Visual Artists Ireland Explained

VAI
Full Name:Visual Artists Ireland
Native Name:Ealaíontóirí Radharcacha Éire
Formation: (as Sculptors’ Society of Ireland until 2005)
Location:First Floor, 2 Curved Street, Dublin, D02 PC43, Ireland [1]
Services:Advocacy and information for professional artists in Ireland
Membership:Approx. 1500
Owners:-->

Visual Artists Ireland (VAI, Irish: Ealaíontóirí Radharcacha Éire) is an advocacy, support, publishing, and information organisation representing professional visual artists on the island of Ireland.[2] [3]

History

Founded in 1980 as the Sculptors’ Society of Ireland, the name was changed in 2005 as they began to include visual artists of all disciplines.[4] [5] Their current slogan describes VAI as "The Representative Body for Visual Artists in Ireland supporting artists at all stages of their careers".[6] Noel Kelly has been the CEO/Director of the non-profit since 2007.[7] [8]

Organisation

The VAI is a Company Limited by Guarantee run by paid staff under a voluntary board of professional artists, and primarily receives its funding by way of grants from the Arts Council.[9] It also maintains a paid membership base of around 1500 and raises money through side projects. Its income amounted to a little more than €500,000 in 2018.[10]

Activities

The VAI regularly holds professional development workshops and network building events throughout the island, including 'speed-curating' programmes, webinars, talks, "Artist Cafes", and "Helpdesks/Clinics".[11] [12] [13] They offer residencies such as the Valerie Earley Residency Award and the Suki Tea Art Prize;[14] and started granting a 'Hardship Award' in 2011.[15]

Publication

VAI publishes a free newspaper, The Visual Artists' Newssheet, six times a year,[16] as well as a twice weekly 'e-bulletin' advertising opportunities and exhibitions. They have also published reports on artists's incomes,[17] Visual Artist Payment Guidelines,[18] and the use of interns in the arts.[19]

From 2003 until April 2012, the association published a guest-curated journal titled Printed Project multiple times a year.[20] They have also tried app development, with the 'Artconnect app', made with artist Aideen Barry in 2012[21] [22] and a social network, the 'Common Room Social Network for the Visual Arts', in 2010.[23] [24] They have previously administered arts studios grants on behalf of the Arts Council of Ireland.[25]

Definition of professional artist

Additionally, the VAI has created a specific definition of what it deems to be a professional artist in Ireland, with any 3 out of 7 criteria met to qualify:

Campaigns

In 2015 the VAI researched and surveyed artists and galleries to discover that "in almost 80 per cent of cases artists received no fee for their participation" in exhibitions. They led a campaign titled: "Ask! Has the Artist Been Paid?" which led to the Arts Council requiring artists fees to all funded organisations.[27] The organisation has been an active whistleblower on this issue, naming the National Gallery of Ireland as a culprit in not paying artists, even though the exhibition requires a paid ticket.[28]

Launched in 2017 as part of an Irish government pilot scheme, and now a permanent one, artists can receive jobseeker's allowance as artists, with the VAI and the Irish Writers Centre officially determining eligibility.[29] The VAI welcomed this move and reported that an important additional gain was that "it grants professional status, which in turn recognizes the special circumstances that artists encounter in their search for commissions and employment."[30]

Bibliography

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Lobbying Organisation - Visual Artists Ireland. www.Lobbying.ie. en-US. 2023-12-09.
  2. News: Drawing on public spaces. The Irish Times. en. 2020-01-02.
  3. News: £45k to play for as Windsor Park public art plan unveiled. BelfastTelegraph.co.uk. 2020-01-02. en-GB. 0307-1235.
  4. News: Where actors are all Cinderellas. The Irish Times. en. 2020-01-02.
  5. Web site: Visual Artists Ireland. www.visual-arts-cork.com. 2020-01-03.
  6. Web site: Visual Artists Ireland — Supporting Artists and the Arts. Visual Artists Ireland. en-US. 2019-12-29.
  7. News: Why artists are leaving Ireland's cities. O’Doherty. Cara. 2019-09-15. The Sunday Times. 2020-01-02. en. 0956-1382.
  8. Web site: Noel Kelly VAI. Allingham Festival. en-GB. 2019-12-29.
  9. Web site: Who we funded. webmaster. Arts Council. 2019-02-14. www.artscouncil.ie. 2020-01-01.
  10. Directors Report and Financial Statements 2018. VAI.
  11. News: The best art shows to spend time with this week. Tipton. Gemma. The Irish Times. en. 2020-01-02.
  12. Web site: Visual Artists Ireland (NI) Arts Council of Northern Ireland SIAP Information Session. www.craftni.org. 20 June 2019 . 2020-01-02.
  13. May 1, 2021. VAI Lifelong Learning. Visual Artists' News Sheet. 3, 2021. 39. Issuu.
  14. Web site: Arts Centre show explores issue of social insecurity. 2020-01-02. connachttribune.ie. en-US.
  15. News: I'm an artist - can I take your order?. 2020-01-02. The Irish Times. en.
  16. News: When it comes to photography, Ireland in no danger of overexposure. González. Ángel Luis. The Irish Times. en. 2020-01-02.
  17. News: Why Irish artists are on the breadline. Siggins. Lorna. The Irish Times. en. 2019-12-29.
  18. Kelly. Noel. Payment Guidelines for Visual Artists in Ireland 2013. en.
  19. To Work with Purpose: Best Practice Guidelines for Internships. VAI.
  20. Web site: Paul McDevitt and Declan Clarke - Printed Project . 2022-10-16 . Printed Matter . en.
  21. May 1, 2012. Artconnect App. Visual Artists' News Sheet. 3, 2012. 8. Issuu.
  22. Web site: ARTCONNECT Phone App. 2021-08-21. LANDMARK - A Mayo County Council Public Art Programme.
  23. May 1, 2010. New VAI Website. Visual Artists' News Sheet. 3, 2010. 8. Issuu.
  24. Web site: 2011-04-23. The Common Room Social Network for the Visual Arts. 2021-08-21. https://web.archive.org/web/20110423231928/http://www.thecommonroom.net/. 2011-04-23.
  25. Web site: Cork artists' group suffer funding cut. 2015-02-25. www.irishexaminer.com. en. 2020-01-02.
  26. Web site: 2018-01-14. Join VAI Visual Artists Ireland. 2021-08-29. visualartists.ie. en-GB.
  27. News: If art is such big business, why do so many artists earn so little?. Tipton. Gemma. The Irish Times. en. 2020-01-02.
  28. News: Artists find it hard to draw cash from National Gallery of Ireland. Burns. John. 2019-04-21. The Sunday Times. 2020-01-06. en. 0956-1382.
  29. News: Give me a crash course in: social welfare for artists. Dunne. Aidan. The Irish Times. en. 2020-01-02.
  30. Book: Re/shaping cultural policies : advancing creativity for development. Unesco. 978-92-3-100256-4. Second. Paris, France. 1035410624. 2017-12-11.

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