Longford artists invited to apply for new €5,000 collaboration award

A funding initiative - designed to support professional artists working together across disciplines to create, develop and present new work in Longford - has been announced today by Longford County Council.

A new Artist Collaboration Award - which will close to applications on April 16 - will provide grants of up to €5,000 to collaborative groups of artists. 

The initiative aims to support the development of ambitious new projects for exhibition, performance, publication, and community engagement.

Those interested can avail of an online information clinic which will take place at 5pm on Thursday, March 26 which will provide guidance to prospective applicants. 

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Applications are open to artists from all art forms, with the programme specifically designed to support group projects that might not be fully accommodated through traditional individual bursary schemes. 

The award programme supports two main strands of activity: the development of new collaborative work, including research and experimentation, and the presentation of artistic work, including performances, exhibitions and community engagement initiatives.

Eligible collaborations must involve three professional artists, with at least two artists ordinarily based in Longford. A third collaborator may be based outside the county. 

Projects funded through the scheme must be completed by March 31 next year.

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Applications will be assessed by an independent external expert panel, with proposals evaluated based on artistic quality, the track record of participating artists, the feasibility of the project, and the cultural benefit to Longford.

Longford County Council’s Arts Officer Shane Crossan said artists increasingly work together across disciplines and creative practices and that such an award would provide meaningful support for those collaborations to take shape. 

“From the early stages of research and development through to public presentation, it will help artists realise ambitious ideas while bringing new and engaging artistic experiences to audiences across Longford” he said.

Funded by the local democracy reporting scheme