Bolay Programme 2024 announced by Mayo arts centre

The Linenhall Arts Centre will support a number of visual artists this year in a substantial artist engagement programme, titled the Bolay Programme. 

The annual Bolay Residency, a support for artists disconnected from their practice, is under review for 2024 and the Linenhall are offering a series of engagements for artists in its stead, that continues under the ethos of the Bolay Residency: to support visual artists at all stages of their career. 

From November 2024 to March 2025, the Linenhall will partner with Visual Artists Ireland, and offer three artist engagements to interested artists: a curator and artist networking event, a curatorial mentorship scheme, and, a group exhibition in the Linenhall in 2025. 

The Bolay Visual Artists Café runs on Tuesday, November 12 in the Linenhall and will consist of both a group networking workshop and an opportunity for individual clinics with curators Valeria Ceregini, Aoife Banks and Marianne O’Kane Boal. 

The curator café and clinics are limited to 24 artists, 12 with studios based in Mayo and 12 from any other counties in Ireland. 

The Bolay Curatorial Mentorship Scheme will follow the Café and there will be ten places available on the Mentorship Scheme and artists who attend the Café are welcome to apply. 

The Scheme runs over three months and offers selected artists the opportunity for one-to-one mentorships with curators. The programme will culminate in a group exhibition in the Linenhall gallery featuring the work of the ten artists. 

“We wanted to pause with the annual Bolay Residency this year to ensure it continues its original mission of supporting artists disconnected from their practice. It is crucial for us to ensure the residency meets the needs of the artist, and we are aware that the visual arts landscape is constantly evolving with new trends, technologies, and societal needs,” said Linenhall Director, Bernadette Greenan.

She added: “We hope to reassess our goals for the Bolay, the selection processes, and our resources in response to these changes for long-term sustainability of the residency and participating artists.”

The annual residency includes a purpose built studio in the Linenhall, accommodation at Lough Lannagh Village, tailored mentorship, a purpose-built digital suite, an artist fee of €8,000, a materials budget and an exhibition opportunity at the Linenhall. The Bolay Residency will resume in 2025 and the review will be made available on request. 

The inaugural Bolay Residency was presented by the Linenhall in 2020, in honour of visual artist Veronica Bolay who sat on its Board of Trustees for a period spanning 13 years. Bolay Residency Recipients include Mayo artist Bryan Gerard Duffy, Maria McKinney, Dominic Thorpe, and Paul Murnaghan.  

The Bolay Programme is kindly supported by the Arts Council of Ireland. Due to its substantial nature, the programme is managed by Visual Artists Ireland. 

Artists should book through Visual Artists Ireland if they are interested in participating in the Bolay Visual Artists Café on Tuesday 12th November in the Linenhall Arts Centre.

For more information, or to register, please visit the Visual Artists website.