Call out for Expressions of Interest for the Creative Places Athy Connect & Gather Award
Creative Places Athy is an initiative funded by the Arts Council of Ireland and Kildare County Council. Creative Places Athy aims to support the existing arts & cultural strengths in Athy to support artistic work with individuals, artists/creatives, communities and strengthen existing local contemporary & traditional arts practices.
Creative Places Athy welcomes expressions of interest from local, national or international professional artists/creatives or arts organisations/collectives to respond to the notion of ‘Connect and Gather’, inspired by the ‘Third Space Theory’.
The Connect and Gather Award (€30,000) will support proposals to open up a third space for discussion and collaboration by working with the community of Athy in a participatory, inclusive process that embraces the ‘everyday’.
The selected artist/creatives will be supported by Creative Places Athy to build relationships in the community, in a proposal that prioritises creative collaboration, co-production, learning and knowledge exchange. It is envisaged that the award will support the development of a strong connection between the selected artists/creatives and communities within Athy Municipal District.
This award is open to proposals from professional artists/creatives practicing in any artform. The proposal must be artist/creative led with the lead applicant resident on the island of Ireland. The Creative Places Athy Connect and Gather Award is €30,000
Eligible proposals must commence on or after 1st July 2024.
The Creative Places Athy Connect and Gather Award will support a proposal that:
· Responds to the notion of ‘The Third Space’
· Works with Creative Places Athy and Kildare County Council Arts Service to identify communities that share an inclusive and accessible positive placemaking vision for Athy
· Uses inclusive participatory methodologies in co-creating and delivering collaborative socially engaged project(s),
· Incubates and delivers artistically ambitious durational projects. (Proposals should consider the legacy of the project, particularly that of embedding arts & culture in Athy).
· Produce a body of work that reflects a democratic view of participation embracing the ‘everyday’.
· Facilitates social gatherings to implement and communicate the project’s progression.
About Athy
Athy is a market town at the meeting of the river Barrow and the Grand Canal in south-west County Kildare, with a total population of 11,035 (Census 2022). Classed as a heritage town, the area is demographically diverse and has a rich mixture of arts and culture, sports, recreation and tourism.
Stage 1: Deadline for receipt of Expression of Interest: Tuesday 21st May 2024, 12 pm (noon).
Stage 2: Up to 3 artists/collectives will be invited to prepare a more detailed proposal, budget and timeline (deadline for receipt: 14th June). A budget of €300 will be allocated to invited applicants. Shortlisted applicants will be invited to interview to discuss their detailed proposal week commencing the 24th June.
Application Process/How to apply and Deadlines:
Stage I: Having read the criteria, applicants should submit their expression of interest through our online form. Deadline for receipt of expressions of interest is Tuesday 21st May, 2024, 12pm (noon). Please do not prepare any specific design ideas at this stage as they will not be considered as part of the Stage 1 process.
You are invited to submit an online application with:
1. an expression of interest 600 words outlining,
- your approach to the call out, and how you will address the creative inquiry,
- the community/communities in Athy you are considering.
- the timeline
- a summary of any potential outcomes and legacy
- why this opportunity is relevant to your practice
2. A CV (pdf), outlining relevant experience in collaborative/socially engaged arts practice.
3. Images or examples of recent projects. If you have relevant links to images and videos, please include them within these examples. Max. 10 images (pdf).
For any queries relating to the application process please email Creative Places Athy Coordinator Eilish Langton: elangton@kildarecoco.ie