Open Call | Bolay Artist Residency at the Linenhall Arts Centre, Mayo

It’s not unusual for artists to occasionally feel disconnected. Feeling disconnected from your practice or your career can happen for a myriad of reasons – health, financial, family or caring responsibilities; or a creative block. You might take time away from the studio, it may happen by choice or it may be because of something completely out of your control, like a pandemic. When you get back to making work, you may know where you want to go but the terrain feels different. The Bolay Artist Residency aims to offer one such artist excellent support as well as the time and space to develop their work and reconnect with their practice.

The two month Bolay Artist Residency at the Linenhall Arts Centre (Castlebar, Co. Mayo) will enable the selected artist to expand their practice in a supportive environment and dedicate eight weeks to creating new work, or further developing an existing project. During the residency, the Linenhall Arts Centre will provide facilities and resources for productive experimentation, dialogue, and collaboration.

Bolay Artist Residency 2021 will take place from 26th October to 17th December and includes a studio, accommodation, tailored mentorship, an Artist Fee of €8,000, materials budget of €2,000 and an exhibition opportunity in 2022.

The Linenhall Arts Centre hosted the inaugural Bolay Artist Residency in 2020, in honour of visual artist Veronica Bolay who sat on the Board of Directors for a period spanning 13 years. She is remembered for her contribution to the artistic community in Mayo and for her kind and generous nature amongst her peers. The focus of the annual Bolay Artist Residency will be to open our community to an artist who feels they will benefit from a supportive environment and dedicated studio time at a pivotal stage of their career.

The Bolay Artist Residency 2021 is kindly supported by the Arts Council.

Offered by the Bolay Artist Residency 2021:

• Artists’ Studio
  The artist will have access to a large solo artist studio 4.6m wide x 5.2m deep x 4.2m high with private bathroom facilities. There is also a private outdoor space and access to the Linenhall Coffee Shop.
• Accommodation
  Private house at nearby picturesque, 4-star, Lough Lannagh Holiday Homes. Self catering accommodation, with private garden and is 20 minutes walk from the Linenhall Arts Centre. Heating and electricity, wifi, parking, bed linen and towels all included. Partners and children are welcome.
• Artist Fee
  Residency fee totaling €8,000 (€200 per day) will be provided to the artist. This fee is inclusive of stipend, travel or related expenses.
• Materials Budget
  A €2,000 budget is available to cover materials or equipment needed for the duration of the residency.
• Digital Hub
  The artist will have full access and support as needed to use our newly developed Digital Hub for artists. This includes 13‑inch MacBook Pro, HD Editing Adobe Suite , Blackmagic Design Pocket Cinema Camera 6K, Film scanner, Scanner, Video Camera, ViewSonic Projector, Digital Accessories (as required). Please note that some of these items may be slightly varied from the list presented by the time of the residency.
• Exhibition April to May 2022
  The artist will be invited to develop a solo/group exhibition or project at Linenhall Arts Centre or in the local community as part of the Visual Art Programme 2022. Artist fee (€500), installation budget and technical support will be provided along with curatorial support from the Linenhall Director.
• Mentor / Curator Support
  Scheduled support sessions with an expert for feedback, professional development or curator visits. The mentor, format and focus of these sessions will be tailored to the needs of the resident artist.
• VAI Help Desk Support
  Scheduled one on one support with VAI for guidance, advice and general information on opportunities, strategic planning, applications, artists’ statements, websites, tax etc.

Application Details

Artists interested in applying must complete the online application form HERE.

You will be asked to create a basic account with your email address and password of your choice. This will allow us to verify your email address and keep you updated of progress. You will also be able to save drafts of your application form and return to it as often as you like before the deadline.

The application form asks for details on why you feel this particular residency would benefit you and what studio work and research you plan to do while on residency.

The application form will ask you to upload:

• Up to 7 examples of your work. Images or links to video, with short descriptions as necessary.
• Artist C.V.
• Your artist statement (optional)

Please upload the information in one PDF document (video files or links can be uploaded separately).

Important Dates

• Deadline for applications: Friday 24 September, 5pm
• Selected artist announced: Friday 1 October
• Dates of residency: 26 October – 17 December 2021
• Exhibition dates: 22 April – 28 May 2022

Queries

The administration of the application and selection process will be managed by Visual Artists Ireland. Please feel free to contact Shelly McDonnell (Advocacy & Advice, VAI) if you require any assistance with the application form or if you have any questions.

Contact: shelly@visualartists.ie or 01 672 9488.

For more information see: Bolay-Residency-Brief-2021.pdf