Kildare County Council Arts Service with MERITS is delighted to announce the new pilot VECTOR Digital Arts Residency.
This opportunity for a digital artist is led by Kildare Arts Service in collaboration with MERITS Innovation Thinkspace. The pilot VECTOR Digital Arts Residency seeks to foster innovation and collaboration in the digital arts sector. Applications are welcome from professional artists from any background, who are engaging critically in the crossover between art and technology and who wish to push the boundaries of their own practice. The residency will support and resource a creative from, or based in, County Kildare to develop their professional practice and/or a new artistic project over a four-month period (January 2025 – April 2025), plus 10 days in Paris in Summer 2025.
The VECTOR Digital Arts Residency will provide a Bursary Award of €5,000; access to desk space at MERITS Innovation Thinkspace, Naas; practical support for development, experimentation and reflection; bespoke mentoring with Jo Mangan, Artistic Director of The Performance Corporation; and a place on the SPACE programme in Paris in summer 2025. Performance Corporation’s SPACE Programme is Ireland’s longest running International multi-disciplinary artists residency. Each year sees a unique residency that brings together Irish and International artists from diverse backgrounds, fostering a dynamic environment for creative growth and innovation.
Kildare Arts Service initiated the new Digital Arts Residency in response to its strategic priorities of Support for Artists and Reimagined Space for Art, and in response to The Arts Council’s Digital Arts Policy 2023 - 2025 which promotes building on existing capacity and resources in the Digital Arts sector.
Speaking about VECTOR, Elaine Donnelly, Arts Officer, Kildare County Council said “We are delighted to collaborate with MERITS Innovation Thinkspace on this innovative residency for a professional artist working in this space. Through this pilot we aim to create professional development opportunities and enhance networks for artists as well as digital and technology organisations based in Kildare”.
The VECTOR Digital Arts Residency was announced at the ALERT Creative Tech Festival held in MERITS, Friday 20th September.
Having made the announcement, Sonya Kavanagh, Chief Executive, Kildare County Council said, “Through MERITS the County Council and Enterprise Ireland are supporting this unique residency programme. I am excited to see what comes out of this unique and innovative interagency partnership.”
Speaking about the residency Lauren O Reilly, Programme Manager, MERITS commented “We have always loved supporting companies who work on the creative side of technology and have seen first hand how impactful the work of these digital artists can be on the other startup companies working in MERITS”
The pilot VECTOR Digital Arts Residency is supported by MERITS and funded by Kildare County Council’s Arts Service with grant aid from The Arts Council of Ireland.
The deadline for applications is 12.00pm (midday), Thursday 31st October 2024.
Full details and the application form can be accessed online here: https://kildarecocoarts.submit.com/show/298
