Mayo County Council’s Arts Office is now inviting project proposals for UPSTART

The newly named programme of arts activities in celebration of International Day of Persons with Disabilities takes place annually on 3rd December.

Mayo County Council’s Arts Office has made a considerable commitment to the development of quality Arts and Disability activity in County Mayo.  Since 2010, the Arts Office has provided funding for a number of collaborative projects with arts organizations, artists, disability organizations/ groups of disabled people to celebrate International Day of Persons with Disabilities. In 2012, events took place in Belmullet, Ballinrobe, Castlebar and Westport. These included: 

• A series of percussion workshops culminating in a performance facilitated by artist Peter Crann with service users from Western Care Association, Erris at Áras Inis Gluaire, Belmullet
• A series of visual arts workshops facilitated by artist Deirdre Walsh with Service users at an Coillin, Castlebar.
• An open studio screen-printing event, facilitated by artists Gráinne O'Reilly at the Custom House Studios, Westport with service users from Carrowbeg Enterprises, Westport and the general public.
• A series of visual arts workshops culminating in a touring exhibition facilitated by artists Jodi Coyne, Rachel McDonnell, Marian McHale and Breda Burns at the Linenhall Arts Centre with service users from the Connaught Creative Resource Centre, Castlebar and students from GMIT. The exhibition has toured to Áras Inis Gluaire, Belmullet and can now be viewed at the Custom House Studios, Westport.
• A series of animation workshops and exhibition facilitated by artist Denise McDonagh with the LUISNE Art group at the Cranmór Centre, Ballinrobe
• A series of Found object sculpture workshops and exhibition facilitated by artist Tom Meskell with students from the Rural training Centre, Castlebar.

The Arts Office is now inviting proposals for projects/events that will take place in 2013.  Proposals can come from:

• Venues that participated in Mayo County Council’s Disability Arts Programme.
• Artists who participated in Disability Equality Training.
• Professional disabled artists.
• Groups of disabled people interested in working with a particular professional artist and/or venue to develop a project.

Proposals will be assessed with the assistance of external expertise, (both in terms of disability and the arts) and funding awarded accordingly. Proposals should be submitted no later than Friday 22nd March.  Funding is intended to support any of the following:

• An event to celebrate arts and disability
• A workshop (or series of workshops) with a local group of people with disabilities.
• A performance for an invited audience of a work in progress/ event (film, theatre, dance, music, choral or other event) by a group of people with disabilities, which has come about through collaboration with a professional artist/ artists experienced in the area of disability.
• A main stream performance that will be made accessible for an audience of people with disabilities.
• An exhibition by a disabled artist/ group of artists.

Proposals should be submitted no later than Friday 22^nd March.

For more information and details of how to apply please contact Damien O’Connor, Disability Arts Coordinator at Mayo County Council at the following email address doconnor@mayococo.ie .