Mayo sculptor commended at awards ceremony in Dublin

Mayo’s creative excellence was celebrated this week as Westport-based porcelain sculptor Jennifer Hickey received an RDS Established Maker Award at the 2025 ceremony. She is among Ireland’s emerging and mid-career creatives awarded more than €140,000 across art, craft, and music.

In the Established Maker category, Westport native Jennifer Hickey was rewarded as the judges found her intricate, thousand-piece sculptures to be ‘breathtaking in their precision and poetry’. Winning and selected works of Emerging and Established Craft Makers were showcased at this year’s Gifted, The Contemporary Art Fair in the RDS, giving invaluable exposure of their work to the wider public.

This year’s ceremony was particularly historic, marking the 165th presentation of the prestigious Taylor Art Trust Award with a legacy spanning 165 years and over 590 awards.  The RDS Arts Awards, which also celebrated the tenth anniversary of the RDS Visual Art Awards, complements initiatives like the Basic Income for the Arts by providing essential financial support and high-profile opportunities needed for creative talent to flourish.  

The arts have been at the heart of the RDS since 1731 and the awards continue that powerful legacy. RDS President John Dardis, speaking at the ceremony, commended the winners: “The RDS Foundation Arts Awards serve as investments in creativity, heritage and the future of Irish culture. I would like to take this opportunity to commend all the artists, makers and musicians shortlisted this year, and to thank our dedicated partners, donors, and the generosity of RDS Members, who without, none of this would be possible.” 

The RDS also marked six decades of craft support now with a renewed focus on sustainability and continued to elevate world-class performance opportunities for emerging classical musicians like Jane Sullivan, winner of the RDS Music Bursary.

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