CCA Derry~Londonderry

The Centre for Contemporary Art (CCA) fosters a wide range of artistic, curatorial, and critical practices through five programme streams: research and production, exhibition-making, public programmes, publishing, and residencies. CCA developed out of the Context Gallery in The Playhouse. Since its conception in 1992, the gallery has exhibited emerging artists from Northern Ireland alongside international peers. CCA’s activity builds on the history of the Context Gallery but has a wider mandate, fostering a range of artistic, curatorial, and critical practices, locally, regionally and internationally. CCA opened in the autumn of 2012 in a space designed by Michael Carr Architects. In 2021 CCA was honoured to be one of the Finalists for the Art Fund Museum of the Year 2021, the world’s largest museum prize for CCA’s work supporting artists and audiences over the pandemic.

Catherine Hemelryk

Catherine Hemelryk is a curator and Director of CCA Derry~Londonderry, Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts and member of the British Art Network’s steering group. Catherine is a mentor, guest lecturer, editor, consultant and advisor. Under Catherine’s leadership, CCA was a Finalist for Art Fund Museum of the Year 2021 and during her time working at NN, Northampton, she led the organisation to achieve NPO status from Arts Council England. She was previously Curator at CAC Vilnius as well as working freelance with projects and curatorial residencies spanning Europe including GeoAIR Tbilisi, Sea Foundation Tilburg, Magacin Belgrade, Galerie Antje Wachs Berlin and Wysing Arts Centre, Cambridgeshire.

ArtLink Dunree

Artlink is an artist-led organisation established in 1992 and run by a team of professional artists based at the historic and inspiring Fort Dunree in Inishowen, County Donegal. Our mission is to support the ambitions of local, national and international artists at every stage of their professional journey.

Artlink contributes significantly to the creative development and wellbeing of the local community, helping to build a strong, sustainable cultural landscape and economy in the region. We achieve this through a diverse programme of regional, national and international exchanges and residencies, exhibitions, practical creative workshops, and participatory community events. Set within an area rich in ancient history and breathtaking scenery, Artlink connects and inspires people to develop creative projects that are deeply rooted in place and shaped by our unique rural, coastal environment.

Martha McCulloch

Martha McCulloch studied fine art printmaking and photography at Glasgow School of Art. She went on to become a Lecturer at what was then Sheffield Polytechnic (now Sheffield Hallam University), returning to Scotland to take up the post as the first Director of Street Level Photoworks in Glasgow, the first dedicated photography venue in the West of Scotland. She later went back to The Glasgow School of Art as a Lecturer in Fine Art Photography, moving to Donegal in 2000 to establish Memory Factory Photography along with Harry Kerr. She joined the Management Committee of Artlink in 2002 and has been part of the Artlink Creative Team since 2020

VOID Art Centre

Void Art Centre is an arts organisation and active civic contributor, creating meaningful connections between art & society. In 2024, Void Art Centre commenced a living practice of Social Permaculture, in which our organisational structure is based on models of co-existence and co-creation as well as sustainable use of local resources (both monetary and non-monetary) such as public grants, voluntary commitments, mutual aid, commercial arrangement, and private sponsorship. Void Art Centre’s ambition is to ensure our programmes and the organisation as a whole are sustainable and civic-engaged, entailing more attention and care towards the team, our resources and local environment. Responding to this ambition, Void Art Centre focuses on alternative ways of producing, distributing and presenting art projects. This includes responding to our locality, working within Derry and Northern Ireland to reflect the global changes we are all part of.

Mitch Conlon

Mitch Conlon is an artist and organiser who has worked across the creative sector and visual arts here in the North for over ten years. Having lived in a number of cities across the island Mitch is deeply passionate about living and working in the North of Ireland and specifically artists’ role as active citizens within our society. He has continuously prioritised working collectively, collaborating with others as a rewarding and fulfilling choice that runs contradictorily to the recommended path, that of individualism and competition within our creative sector. Mitch has chosen to work in peripheral locations within DIY structures and self-organised groups such as FRUIT SHOP, PS2, Array Collective, COLLECTED and Catalyst Arts.

The Model

An Gailearaí

An Gailearaí was born in 1999 in Falcarragh, Donegal initially as a group studio space but very quickly, and just as necessity is the mother of invention, it morphed into a contemporary visual art gallery as there was only limited spaces at that time to exhibit in Donegal. By 2001, An Gailearaí had secured funding from Ealaín na Gaeltachta and The Arts Council and Úna Campbell has been its creative director since then. Sadly, we lost our Arts Council funding in the economic crash of 2010/2011 but have been supported by Ealaín na Gaeltachta and Donegal County Council consistently.

An Gailearaí’s primary aim is to promote a contemporary Gaeltacht expression through the visual arts and creative mixed media collaborations. We have delivered an annual exhibition programme since our inception and more lately we are developing a strong community education programme with the recruitment of our recent staff member Anna McLaughlin.

Úna Campbell

Úna graduated as a mature student in FA in 1997 having worked previously in Women’s Centres and Women’s Aid. Upon graduation she promptly moved with her children from the north to Gortahork, Donegal with the notion of painting and raising the gang. The children are all raised but alas directing and curating for 25 years hasn’t allowed for much painting. She will retire shortly and return to her creative practice and writing and An Gailearaí will recruit a new director/curator.

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