Visual Artists Ireland

Representative and support organisation for artists

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VAI

Visual Artists Ireland

Ealaíontóirí Radharcacha Éire
Formation| January 1, 1980; 45 years ago (1980-01-01) (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
Website| visualartists.ie

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

[edit]

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

[edit]

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 1,500 and raises money through side projects. Its income amounted to a little more than €500,000 in 2018.[10]

## Activities

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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

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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

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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:

* "Degree or Diploma from a recognised third level college in Fine Art or an Associated Visual Arts Discipline
* One-person visual arts show(s) (including time based events) in a publicly funded (Arts Council, Local Authority, Government funded) visual arts space. Non-visual arts spaces do not qualify unless the exhibition is part of an acknowledged visual arts programme.
* Your visual arts practice had caused your participation in a visual art's exhibition/event which was selected by a jury in which professional artists or recognised curators participated.
* Your visual art work has been purchased by Government, local authority, museum or corporate client for inclusion in a recognised collection.
* Your visual art work has been commissioned by Government, local authority, museum or corporate client for inclusion in a recognised collection..
* You have been awarded a bursary, residency, materials grant or otherwise grant aided by the Arts Council/Arts Council of Northern Ireland or other funding body based on your visual arts practice..
* Have been awarded tax-exempt status based on your visual arts practice by the Revenue Commissioners, or are on schedule D as a self-employed artist in Northern Ireland."[26]

## Campaigns

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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

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* Maharaj, Sarat (Editor). Farewell to Post-Colonialism, Printed Project v. 11. Dublin, Ireland: Visual Artists Ireland, 2009.
* Kelly, Noel, Niamh Looney, and Jason Oakley. The Manual: A Survival Guide for Visual Artists. Dublin: Visual Artists Ireland, 2015. ISBN 9781907683138
* Kelly, Noel, and Sean Kissane. Creative Ireland: the visual arts, contemporary visual arts in Ireland 2000-2011. Dublin: Visual Artists Ireland / Printed Project, 2011. ISBN 9781907683114
* MacDonagh, Eileen. Meitheal: Sculpture Symposia Ireland. Dublin, Ireland: Sculptors Society of Ireland, 1988. ISBN 9780946549108
* Mirza, Munira (Editor). Artistic Freedom Anxiety and Aspiration, Printed Project v. 8. Dublin, Ireland: Visual Artists Ireland, 2008.
* A City Guide to Sculpture in Dublin. Dublin: Sculptors Society of Ireland, 1999. ISBN 9780946549153
* Shaw, Lytle (Editor). The Conceptual North Pole, Printed Project v. 14. Dublin, Ireland: Visual Artists Ireland, 2010. ISBN 9781907683107
* Vidokle, Anton and Tirdad Zolghadr (Editors). I Can't Work Like This, Printed Project v. 6. Dublin, Ireland: Visual Artists Ireland, 2007.

## References

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1. ^ "Lobbying Organisation - Visual Artists Ireland". www.Lobbying.ie. Retrieved 9 December 2023.
2. ^ "Drawing on public spaces". The Irish Times. Retrieved 2 January 2020.
3. ^ "£45k to play for as Windsor Park public art plan unveiled". BelfastTelegraph.co.uk. ISSN 0307-1235. Retrieved 2 January 2020.
4. ^ "Where actors are all Cinderellas". The Irish Times. Retrieved 2 January 2020.
5. ^ "Visual Artists Ireland". www.visual-arts-cork.com. Retrieved 3 January 2020.
6. ^ "Visual Artists Ireland — Supporting Artists and the Arts". Visual Artists Ireland. Retrieved 29 December 2019.
7. ^ O’Doherty, Cara (15 September 2019). "Why artists are leaving Ireland's cities". The Sunday Times. ISSN 0956-1382. Retrieved 2 January 2020.
8. ^ "Noel Kelly VAI". Allingham Festival. Retrieved 29 December 2019.
9. ^ webmaster, Arts Council (14 February 2019). "Who we funded". www.artscouncil.ie. Retrieved 1 January 2020.
10. ^ "Directors Report and Financial Statements 2018" (PDF). VAI.
11. ^ Tipton, Gemma. "The best art shows to spend time with this week". The Irish Times. Retrieved 2 January 2020.
12. ^ "Visual Artists Ireland (NI) Arts Council of Northern Ireland SIAP Information Session". www.craftni.org. 20 June 2019. Retrieved 2 January 2020.
13. ^ "VAI Lifelong Learning". Visual Artists' News Sheet (3, 2021): 39. 1 May 2021 - via Issuu.
14. ^ "Arts Centre show explores issue of social insecurity". connachttribune.ie. Retrieved 2 January 2020.
15. ^ "I'm an artist - can I take your order?". The Irish Times. Retrieved 2 January 2020.
16. ^ González, Ángel Luis. "When it comes to photography, Ireland in no danger of overexposure". The Irish Times. Retrieved 2 January 2020.
17. ^ Siggins, Lorna. "Why Irish artists are on the breadline". The Irish Times. Retrieved 29 December 2019.
18. ^ Kelly, Noel. "Payment Guidelines for Visual Artists in Ireland 2013". `{{cite journal}}`: Cite journal requires `|journal=` (help)
19. ^ "To Work with Purpose: Best Practice Guidelines for Internships" (PDF). VAI.
20. ^ "Paul McDevitt and Declan Clarke - Printed Project". Printed Matter. Retrieved 16 October 2022.
21. ^ "Artconnect App". Visual Artists' News Sheet (3, 2012): 8. 1 May 2012 - via Issuu.
22. ^ "ARTCONNECT Phone App". LANDMARK - A Mayo County Council Public Art Programme. Retrieved 21 August 2021.
23. ^ "New VAI Website". Visual Artists' News Sheet (3, 2010): 8. 1 May 2010 - via Issuu.
24. ^ "The Common Room Social Network for the Visual Arts". 23 April 2011. Archived from the original on 23 April 2011. Retrieved 21 August 2021.
25. ^ "Cork artists' group suffer funding cut". www.irishexaminer.com. 25 February 2015. Retrieved 2 January 2020.
26. ^ "Join VAI | Visual Artists Ireland". visualartists.ie. 14 January 2018. Retrieved 29 August 2021.
27. ^ Tipton, Gemma. "If art is such big business, why do so many artists earn so little?". The Irish Times. Retrieved 2 January 2020.
28. ^ Burns, John (21 April 2019). "Artists find it hard to draw cash from National Gallery of Ireland". The Sunday Times. ISSN 0956-1382. Retrieved 6 January 2020.
29. ^ Dunne, Aidan. "Give me a crash course in: social welfare for artists". The Irish Times. Retrieved 2 January 2020.
30. ^ Re/shaping cultural policies : advancing creativity for development. Unesco (Second ed.). Paris, France. 11 December 2017. ISBN 978-92-3-100256-4. OCLC 1035410624.`{{cite book}}`: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link) CS1 maint: others (link)

## External links

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* Official site
* To Work with Purpose: Best Practice Guidelines for Internships