Vivienne Byrne and Oisín McGann to receive €8,000 each from Platform 31 Artist Bursary Scheme
Two Drogheda artists have been awarded bursaries under the new nationwide artist development scheme Platform 31 which is organised by the 31 Local Authority Arts Offices, in collaboration with the Arts Council to develop their practice and to test new ideas of collaboration, research, audience development and sharing their work.
Oisín McGann has been announced as the Meath recipient and Vivienne Byrne has won the accolade in County Louth.
Vivienne Byrne is a visual artist living and working in Drogheda, she mixes traditional art forms with video and mixed-media installation. Her interest lies in exploring methods of reflection, the transitory experience and capturing time.
As a Board Member of the Droichead Arts Centre, Drogheda and founding member of the Borrowed Ground Studios Collective and Print Point Studio, Vivienne is committed to supporting the value of arts practice and artists to their communities.
Oisín McGann works in illustration, design and film animation and has written and illustrated numerous books for all ages including the Mad Grandad series, The Forbidden Files series, and eleven novels, including The Gods And Their Machines, Small-Minded Giants, and his steampunk trilogy, The Wildenstern Saga.
Oisín said: “I’m grateful for this opportunity to explore a range of subjects that I’ve been interested in over these past few years, with the aim of combining them into a historical thriller for children, covering some neglected aspects of Irish history.”
Developed by the Association of Local Authority Arts Officers (ALAAO), in collaboration with the Arts Council, PLATFORM 31 offers financial and developmental support for the 31 mid-career artists awarded.
Participating artists will receive an €8,000 bursary to invest in themselves and their practice, combined with participation in an advisory and developmental framework and a peer network.
The pilot scheme is envisioned as a platform for the participants to value their time, to showcase their work and their collaborations, sharing their learnings locally and nationally as a legacy of the project.
For over 35 years Local Authority Arts Offices have worked directly with artists to ensure the arts thrive in all communities. Working in a grass roots and foundational way has allowed Arts Officers to identify and to respond to the needs of artists, keeping the arts and cultural agenda focussed and
The carefully considered support network built into Platform 31 sets this bursary scheme apart. It will establish a peer networking framework for participating artists, introducing them to a pool of critical thinkers to share their work and learnings, and encouraging a national conversation about creating work in local contexts.
“The Arts Council is delighted to support this thoughtful local authority led programme to support artists around Ireland,” said Sinead O’Reilly, Head of Local, Place and Public Art, The Arts Council.
“Support for artists continues to be much needed at this time and our congratulations to each recipient; I have no doubt the bursary, the network and peer support will be an invaluable experience over the coming months.”
