Call for artists!

The stunning horse from Uisneach 2010. We are looking for artists to come on board to make the hill equally beautiful this summer

Festival of the Fires, the midland’s biggest and most iconic arts, cultural and heritage event, returns to the historic Hill of Uisneach on Saturday April 30^th and we are looking for arts groups, artists, historians, storytellers and more to participate.

The Hill of Uisneach is to come alive as an arts and heritage trail, and we are currently looking for people to make this a reality.

We are hoping that individual artists and collaborative groups as well as schools, colleges and arts organisations in the region will come together to make this event an opportunity to connect the visual arts to a wide audience in a totally unique location. We are also looking for storytellers and more for our spoken word area, healers for our holistic area and historians who can bring festival goers on a journey around some of Uisneach’s many important monuments.

The Hill of Uisneach is steeped in mythology and a wonderful source of inspiration, our aims are to promote heritage and awareness of local history, encourage craftspeople and traders, while promoting the Arts in a fun and festive setting for all the family.  We embrace sustainable ventures and re-cycling and aim to tread lightly on the land. Respect for the hill itself is of the utmost importance to us.

We propose three main avenues for participation by artists at this event and hope to be in a position to have the Hill of Uisneach as an outdoor gallery space for several months after the Bealtaine Celebrations. We would ask artists to keep this in mind during the creative process as longevity of materials will enable works to be displayed for an extended period. Selected works will also be displayed in Dublin City Centre and at locations in the Midlands including the main square in Moate.

We ask that the sensitive nature of the Uisneach site is taken into consideration in the design of suitable artworks. (eg. it is not possible to dig down more than 6″ or sink posts etc into the ground as it could disturb archaeological remains)

1. Sculptural pieces/ installations already created can be displayed at the festival and if appropriate, be left on display on the hill after the event.

2. Pieces can be created specifically for the event- Festival of the Fires will provide funding for materials (within reason), these artworks will remain the property of the Festival of the Fires and ideally will be made in such a way that they can be used again each year.

3. There is a prize fund available and artists can create works for the festival at their own expense which will then compete for a share of this fund. The fund will amount to €5,000 and includes studio space, cash, exhibition space, tickets and more.

I understand that it is very short notice and appreciate the fact that you may be busy with other commitments, I hope you would like avail of the opportunity to get involved with this project and  please feel free to pass on these details to any other artists who may be interested. Our email address is info@festivalofthefires.com and if correspondence in relation to this is marked as ‘art’ in the subject line it is more likely to receive a prompt response.

Many Thanks,

Patsy Preston, Artistic Director

info@festivalofthefires.com

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