New young curators of the arts to lead the way in Laois

Dunamaise Arts Centre is delighted to announce Bill O’Brien and Aoife Dunne as the two young people who will join the NASC Network Young Curators programme for 2023/24.

Dunamaise Arts Centre and its partner venues in the NASC Regional Venue Network have teamed up to present a national festival across eight regional theatres programmed by the team of young people selected through a nationwide open call. 

Throughout the year, the Young Curators will have the opportunity to meet up with curators from the other venues across the NASC Network. They will each receive mentoring from industry professionals in marketing, touring and venue management and will learn about negotiating deals, how to approach artists and companies, and how to manage budgets. 

They have also visited the Galway International Arts Festival to experience excellent arts programming in the flesh. 

In spring 2024, the Young Curators will work towards programming events for a week-long festival which will take place between 3rd and 8th of June 2024.

The Young Curators Programme, based on a project originally conceived and delivered by Backstage Theatre, Longford in 2020, is targeted at young people between the ages of 18 and 25 who want to gain experience in working in the arts, especially those interested in venue and festival management and programming.  

The curators were selected on the basis that they were from, live in or have a strong connection to Laois and its communities; had a passion for the arts and for attending performances; enjoyed working with a small team; liked organising events and making things happen; and being able to make the commitment to the programme if selected.

Bill O’Brien, a Portlaoise native is currently studying a Masters of Education (PME) in Secondary Education at UCD and is an accomplished musician and music teacher.  Playing banjo, guitar and mandolin as well as singing, Bill primarily performs traditional Irish music, but also enjoys playing jazz, country, bluegrass and classical music.

Bill’s musical education began with Caroline Smith (65 Kitchen Choir), who taught him guitar. From there, he went to Laois School of Music, where he was taught by Anne Moylan,  where he garnered his initial interest in traditional music. He then learned the banjo from Robbie Campion of Durrow and went on to join Ratheniska Comhaltas under Áine McGeeney. 

Later, he experimented in bluegrass music, being taught by Liam Wright of Woodbine fame and also jazz and classical guitar on his own initiative. 

He has performed at many notable events over the years, including Fleadh Cheoil na hÉireann, National and International Ploughing Championships, St. Patrick’s Day Festival Dublin, Kilkenny Arts Festival and Bealtaine Festival to name a few.

Bill has also collaborated with other musical artists including Áine McGeeney of Goitse and is currently member of musical trio Bon Étude, with Senan Moran and Ruaidhrí Tierney, who perform a range of classical and jazz music. Bill, who teaches on behalf of Comhaltas and Music Generation also recently organised a traditional Irish music workshop called “Tune into Trad”.

“I have a great respect for the organisation that goes into performances and the joy it brings to everyone in attendance. I would love to be able to contribute to this. I travel a lot around the country to various festivals and events, I would love to bring some of the acts I have seen at them to Laois. I feel that the experience I have and additionally the contacts I have made over the years would be a great benefit for programming as a Young Curator. 

“Ultimately, I want people attending our programme to be left energised, enriched and left with a new found or renewed appreciation of the performing arts,”  commented Bill in anticipation of his participation in the Young Curators programme for the coming year.

Aoife Dunne, from Abbeyleix, is a student and about to enter year two of Sculpture/ Combined Media in the Limerick School of Art and Design. 

 Aoife, who is a member of LSAD's Exhibitions Society has a particular interest in community engagement and is a senior ambassador for Shóna Project, a social enterprise which teaches leadership skills to teenage girls across Ireland. 

Aoife is also a member of Plan International's Youth Advisory Panel, a global development organisation broadly focused on Sustainable Development Goals, with an emphasis on girls and women.

Aoife completed a QQI Level 6 course in Advanced Art in Abbeyleix FETC and previously exhibited in Dunamaise Arts Centre as part of the graduate show from this course in 2022.

 She was also a participant in the Leave a Light On Programme in December 2021, and in Faoin Spéir festival as part of Re:CENTRING Laois in April 2022. Abbeyleix’ status as a heritage town, as well as the Boglands, both play a role in her own artistic practice and research.

“My goal would be a renewed interest in arts and culture in the local population, and I think this can be achieved with a broad and accessible focus. For me, I like to leave any performance or show feeling inspired, both for my own practice and more generally. 

“I want people to feel curious about what they see, and to have a desire to find out more about the artists (and curators!) behind it. When I see a good piece of art, I think "how did this come to be?"- I want viewers to feel the same way. 

“Speaking about and engaging with art is a huge passion of mine- this is something that I discovered when I was asked to speak about my practice on RTÉ’s “This is Art Club” in 2021”, commented Aoife.

The project is about programming and producing creative work in the performing and visual arts - selecting shows that they may have seen for Dunamaise Art Centre’s  programme of events or making a show in collaboration with the young curators in other venues. Curating will include managing the event from the first conversation with the artists to the day of the performance, making sure everything runs smoothly on the day. 

In this, the young programmers will be supported by the team here at Dunamaise Arts Centre, the young curators at the other participating venues, and the professionals hired to support the programme including project co-ordinator Maisie Lee.

Established in 2006, the NASC Network is a partnership of eight venues who work together to present touring projects and share marketing and other areas of expertise.

 The NASC Network Venues are Dunamaise Arts Centre, Portlaoise, An Grianán Theatre , Letterkenny, Backstage, Longford, Glór, Ennis, Lime Tree Theatre, Limerick, The Pavilion, Dun Laoghaire, Siamsa Tíre , Tralee and the Town Hall Theatre in Galway.

The Young Curators Programme is based on a project originally conceived and delivered by Backstage Theatre, Longford in 2020