Ballinamore Public Art Project - Call for artists

INTRODUCTION & CONTEXT

Leitrim County Council, as commissioning agent, invites expression of interest from artists to undertake a public art project at The Junction, Ballinamore, Co. Leitrim.

LOCATION

Ballinamore is a town of just over 1,000 people located approximately equal distances from Longford, Cavan, Sligo, Enniskillen and Carrick on Shannon. The history of the town goes back to the Middle Ages where it grew from a ford or crossing point on the local Yellow River. An iron works was associated with the town, giving rise to local forges, an engineering works, a busy canal, and for nearly a century the headquarters of the local Narrow-Gauge Railway located at the eastern end of Main Street at the junction between Railway Road and the R199. These railway buildings subsequently became the local boy’s secondary school - St. Felim’s College, which opened in 1962 and remained as such until 2014 when a new purpose-built secondary school opened just down the road.

Together with its rich railway and iron work industrial history, Ballinamore had a once thriving flax and linen industry. Today, Ballinamore is widely known as an angler's paradise, with 28 lakes within a 5-mile radius and around 17 kilometres of riverbank. In addition, it is home to Ireland’s first Genealogy Centre, reflecting its deep historical roots and wide diaspora.

Ballinamore is often referred to as the ‘friendly town,’ this sense of community spirit is particularly evident each August at the Ballinamore Family Festival; now running over 50 years, which draws back many of the aforementioned diaspora each year. Ballinamore also has a growing diverse community, established through its Direct Provision Centre. As a community, it continues to strengthen cross-border relations through its important peace work, and situ as a border county. This is reflected by a host of past and current peace projects, including its receipt of multi-project funding from the International Fund for Ireland (IFI).

Ballinamore is a place where nature and biodiversity thrive, offering a sense of openness and tranquillity. Surrounded by lush rolling hills and an abundance of lakes, the town provides the perfect base to explore and connect with nature, particularly through its recently developed Green Way, Red Way and other walking/cycle trails. Notably, Ballinamore is home to a number of community-driven environmental initiatives, for example, the swift and bat box projects, and active Community Garden. Such initiatives reflect the local communities commitment to preserving and enhancing their natural environment, wildlife and biodiversity.

THE COMMISSION 

A public art project based at The Junction, Ballinamore that involves consultation and/or participation with any number of communities of place or interest in the Ballinamore area. 

The processes, anticipated outcomes, duration and schedule of the project will be determined by the nature of the proposal by selected artists, their availability and that of other stakeholders.

While not mandatory, it is anticipated that the project will culminate in a tangible outcome of a participatory process or a tangible outcome developed in parallel to a consultative or participatory process.

BUDGET

The maximum budget for the project will be €45,000.00 inclusive of all fees, costs, expenses, VAT, insurance and any other charges associated with the execution of the project.

THE COMMISSIONING PROCESS

This commission is open to all national or international professional artists from any art form with proven experience of executing high quality public art projects. This commission is a two-stage open competition. 

SITE VISIT

A site visit will be held at the new The Junction, Ballinamore, Co. Leitrim on Tuesday 8 October 2024 at 2pm and will last approximately one hour. It is not essential for artists to have attended the site visit in order to submit a stage 1 proposal. However, attendance at the site visit is highly recommended. 

STAGE 1 APPLICATION

For Stage 1, artists are invited to submit the following:

• Biography/CV 
• Maximum of six examples of your most relevant previous work.
• Preliminary project concept along with a brief description of the thought process behind that concept that demonstrates your interest in, and understanding of, the competition brief. 

Submit Stage 1 Application

COMMISSION SCHEDULE

DOWNLOAD FULL ARTISTS BRIEF (size 279.4 KB)

QUERIES

Applicants can make enquiries regarding the commission to Joeleen Lynch, Public Art Project Manager, email joeleenlynch@gmail.com