Westmeath Arts Office Brinsley McNamara Artist Bursary Awards 2024

Introduction

The 2024 Westmeath Arts Office Bursary Award commemorates the work of Brinsley McNamara and celebrates the centenary of the 1924 Paris Olympics. 100 years ago, McNamara’s work was included as part of the literature event in the Olympic art competition.

The Brinsley McNamara Bursary Awards are designed to help artists of all disciplines to develop their artistic practice. To help develop the arts sector in County Westmeath, applications from emerging artists will be prioritised.

About Brinsley MacNamara

Brinsley MacNamara was born as John Weldon as one of seven children of James Weldon, Delvin schoolmaster. He was an Irish playwright and novelist working for the Abbey Theatre from 1909, where he adopted his stage name. MacNamara is most famous for his first printed novel, Valley of the Squinting Windows, published in 1918. It caused a furore due to its depiction of the mean-minded inhabitants of his native village. He continued to write for many years after the publication of this controversial novel. He occasionally also used the pseudonym Oliver Blythe.

Purpose

Bursaries are valued at €2,000 and are intended to support the practice of artists living and working in Westmeath. Bursaries can be used towards professional development, to ‘buy’ creative time, or to support the development of new work.

The emphasis of the award is on facilitating time for your creative work. Therefore, the amount you request can include the amount you will pay yourself for the time you will spend developing your practice as a writer.

Development of new work: Artists can apply for costs relating to the research, development, or production of new work for exhibition, publication or presentation.

Professional Development: Artists can apply for costs relating to the development of knowledge, skills, or expertise. This can include research, residencies, or short-term courses (including on-line courses). The extent to which these activities are relevant to ongoing and planned work should be clear from your application.

Who Can Apply

The bursary is aimed at emerging artists of all disciplines with a proven track record who are committed to developing their practice. Applicants should be working, or planning to work, on a specific project, and have a clear idea of how they might use the bursary to achieve this.

We are committed the promotion of equality of opportunity, regardless of gender, sexual orientation, civil or family status, religion, age, disability, race, socioeconomic status or membership of the Traveller Community. We welcome applications that are representative of the diversity of Irish society.

Eligibility

• Applicant must be resident in Westmeath.
• Applications must be submitted before the deadline of Friday 15 November; late applications will not be considered.
• Proposed activities must be artistic in nature.
• Applicants must not be in third-level education.

Assessment Criteria

1. Quality of existing work and Bursary proposal idea (40%)

2. Relevance and Timeliness of proposal to the development of your practice (30%)

3. Feasibility (30%)

How to Apply

Artists can apply via our online submission form by Friday 15 November at 5pm.

You will be asked to provide the following:

1. An introduction to your practice and a brief proposal outline (criteria 1)
2. Up to 3 examples of previous work. (criteria 1)
3. C.V. (criteria 2)
4. Written outline detailing the reason you wish to pursue this line of action at this time and the impact you hope it will have. (criteria 2)
5. Work plan and clear budget – detail any artist fees in accordance with professional practice. (criteria 3)

Timeline

1. Applications open Friday 25 October 2024
2. Deadline to apply is Friday 15 November at 5pm
3. Applicants will be contacted within one week of the judging panel.

Review

All activities supported through the bursary award must be carried out by the end of 2025. The Arts Office will be carrying out a review in late 2025 to evaluate the impact of the Bursary Awards. All artists awarded bursaries in 2024 will be expected to report on the outcome of the bursary on their practice.

Access for Artists with Disabilities

We do our best to accommodate individuals with disabilities who want to submit an application or who have difficulties in accessing our online application form. We will tailor support to individual requests. For help submitting your application, please contact laura.mccormack@westmeathcoco.ie

Freedom of Information

The provisions of the Freedom of Information Act 1997-2003 apply to Westmeath County Council. Applicants should state if any of the information supplied by them is confidential or sensitive and should not be disclosed to a request for information under the aforementioned Act. Applicants should state why they consider the information to be confidential or commercially sensitive.

Further information is available from:

Laura McCormack, Westmeath Arts Office laura.mccormack@westmeathcoco.ie