The Trustees of the Golden Fleece Award are thrilled to announce the shortlist of artists and makers qualifying for the 2022 Award. Those shortlisted for the twenty-first annual Award are: Cathy Burke (ceramics), Chloë Dowds (ceramics), Genevieve Howard (art jewellery / sculptural objects), Laura Quinn (glass), Lauren Gault (sculpture / installation), Locky Morris (photography / film), Margaret O'Brien (installation / mixed media), Michelle Malone (installation / image-making / sound / text), Rajinder Singh (performance / video / installation), and Róisín Pierce (textiles / fashion).
The prize fund for 2022 is €30,000, making the Golden Fleece Award one of the most generous art prizes in Ireland. The value of this year's Award has been made possible through a very generous bequest to the Trust by the Estate of Seán Mulcahy, whose father - General Richard Mulcahy - invited the Golden Fleece Award's founder, Lillias Mitchell, to establish a Department of Weaving at the National College of Art & Design while he was Minister for Education in the 1950s.
The winners of the 2022 Golden Fleece Award will be named at an Award Ceremony taking place on 23 April at Solstice Arts Centre in Navan, Co. Meath. The announcement of the recipients of the 2022 Award will coincide with the opening of The Golden Fleece Award: 21 Years - a special exhibition of work by past recipients of the Award, and this year's winners, curated by Aisling Prior.
Now in its twenty-first year, the Golden Fleece Award was initially restricted to traditional crafts and figurative visual art. In 2018, the criteria were broadened to include creative practitioners 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 equioment or travelling abroad to learn new skills.
The Award was established as a charitable bequest by the late Helen Lillias Mitchell (1915-2000) to give artists "a 'boost' in times of particular need". It is governed by a Board of Trustees which includes members of the Mitchell family, professional fund managers, consultants and arts professionals who work closely together to fulfil 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 Angela O’Kelly (Panel Chair, jeweller and Head of Design for Body & Environment, NCAD); Roger Bennett (woodturner); Catherine Marshall (art historian, editor and curator); Dr Declan Long (art critic and Co-Director of the MA ‘Art in the Contemporary World’, NCAD); and Dr Audrey Whitty (Head of Collections and Learning, National Museum of Ireland).
To view images of shortlisted applicants' work and find out more about their practices, visit the 'Artists' section of our website.
