Fingal County Council congratulates recipients of Exploring & Thinking Bursary Award
Fingal County Council has partnered with Dublin City Council, South Dublin County Council and Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council to select eleven artists for the 2021 Exploring & Thinking Bursary Award, which supports individual professional artists developing their artistic practice working with and/or producing work for early childhood arts.
The Award will assist its recipients - Clare Breen, David Beattie, Mark Joyce, Cliodhna Noonan, Diane Crotty, Helen Barry, Helen Keenan, Angelica Santander, Mary O'Donnell, Liam McCarthy and Mark Ball – to develop their practice in a wide range of different arts practices and creative experiences with or for children aged 0–5 years in different contexts.
‘Exploring and Thinking’ is a collaborative framework for early childhood arts in the Dublin region, originating in 2016 when the four Dublin Local Authorities partnered for the first time to collectively consider early childhood arts provision in Dublin.
The first Exploring & Thinking Partnership Bursary Awards were allocated in 2019, funding a range of supports for artists such as postgraduate studies, development of an educational resource, travel to a renowned early years programme, practice-based research and workshops.
Two of the programme’s key objectives are to reach new early childhood audiences in under-served communities and to support the development of artistic collaborations, professional development and the research and creation of new work.
Mayor of Fingal County Council, Councillor David Healy said: “Fingal Arts Office has prioritised early childhood arts since 2012 and understands the important role of creativity in children’s early development. We are proud to be part of this local authority partnership.”
Director of Services, Economic, Enterprise, Tourism and Cultural Development Department Emer O’Gorman said: “Fingal County Council are delighted with the evolution of this partnership since 2016 and will continue to share knowledge and resources to ensure the sector is strengthened going forward.”
Youth & Education Officer, Julie Clarke said: “Each proposal awarded this year demonstrated a unique line of inquiry and enormous ambition in the area of early childhood arts and we look forward to sharing news with you as these exciting projects unfold during 2021.”