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Limerick artist Liam McCarthy announced as recipient of PLATFORM 31 artist bursary   

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4 years ago

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Liam McCarthy pictured above has been announced as one of the 31 recipients of the inaugural PLATFORM 31 bursary

Limerick artist Liam McCarthy announced as recipient of PLATFORM 31 artist bursary    

Limerick writer and drama facilitator Liam McCarthy has been announced as one of the 31 recipients of the inaugural PLATFORM 31 bursary, the national development scheme for artists to develop their practice and test new ideas of collaboration, research, audience development, place-based arts and sharing their work.    

Liam is a writer and drama facilitator. He has worked, in various capacities, for several theatre companies and festivals in Ireland and abroad. As a playwright, he has participated in Druid Theatre’s FUEL programme, Corcadorca’s SHOW festival, Brighton Fringe’s WINDOW initiative and “Words, Words, Words” at The Traverse Theatre, Edinburgh. His play Mam and Love and Woo (a commission from Belltable) was recently awarded the Wilde Irish Writer Bursary from Dublin Fringe. His play for younger audiences, Fergal, has been supported by Branar’s Tiny Show’s initiative 2020 and by Irish Theatre Forum’s MAKE programme in January 2021. Liam has worked as Engagement and Participation Coordinator at The Ark Children’s Cultural Centre, supporting The Ark team to deliver inclusive and participatory arts experiences to children. He has also taught at Mary Immaculate College, Limerick. He studied Drama and English and Trinity College, Dublin and at UC Berkeley, California.  


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Developed by the Association of Local Authority Arts Officers (ALAAO), in collaboration with the Arts Council, PLATFORM 31 offers financial and developmental support for the 31 mid-career artists awarded. PLATFORM 31 is a nationwide artist development scheme by the 31 Local Authority Arts Offices, in collaboration with the Arts Council.   

The pilot scheme is envisioned as a platform for the participants to value their time, showcase their work and their collaborations, sharing their learnings locally and nationally as a legacy of the project.   

Participating artists will receive an €8,000 bursary to invest in themselves and their practice, combined with participation in an advisory and developmental framework and a peer network.   

Liam McCarthy said: “Platform 31 is such a game-changing opportunity. It’s a wonderful initiative and represents a chance for an artist to take a step back, to catch up and to dream and scheme for the future. It is such a privilege to be awarded this and I am extremely grateful.”   

Speaking about the scheme, Pippa Little, Limerick Arts Officer, said: “Limerick Culture and Arts Office is delighted to participate in this initiative, which by working together with the Arts Council and Local Authority Arts Offices offers unique developmental opportunities to artists, to support their creativity. Limerick creatives have benefited from the National City of Culture and the European Capital of Culture bid and the proposals from Limerick reflected this.”   

The carefully considered support network built into Platform 31 sets this bursary scheme apart. The scheme will establish a peer networking framework for participating artists, introducing them to a pool of critical thinkers to share their work and learnings, and encouraging a national conversation about creating work in local contexts. The exact nature of this artist support framework will be informed by the proposals and interests of the 31 artists selected.   

PLATFORM 31 is managed by Wicklow County Council on behalf of The Association of Local Authority Arts Officers, in collaboration with the Arts Council.    

 
For more information on PLATFORM 31 go HERE  

 For more stories on Culture go HERE  

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