The Trustees of the Golden Fleece Award are delighted to announce the shortlist of artists and makers qualifying for the 2020 Award. Those shortlisted are: Laura Fitzgerald (painting / installation / video), Pierce Healy (jewellery / engraving), Ailbhe Ní Bhriain (film / photography / installation), Annemarie Reinhold (sculpture / jewellery) and Kathy Tynan (painting).
The prize fund for 2020 is €30,000, making the Golden Fleece Award one of the most generous art prizes in Ireland.
*UPDATE: Please note that the Award Ceremony scheduled to take place at the Royal Hibernian Academy on 25 March has been cancelled as part of measures introduced to help stop the spread of COVID-19 (Coronavirus). The recipients of the Award will instead be announced online at 12 noon on Wednesday 25 March - please visit the Golden Fleece website or social media for the results.*
The Golden Fleece Award has established itself as one of the most central and supportive awards for artists and craftspeople at a pivotal moment of their careers. The standard of applications is outstanding and a tribute to the professionalism within the creative community. I would urge all that applied but were not shortlisted this year to continue to apply in the future.
- Patrick Murphy, Golden Fleece Advisory Panel Chair and Director, RHA
Now in its nineteenth year, the Golden Fleece Award was initially restricted to craft and figurative visual art. In 2018 the criteria were broadened to include artists working across all forms of visual, craft and applied arts.
On applying, artists are asked to submit images of recent work along with a statement outlining how the Award would make a decisive difference to their careers. Past winners have cited needs varying from preparing for future exhibitions to developing their practice, acquiring new studio space and tools or travelling abroad to learn new skills.
The award was established as a charitable bequest by the late Helen Lillias Mitchell (1915-2000). The Golden Fleece Award is governed by a Board of Trustees which includes members of Lillias Mitchell's family, professional fund managers, consultants and arts professionals who work closely together to fulfill her wishes.
They are supported by a distinguished advisory panel whose knowledge and experience are invaluable in guiding the development of the award. This is made up of Patrick T. Murphy (Panel Chair and Director of the Royal Hibernian Academy), Angela O’Kelly (jeweller and Head of Design for Body & Environment, NCAD); Ann Mulrooney (creative industries leader); Catherine Marshall (art historian, editor and curator) and Dr Declan Long (art critic and Co-Director of the MA ‘Art in the Contemporary World’, NCAD).
To view images of shortlisted applicants' work and find out more about their practices, visit the 'Artists' section of our website.
