The Trustees of the Golden Fleece Award are delighted to announce the shortlist of visual artists, craftspeople, and makers qualifying for the 2023 Award. Those shortlisted for the twenty-second annual Award are: Aisling O'Beirn (installation / mixed media), Alan Meredith (woodturning), Barbara Knežević (sculpture / installation / video), Cathy Burke (ceramics), Clodagh Emoe (participatory events / mixed media), Pierce Healy (metalwork / jewellery), and Richard Malone (installation / mixed media).
The prize fund for 2023 is worth a total of €35,000, making the Golden Fleece Award the most generous art prize open to both visual artists and craftspeople in Ireland. The winner(s) of this year's Award will be named at a public Ceremony taking place on Wednesday 22 March in the Dr Tony Ryan Gallery at the Royal Hibernian Academy, Dublin. This year, the prizewinners will be announced by special guest speaker Aidan Dunne, visual arts critic and contributor to The Irish Times.
The Golden Fleece Award was established as a charitable bequest by Lillias Mitchell (1915-2000) to give artists "a 'boost' in times of particular need". It is governed by a Board of Trustees that includes members of the Mitchell family, professional fund managers, consultants and arts professionals who work closely together to fulfil her wishes. The Award was initially restricted to traditional crafts and figurative visual art but in 2018 the criteria were broadened to include creative practitioners working across all forms of visual, craft and applied arts.
The Board of Trustees is supported by a specialist Advisory Panel, whose knowledge and experience are invaluable in guiding the development of the award and selecting the annual shortlist. The 2023 Advisory Panel comprised Angela O’Kelly (Panel Chair, jeweller and Head of Design for Body & Environment, NCAD); Roger Bennett (woodturner); Hugh Mulholland (Creative Director, Visual Arts, the MAC); Clíodhna Shaffrey (Director, Temple Bar Gallery and Studios); and Dr Audrey Whitty (Director, National Library of Ireland, and former Deputy Director, National Museum of Ireland).
To view images of the shortlisted applicants' work and find out more about their practices, please visit the 'Artists' section of our website.
