Artist in Residence selected
Following last month's open call, we're delighted to share that the panel has selected the recipient of the LGBTQ+ visual arts residency, run in partnership with Ballina Fringe Festival and funded by the Department of Children, Disability and Equality. The chosen proposal was praised by the panel for its engagement methodology and its fit with a rural West of Ireland setting. The artist and the BFF/NCF team are now in early planning conversations, with the residency itself due to take place in Ballina this autumn alongside the Fringe Festival programme. We'll share more about the artist and the work over the coming weeks. Big thanks to everyone who submitted — the panel had a difficult job choosing between a really strong field of applications.
Have your voice heard: Mayo PPN Linkage Groups
Following on from our April submission to the Seanad Public Consultation Committee on Culture and Arts Infrastructure, we want to point readers toward a related opportunity closer to home. Mayo PPN has opened a series of Linkage Groups, giving community organisations and members a direct route into council-level policy work. The groups cover areas including Planning & Corporate Development and Housing — both of which connect to the questions we raised in our submission around meanwhile use of vacant buildings and the activation of underused space for cultural purposes. The first Planning & Corporate Development meeting took place on the 4th of June, and the Housing group meets shortly. If you'd like to feed into how Mayo County Council approaches these issues, joining a Linkage Group is one of the most direct ways to do it. Sign-up and meeting details: https://mayoppn.ie/linkage-groups/
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