Open Call: Art Ability Assistant Artist Programme 2024

Wexford County Council Arts Department and the Health Service Executive (HSE) invite applications from artists residing in County Wexford and working in visual arts, music, and creative writing.

The Art Ability programme provides access to high quality art experiences based on meaningful engagement between participants artists and professional artists in a variety of day care and residential settings countywide.

Running since 2003, the programme is underpinned by solid partnerships between Wexford County Council, the HSE and Wexford Mental Health Association, to ensure a sustainable infrastructure for long term access and participation to creative art experiences for people who experience long term mental health issues and/or intellectual disabilities and to support their professional development as artists. Art Ability currently employs five leads artists across visual arts, music and creative writing, to facilitate workshops year-round with our long-standing partners in the HSE and Wexford Mental Health Association. These workshops are delivered in a variety of day care and residential settings countywide.

For further information, visit artsability.ie.

The primary aim of the assistant artist’s strand is to provide an opportunity for artists to develop their skills and experience in arts and health and participatory arts practice through hands on experience working with the lead artists in a professional arts and health care environment. In addition, mentoring and training will be provided to the assistant artist.

A total of five assistant artist positions are available. The assistant artists will be paired with one of the lead artists and will agree a programme of work 3 to 4 hours per week to be delivered over approximately a 10 week period, and will receive a total fee of €1,200.00.

Each assistant artist will have the opportunity for mentoring as part of this programme. The mentor will be selected in consultation with the artist and the Arts Department. This will provide the assistant artist with an opportunity to develop their expertise in the area of arts and health/collaborative arts practice and gain informed advice on future career developments. In addition, training will be provided by Wexford Mental Health Services to the assistant artists at the start of the programme.

For more information and how to apply, visit wexfordcoco.ie. The closing date for applications is Monday 4 March at 5pm.

For further information please contact Úna Cahill, Assistant Arts Officer, by telephoning 053 919 65 64 or 053 919 63 69, or alternatively by emailing arts@wexfordcoco.ie.

Image by Marie Holohan, a founding member of the Arts Ability Studio group at CUMAS. ‘Airport’, acrylic on paper, 2010.