The Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media, Catherine Martin TD, has announced that her Department’s Decade of Centenaries Markievicz Award bursary scheme for artists will open for online applications for the 2022 Award. This will be via the Arts Council’s website on Monday 10 January 2022 and will close at 5.30pm on Thursday 10 February 2022.
The Minister makes Awards under the scheme each year to up to 10 artists (either individual artists working alone or in collaboration with others) – to a value of €25k per individual or group. The Minister’s department partners with the Arts Council on the administration of the scheme and the Minister will announce the award recipients for 2022 in April. Guidance to Applicants for the Award is available now.
Minister Martin said, “the Markievicz Award continues to both honour Constance de Markievicz – herself an artist – and to provide support for artists from all backgrounds and genres in producing new work that reflects on the role of women in the period covered by the centenary commemorations and beyond. 2022 is the fourth year of this successful scheme and 22 artists across many different genres have benefited from the €450,000 awarded under the scheme to date. I am particularly committed to supporting and sustaining artists, in this meaningful way, during the on-going public health emergency caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.”
From 10 January the scheme will be open via a public call to artists working in all arts genres supported by the Arts Council. Given the importance of the Irish language revival movement during the revolutionary period, and the department’s ongoing and particular responsibilities to support the Irish language and the Gaeltacht, one of the awards will be assigned to an artist working in the Gaeltacht and through the medium of the Irish language, subject to them achieving awardable standard. Applications from individuals or groups within culturally diverse communities and from people with disabilities are also encouraged under the scheme.
Minister Martin added, “it is important that the role of women for the remainder of the Decade of Centenaries continues to be highlighted and my department launched Mná100 earlier this year in support of this high priority objective. Mná100 is engaging with the Markievicz Award recipients and their work as part of an exploration of the diverse and vital role played by women in Ireland 100 years ago and over the course of the intervening century.”
“A recent episode of the Mná100 podcast series examined the lesser known aspects of the life of Constance de Markievicz, as an artist, actress, playwright, poet, and lyrist. Her artistic talents provided a backdrop to a conversation with three of Ireland’s contemporary female artists, whose practice exemplifies those disciplines today. They reflect on Markievicz as a ‘Touchstone’ between our past and present. I would urge people to listen to this piece of work and hear the inspiring stories of three previous recipients of the Markievicz Award which may provide artists with some inspiration and confidence to apply for the 2022 Scheme”.
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