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Mayo Arts Service in partnership with the Jackie Clarke Collection invite submissions from Artists in response to the Decade of Centenaries commemoration programme.


Date: 01-03-2021

The Decade of Centenaries was initiated in 2012 with a focus on the many significant centenaries occurring over the period 2012–2016.  The Centenaries Programme complements the on-going programme of annual State commemorations with special commemorative events on the centenary of key historical events. The aim of the State centenary commemoration programme for the years from 2021 – 2023 is to ensure that this complex period in our history, including the Struggle for Independence, the Civil War, the Foundation of the State and Partition, is remembered appropriately, proportionately, respectfully and with sensitivity. 

To commemorate the Decade of the Centenaries, Mayo County Council Arts Service invites submissions for a special residency working with the Jackie Clarke Collection’s artefacts relating to the following events of this period in Irish history; Irish War of Independence, Truce, and Civil War. Jackie Clarke (1927 – 2000) was a Ballina businessman and a genius collector of Irish Historical material spanning over 400 years. The collection is available publicly, for the people of Ballina, Mayo and Ireland, at the former provincial bank building, Pearse Street, Ballina. Due to current restrictions, the Jackie Clarke Collection is closed to the public. As such, the team at the Collection will make a video of the relevant artefacts available to artists intending to apply for the opportunity. The video will be available on request from the Jackie Clarke Collection from March 04th.

The aim of this commission is to enable the artist to research and develop new work sensitive to the historical context of the period, in response to the Decade of Centenaries commemoration programme by working with the Jackie Clarke Collection. This commission will provide one artist with an opportunity for a six-month residency. It will provide an opportunity to highlight the unique, nationally significant resource that the Jackie Clarke Collection represents. 

There will be other commemoration events, exhibitions and commissions taking place in the county during 2021 which this residency will compliment. These include a publication on the history of Mayo County Council in the War of Independence, the Decade of Centenaries grant scheme for communities to commemorate events that occurred locally and a Mayo History Podcast.

Closing date for applications is Thursday April 15th 2021. For further information and to receive the artists brief contact Katriona Gillespie at mayoarts@mayococo.ie. The Brief is also available HERE

This initiative is supported by the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media under the Community Strand of the Decade of Centenaries Programme




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