About the Bolay Residency 2022
The Linenhall Arts Centre is delighted to announce the return of the Bolay Residency in 2022. The Bolay Residency is a supportive, funded residency provided to an artist based in Ireland or Northern Ireland.
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. When you get back to making work, you may know where you want to go but the terrain feels different. The Bolay 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 Bolay 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.
The eight week Bolay Residency 2022 will take place from 24th October to 18th December (one preparation week, plus seven weeks on-site) and includes a studio, accommodation, tailored mentorship, an Artist Fee of €8,000, materials budget of €2,000 and an exhibition opportunity in 2023.
The Linenhall Arts Centre hosted the inaugural Bolay 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 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 Residency 2022 is kindly supported by the Arts Council.
Application Form
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.
Preview of Questions:
- Phone number
- Address
- Website (where relevant)
- Tell us about your artistic practice, your journey and what you feel are your most significant achievements to date. (max 200 words)
- What studio work or activities do you want to focus on during the residency? (max 200 words)
- What research or learning do you want to focus on during the residency? (max 200 words)
- What are the next steps you hope to take in your career and how will this residency help with that? (max 200 words)
- Please give details on the type of mentorship or curatorial support you feel would benefit your career right now (studio visits with particular curators, technical skills, peer learning, career guidance, marketing/administration skills, etc.) (max 200 words)
- What is it about the Bolay Residency that appeals to you? (max 200 words)
- How do you think you will interact with the area, community or local context?
- Please upload:
- Up to 7 examples of your work. Please include images or links to video, with short descriptions as necessary.
- Artists CV
- Your artist statement (optional)
Please upload the information in one PDF document (video files or links can be uploaded separately).
Offered by the Bolay Residency 2022:
Preparation Week
The Bolay Residency is for 8 weeks in total. The first week of the residency will be a prepartation week where the artist will be provided with a fee to research or develop a residency plan from their home from 24th - 31st of October. The artist will then have access to accommodation and full studio facilities from 1st of November - 18th of December.
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. The studio is accessible during the Linenhall Arts Centre opening hours (Tuesday to Saturday).
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
8 week 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 the Linenhall Digital Hub. 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).
Exhibition April to May 2023
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 2023. 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.