Wicklow Arts Office

📣 Culture Night Wicklow 2026 Open Call for Funding 🎉 Culture Night 2026 will take place on Friday 18th September, all around the country from 4pm until late! Wicklow County Arts Office invites Wicklow based artists, creative practitioners, community groups, event organisers and venues operating in any artform to submit proposals for Culture Night 2026. The value of funding available per proposal is up to €1,500. Geographical spread, mix of artforms, and audience / participant demographic across Co. Wicklow will be considered when proposals are assessed. *Funding is limited and it may not be possible to offer funding to all applicants. If your proposal is in excess of the funding available from Wicklow County Arts Office, proof of other sources of income must be submitted with the application. Inclusion in the Culture Night Wicklow 2026 programme is open to applicants regardless of funding offered from Wicklow County Arts Office. ⏰ Deadline for proposals: 4pm on Monday 18th May 2026 📧 For any questions, contact [email protected] 👉 Full details and the link to apply in our bio! 🔗

📣 Open Call for Artists – West Wicklow Wicklow County Council Arts Office and Creative Places Baltinglass, with The Hub Collective, invite submissions for a group exhibition at Baltinglass Library. Theme: Baltinglass and Beyond — My Sense of Place We’re looking for wall-based work exploring landscape, community, memory, and identity—through your own unique perspective on place. 🎨 Open to emerging & established artists (18+) living in West Wicklow 🖼 Painting, drawing, print, photography & mixed media 📅 Deadline: 29 May, 2pm Submit via Submittable - all details via our website through the link in bio 🔗 #OpenCall #WicklowArts #Baltinglass #ArtistOpportunity #creativeplacesbaltinglass ✨

💫 Thirty-Six Views of the Sugarloaf / Nell Regan & Cathy Henderson 🖼️ 📖 ⛰️ Opening Reception & Book Launch, Friday 8th May, 6 – 8 pm, Mermaid Arts Centre Inspired by 19th century Japanese artist Hokusai’s celebrated wood block prints of Mount Fuji, this collaboration between poet Nell Regan and late artist Cathy Henderson offers images of the iconic Wicklow mountain by Henderson, with letterpress prints of Regan’s words by Mary Plunkett, and marks the publication of Regan’s new poetry collection, Thirty-Six Views of the Sugarloaf (Arlen House, 2026). ‘Thirty Six Views of the Sugarloaf’ will be exhibited in the Mermaid Arts Centre gallery space from Friday 8th – Monday 18th May, with associated events including workshops, readings and a panel talk about Henderson's career with Robert Ballagh, Catherine Marshall and Patricia Burns. 🎉 Join the opening reception on Friday 8th May from 6 – 8pm, where Nell’s new publication will be launched by poet Moya Cannon. 👉 More information via the link in our bio! 🔗 📸 Photograph: The late Cathy Henderson, courtesy of David Gregg ‘Thirty-Six Views of the Sugarloaf’ is funded by The Arts Council and supported by Wicklow County Arts Office through the annual Strategic Project Award Scheme. @wicklowcoco @mermaidartscentre

Screen Wicklow and Wicklow County Arts Office supported by Clermont Screen Hub, are delighted to announce the recipients of the Wicklow Short Film Award for 2026. The two funding awards of €15,000 each form part of the ongoing support provided to the local screen sector by Wicklow County Council. The adjudication panel was led by producer Cormac Fox and director & writer Mark O Connor. Both are highly experienced and respected film professionals. Following a highly competitive application process, with many high-quality submissions received, the two short film projects selected by the independent adjudication panel were: • Where We Left Off – Submitted by Seán Treacy • Elephant in the Room – Submitted by Maureen O’Connell These short films will be between 10 and 15 minutes in duration and will shoot at Wicklow locations. Upon completion, the short films will be entered into local and international film festivals, further boosting the strong international reputation of County Wicklow as a prime location for film and television production. Funding has enabled these projects to progress from script to screen and has provided opportunities for locally based cast and crew. #ShortFilm #wicklowcoco #WicklowFilm #IrishFilm #Wicklow

💃☕ Bealtaine Tea Dance Coming to Baltinglass! ☕💃 Join us for an afternoon of music, dancing and community at the Bealtaine Tea Dance on Wednesday 13th May 2026, 3pm in Germaine’s of Baltinglass 🎶 Part of the Bealtaine Festival 2026, this free event is especially for those aged 55+ — no booking required, just come along and enjoy the atmosphere! Hosted by Baltinglass and District Active Retirement Association, and managed by Wicklow Arts Office as part of the Creative Places Baltinglass programme, this special gathering celebrates creativity, connection and community in later life 🌿 Come dance, connect, and celebrate with us! ✨

Wicklow Artists Salon #16 In the Moment 📅 Saturday 2 May ⏰ 10am - 1pm 🎟 Free, but booking essential 📍 Please note: This is an Offsite Event. Venue: Bray Town Hall Featuring: Ronan Guilfoyle Chris Guilfoyle Matthew Jacobson Would you like to bring more spontaneity into your art? Sometimes creating proceeds cautiously: it has to, or we might spoil the work. At other times, it isn’t caution that slows us, but indecisiveness and anxiety. Jazz musicians react in the moment. Toss an idea at them and they respond. In this participatory, playful salon held in partnership with Bray International Jazz Festival, major Irish jazz musicians Ronan Guilfoyle, Chris Guilfoyle and Matthew Jacobson will guide us through a three hour exploration of spontaneous creation. No musical experience needed! Morning Snacks will be courtesy of Mermaid’s Críoch Café. 👉 Book your place via the link in our bio! 🔗 📸 Photographs: @michaeldurand76 and Mick Kelly. Various Wicklow Artists Salons. The Wicklow Artists Salon is funded by Wicklow Arts Office, and supported by Mermaid Arts Centre, Bray; The Courthouse Arts Centre, Tinahely; Killruddery House; Russborough House; and Signal Arts Centre, Bray. @wicklowcoco @mermaidartscentre @courthouseartscentre @killruddery @russborough @signalartscentre @joanna_kidney

📣 Creative Community Activation Fund – Round 2 🎨 Thinking of applying? We’re hosting two training sessions to help you get started! 🗓 Wednesday 25th March 📍 Baltinglass Library ⏰ 3pm & 6pm (same session repeated) These sessions will guide you through the application process, will give you hints and tips on making a strong application and will give you a chance to ask questions. Open to artists, creatives, community groups, organisations and anyone with an idea to activate creativity in their local area ✨ To book your spot email [email protected] #CreativePlacesBaltinglass #Baltinglass #ArtsFunding #CommunityArts #WicklowArtsOffice

Creative Places Baltinglass was delighted to take part in today’s St Patrick’s Day Baltinglass parade, with the Dagda puppet making another much-loved appearance in the town. ✨ There was a fantastic atmosphere and an incredible turnout. It is always wonderful to see such strong community spirit in Baltinglass and to celebrate together. 💚 Huge special thank you to our expert puppeteers Nazeera, Gisella and Martha! ☘️ Happy St. Patrick’s Day to all ✨☘️✨ #creativeplacesbaltinglass #baltinglass #wicklowartsoffice #saintpatricksday☘️

☘️ St. Patrick’s Day in Baltinglass ☘️ This year’s parade will see the return of the Dagda puppet and his golden harp, originally created by local young people for Cruinniú na nÓg. The harp was beautifully crafted in wood by Baltinglass Men’s Shed, then painted gold and decorated by the young participants behind last year’s Giant Dreams project. These projects were part of the Creative Places Baltinglass programme. 📍 Parade route The parade starts at 12:30pm opposite the Allendale housing estate on Kiltegan Road and finishes at approximately 1:30pm at Centra on Rathvilly Road. 🎶 Live music Join us at the McAllister Statue for live music on stage for one hour before and one hour after the parade. Come along and celebrate St. Patrick’s Day with the Baltinglass community! ☘️ #SaintPatricksDay #CreativePlacesBaltinglass #WicklowArtsOffice #WicklowCountyCouncil #Baltinglass

🎨 Creative Places Baltinglass Creative Community Activation Fund 2026–2027 Have a creative idea for Baltinglass? ✨ Creative Places Baltinglass and Wicklow County Council invites community groups, artists, schools and organisations to apply for funding to deliver socially engaged creative projects in Baltinglass. 💶 Grants: €2,000 – €5,000 📅 Deadline: Friday 17 April 2026 (4pm) 📍 Projects must take place in Baltinglass (July 2026 – June 2027) 🤝 10% match funding required We welcome proposals for residencies, youth projects, public realm initiatives, digital work, and creative collaborations that engage the local community. ℹ️ Full details, Guidelines via the CPB website link in our bio or below 👇 https://www.creativeplacesbaltinglass.ie/news #CreativePlacesBaltinglass #Baltinglass #ArtsFunding #CommunityArts WicklowArtsOffice

🎉 Applications are now open for the 2026 Artist One-to-One Coaching scheme! These personalised coaching sessions are designed to support personal, professional, and artistic growth by providing a safe and open environment for artists to explore their experiences, aspirations, and areas for development. Participants will collaborate with their coach to identify goals, create informed and sustainable plans, and gain the confidence to implement their strategies. The initiative is open to artists at any career level, aiming to energise and enhance the creative resilience of those seeking positive change and growth in their artistic journeys. This scheme is open to artists and arts professionals across all art forms and genres. Applicants must be native to Co. Wicklow or residing in Co. Wicklow for the past three consecutive years. ⏰ Deadline to apply: Tuesday 31st March 2026 at 4pm 👉 Full details and the link to apply in our bio! 🔗 @wicklowcoco

💫 Kunstverein Aughrim presents House of Kunst On the afternoon of Sunday 8th February, the Garden Room at Powerscourt House hosted Kunstverein Aughrim presents: House of Kunst. This event offered a behind-the-scenes look into the workings of Kunstverein Aughrim, providing insight into the creative processes that drive their unique projects. The talk was complemented by a special pop-up version of the House of Kunst, their newly launched selling platform for artist editions, original artworks, prototypes, studio leftovers, research byproducts, not-quite-artworks, publications, experiments, merch, and more. 🎉 @wicklowcoco @made_in_wicklow @kunstvereinaughrim #WicklowArts #MadeInWicklow #Creativity #Connection