Brigid benefits from awards

Brigid benefits from awards

16 December 2015

THE Arts Council has awarded funding grants to 21 artists as part of its ACES award scheme.

Downpatrick singer-songwriter, Brigid O’Neill, is one of the talented emerging artists who has been selected for the grant to allow her to further develop her career.

Brigid’s music is a mix of country blues and folk with a dash of jazz.  She released Arrivals and Departures, her debut EP of original songs, in September 2014 to much critical acclaim.  

Brigid will spend time in Nashville to co-write with established and highly successful Grammy award-winning songwriters, meet publishers and other influential people within the songwriting business and explore new outlets for her songs. 

At home, she will be focusing on solo songwriting and developing her skills in recording, guitar playing and performing through specific training. 

The output of her project will be a number of high profile performances and a body of work for her new album. 

Poet Maria McManus, from Strangford, will use her ACES award to produce,‘Cirque des Oiseaux’ — an innovative poetry project resulting in a large-scale installation that is a synthesis of poetry, sound, music, visual art and film.

This is due to be exhibited at Down Arts Centre in October 2016.  

Maria is focusing on text and sound and will also be working with artists of other disciplines who will bring the visual art aspect of the project into reality. 

The broad theme is ‘Auguries and Auspices’ — the ancient art of interpreting the will of the gods through the flight patterns of birds.  

Maria is being supported by Dr Simon Waters of SARC (Sonic Arts Research Centre) and artists including Liam de Frinse, Rosie McGurran and Irene Uhlemann. Maria will also work with the cellist and film-maker Tom Hughes with whom she has collaborated before.

Another of the 21, is Belfast based-community artist, Larry Cowan, who will be carrying out his ACES project based on Saint Patrick with Down Community Arts.

Awards under the Artists Career Enhancement Scheme (ACES) are made annually to professional artists working in music, visual arts, drama, dance, literature and participatory arts and are among the most prestigious awards bestowed by the Arts Council annually.  The artists include four visual artists, three playwrights, five poets, three novelists, three musicians, a dance artist and two community artists.

In addition to receiving a bursary of up to £5,000 each, many of the 21 artists have been partnered with a professional organisation to help each of them to deliver a major new creative work. 

Roisin McDonough, chief eExecutive of the Arts Council of Northern Ireland, said: “These 21 artists are already established and highly regarded in each of their fields. The awards are given in recognition of their work to date and to provide them with support to take their careers to that vital next level. 

“The ACES programme has been running successfully now for six years and addresses the need for on-going training and skills development within the arts sector.”