Laois County Council has announced that artist Ella de Búrca is the Laois recipient of the PLATFORM 31 Scheme.
PLATFORM 31 is a nationwide artist development scheme by the 31 Local Authority Arts Offices, in collaboration with the Arts Council.
A bursary is awarded to artists to develop their practice and test new ideas of collaboration, research, audience development, place based arts and sharing their work.
The nationwide invitation went out to artists of any discipline and practice, based in Ireland, as well as multi-disciplinary practice.
Ella, who lives in Cuffsborough House, Aghaboe, in Laois, was delighted to receive the award.
She said: “I feel very grateful for receiving the Platform 31 Award for Laois.
“It means a lot to be supported in this way and at this time.
“The Arts are crucial to society, as culture is the fabric that binds us together. Ní neart go cur le chéile”
Muireann Ní Chonaill, Laois Arts Officer said: ’Laois County Council are delighted to announce Ella de Búrca as the selected Platform 31 Laois artist.
“We hope Ella will benefit for the programme and the opportunity to reflect on her practice, the mentorship offered and the peer network of artists she will encounter. We wish her every success.’
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.
The pilot scheme is envisioned as a platform for the participants to value their time, to showcase their work and their collaborations, sharing their learnings locally and nationally as a legacy of the project.
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.
Photo: Michael Scully
