News & Opportunities

The Air We Share – Making the Invisible Visible 

The Air We Share is an initiative that engages with the increasingly important issue of air quality and pollution through artistic interventions, citizen science and community action, through bringing together an interdisciplinary consortium of local partners led by Galway City Council with Galway Arts Centre, University of Galway’s Centre for Creative Technology and Centre for Climate and Air Pollution Studies and Physics, Galway Culture Company, Creative Climate Action, and Westside Resource Centre, to develop creative and innovative responses to climate and environmental issues spanning culture, technology and citizen science in collaboration with the community of Westside, Galway.

The aim of The Air We Share Programme is to examine and make visible the causes, impacts, and potential solutions to air pollution and to foster a deeper understanding of air and its critical relevance to our shared environment.

The Air We Share A.I.R. Residency Programme

At the core of The Air We Share is the development of an open call for three significant artist in residence opportunities valued at €38,000 each. These are 9 month residencies (Oct 2024- July 2025)  managed by the creative lead partner Galway Arts Centre and open to artists/collectives of all disciplines – including but not limited to; visual arts, socially-engaged practices, immersive technologies, including augmented reality + virtual reality and film, dance, theatre, music, spoken word, and digital arts. The Air We Share invites artists to propose ambitious, innovative and collaborative projects that will engage with the community of Westside and respond to the scientific research related to the atmosphere, air quality, and climate conducted by citizen scientists and climate scientists in the University of Galway.

For full details on how to apply Download The Air We Share Artist Residency Brief here

For more information and real-time data see The Air We Share website

All inquiries regarding The Air We Share A.I.R. project please contact Brendan Fox at theairweshare@galwayartscentre.ie

APPLICATION DEADLINE: SEPTEMBER 30th 2024.

The Air We Share is a recipient of the Creative Climate Action fund, an initiative from the Creative Ireland Programme. It is funded by the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media in collaboration with the Department of the Environment, Climate and Communications. The fund supports creative, cultural and artistic projects that build awareness around climate change and empower citizens to make meaningful behavioural transformations.

The aim of this bursary award is to provide opportunity and support for artists from or living in Galway City and County to develop their work and practice through support of their time, research, materials, and mentorship/training (if applicable). This round of awards furthers the strategic aims of Galway Arts Centre and Galway Culture Company to support artists to live and work in the Galway region and to develop sustainable creative practices and ambitious careers.

There are eight bursary awards of €5,000 each:

– Two bursaries are for professional artists who wish to develop their practice through a new body of artistic work or research.

– Two bursaries are for emerging artists either from or living in Galway City/County who have graduated or qualified within the last three years.

– Two bursaries are for artists who have lived experience of displacement or intergenerational migration, or are from historically marginalised communities or groups.  (If you are uncertain if you are eligible for this strand, please contact us and we will be happy to help)

– One bursary is for an artist working or developing research in the area of environmental sustainability, art and ecology  or climate change.

– One bursary is for an emerging/independent curator who wishes to develop their practice through the development of an exhibition or through expanded curatorial practice that may span research,writing, editorial work and pedagogical programmes.

In addition, one awardee will be offered a solo exhibition of their work in Galway Arts Centre in 2025.

In your application, please clearly state the bursary strand that you are applying for.

If you would like for your proposal to be considered for the solo exhibition opportunity in Galway Arts Centre, please clearly state this in your application. This is an optional element and will in no way adversely affect your proposal if you do not wish to be considered for the solo exhibition opportunity.

Eligibility Criteria:
To be eligible for these bursaries, you must be an artist either living or from Galway City or County.

Application Process and Requirements:
To apply for an artist bursary, please submit the following materials:
1. Artist Statement: A short statement describing your artistic practice. (maximum 500 words)
2. A selection of your recent work, demonstrating your artistic practice: please include up to eight high-quality digital images, video/sound links, or other relevant documentation with contextual information of medium, scale, duration and description of work (jpeg/ pdf /word doc files only please)
3. CV/Resume: A current CV/resume highlighting your artistic experience, exhibitions, awards, and relevant other experience.
4. A proposal that outlines your ambitions and use of the award and how it will benefit your practice (maximum 1,000 words)
5. A budget that itemises your proposed use of the award, you should provide quotes (where applicable) to support your budget.

Applications must be submitted via email to education@galwayartscentre.ie with the subject line ‘Galway Arts Centre/Galway Culture Company Artists Bursary Award’.

Deadline for Submissions: 5pm Friday, 23 February 2024

Selection Process:
Applications will be reviewed by representatives from Galway Arts Centre, Galway
Culture Company and an independent assessor. The selection will be based on:

– Artistic Quality and Potential (30)
– Ambition and vision of the proposal (30)
– Feasibility of the proposed ideas (20)
– Potential impact of the award on the development of the applicant’s practice (20)

The successful applicants will be notified via email by 4 March 2024.

We look forward to receiving your applications If you have any further questions, please
email education@galwayartscentre.ie

Galway Arts Centre is the sponsor of a city based Community Employment Programme offering placements in Cultural and Community based organisations including Galway Arts Centre, Cuirt International Festival of Literature, The Blue Theatre Performance Academy, Baboró International Arts Festival for Children, An Taibhdhearc, Galway Community Circus, Our Lady’s Boys Club, Shantalla Residents Association, St. Joseph’s Community Centre Shantalla, The Galway Rowing Club and An Meitheal Rothar.

Roles include Receptionists, Administration and Accounts Assistants, Theatre Support personnel, assistant Curators, Caretakers, Maintenance crew, Outdoor Maintenance crew, Social Media and PR assistants, Outreach and Community workers, and Bicycle Mechanic trainees. Both in-house and accredited training is provided for all of the above roles and Galway Arts Centre encourages and assists all participants in sourcing relevant training courses that will improve employment prospects in the Cultural and Community sector. Galway Arts Centre’s CE scheme welcome applicants from diverse ethnic and cultural backgrounds.

All vacancies for the above CE programme are listed on the Jobsireland website and the Galway Arts Centre website as they arise. All applicants must fulfill DSP eligibility for CE, i.e., over 21 years of age and in receipt of unemployment assistance for a minimum of 12 months. If you require further information regarding our Community Employment programme or any of our vacancies, please contact:

Email CE Supervisor Derval Byrne: derval@galwayartscentre.ie