VAI News
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The Visual Artists’ News Sheet is guaranteed the most affordable and cost effective platform for publicising art events, exhibitions, arts services, artists’ materials & equipment, notices of commissions & other opportunities for artists. We print and distribute 6000 copies per issue of this 40 page newspaper throughout Ireland six times a year, ensuring that your advertising is read as timely and relevant.
All advertising queries should be directed to:
Thomas Pool
News Provision
T: 01 672 9488
E: ne...@visualartists.ie
The deadline is fast approaching and if you have yet to reserve ad space please do so as soon as possible. We only have Inside Pages space left available.
As part of VAI’s push to become a more green organisation we now use biodegradable packaging for individual subscribers of the VAN.
Alongside the print advertising that we continue to offer in The Visual Artists’ News Sheet – VAI’s bi-monthly publication – we also offer digital banner adverts within VAI’s twice weekly eBulletin as well as promotional posts across VAI’s extensive social media platforms.
When placing an advertisement in the VAN, you can now maximise your audience with this new bundle (comprising an ad in the eBulletin, with the additional option of a targeted promotional post across VAI’s social media platforms) for an additional fee of €155.
We have recently simplified the process for our Facebook advertisements, and have optimised the pricing to produce over 10,000 views per post. If your target audience is smaller this can be adequately adjusted upon request.
As a result of this highly successful programme, we are excited to offer you a the VAN, eBulletin and Social Media Advertising Bundle, which comprises three strands:
- Print Advertisement (The VAN) – A well respected and durational advertising option, best suited to the promotion of forthcoming or seasonal programmes, events and opportunities.
- Digital Banner Advertisement (VAI eBulletin) – A responsive advertising option within our eBulletin (twice per week). This option is best suited to the promotion of immediate or short-term programmes, events and opportunities.
- Social Media Advertising (VAI Facebook Page) – A targeted advertising option to run in conjunction with Digital Banner Advertisements, best suited to the promotion of immediate or short-term programmes, events and opportunities.
Advertisers now have the option to promote different programmes or opportunities in print and online. These bundles are flexible with the needs of our advertisers in mind, to ensure that your ad is seen by the maximum amount of VAI readers and subscribers.
Who Are We?
- Visual Artists Ireland is a trusted space and respected information resource.
- VAI is in a unique position of having contact with artists, arts professionals and arts organisations on a weekly basis, through the various services we provide.
- Recent VAI figures show that we directly engage with more than 80% of visual artists in Ireland.
VAI Reach & Engagement:
- VAN Readership = 5,600
- eBulletin Mailing List = 12,000 subscribers (with a click rate of 46%)
- Facebook = 31,000 followers
- Instagram = 13,400 followers
- Twitter = 16,200 followers
Returns for Advertisers:
- Access to a concentrated visual arts audience across Ireland, Northern Ireland and beyond, who regularly engage with our services across multiple platforms.
- Access to over 44,000 social media followers, located nationwide and internationally.
Additional Perks for VAI Member Organisations
- VAI Member Organisations can now enjoy a 10% discount on all advertisements placed in the VAN as well as in the eBulletin.
You can refer to our updated 2025 Advertising Rate Card for a list of competitive prices, as well as technical specifications for your advertisements.
Please do get in touch to discuss these options or to book an advertising slot across one or more of these platforms. Since demand is already high and space is limited, advertisements will be placed on a first-come-first-serve basis.
To reserve advertising space contact Thomas at ne...@visualartists.ie
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Job Vacancies
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Solstice Arts Centre & Swift Cultural Centre are seeking applications for Box Office Assistant. A role suiting someone with a strong interest in the arts and theatre, who enjoys working with the public in a dynamic cultural environment. The successful candidate will play a role in the efficient day-to-day operation of the box office, ticketing system, gift shop, tourism information area, and daily financial reporting across the box office, café and bar. The role also involves running both daytime and evening events and staff supervision.
For more information and to apply, click here.
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The Community Engagement Manager will lead the development and delivery of a dynamic, inclusive and sustainable community engagement strategy across the organisation. This role is central to strengthening relationships with diverse communities, increasing access to film culture, and ensuring that the organisation is welcoming, representative and relevant to all audiences.
For more information and to apply, click here.
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An opportunity now exists for an experienced, ambitious fundraiser with strong relationship management and new business development skills to join the Abbey’s passionate team. This is an opportunity to develop your career in fundraising, sponsorship, and philanthropy and be part of one of Ireland’s leading national Arts organisations, at a very significant stage in its development.
The role will focus on stewarding and building relationships with current and prospective donors, both individual and corporate.
To apply for this position, please fill out this form to receive the full candidate information pack and application details.
For more information, click here.
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Opportunities Ireland
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Deadline 6th of July 2026.
VAI is pleased to invite individual panel contributions for Get Together 2026, Ireland’s annual networking event for visual artists, which will take place at TU Dublin, Grangegorman, on Friday 11 September 2026.
The general thematic for this year’s event is Sustaining Your Visual Art Career: From Emerging to Established Practice.
Benefits of Participation:
- Opportunity to present your ideas to a diverse audience of artists, curators, and art professionals.
- Networking opportunities with like-minded individuals in the art community.
- Successful applicants will be awarded €350 for their presentation and panel contribution, to include all associated costs.
Important Dates:
- Query Deadline: Monday 6 July 2026 (Queries should be sent to joa...@visualartists.ie)
- Submission Deadline: Monday 13 July 2026 at 17:30pm (Irish Standard Time)
- Notification of Acceptance: Monday 20 July 2026
- Get Together 2026: Friday 11 September 2026
For more information and to apply, click here.
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Opportunities International
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Deadline 1st July 2026.
We invite you to submit your work to the 24th DongGang International Photo Festival, to be held this year from July 17 to October 11, 2026 in Korea.
This year’s theme; The Silence that Shapes.
Submission to DongGang International Photo Festival 2026 is open to artist from around the world. See the details on our official site.
Click here for more information and to apply.
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Residencies
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Spark is a residency programme for companies to collaborate with artists and artists whose practice can impact in new contexts. Residencies last 10 days over a 3-week period, scheduled flexibly, as agreed between artist and host company.
Participating Companies
• Pathfinders – workshop specialising in handcrafted campervan conversions
• Kelly Costello – emerging Irish perfumery and museum of scent
• Vincents – welcoming charity shop offering quality clothing, books and unique finds.
For more information and to apply, click here.
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Commissions
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Limerick Arts Office, Limerick City and County Council in collaboration with The Limerick Theatre and Performance Hub Ltd., t/a The GAFF, invites expressions of interest from artists who wish to be considered for creating, fabricating and installing an artwork at the new entrance to The GAFF building at 29–30 Lord Edward Street, Limerick City.
For more information and to apply, click here.
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Funding / Awards
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Deadline 20th of July 2026.
Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council is pleased to announce that the dlr First Frames Scheme will continue for 2026/27, supporting emerging filmmakers looking to develop creative short films based in Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown.
For more information and to apply, click here.
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Workshops
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TUTOR: Fran Keegan
A hands-on introduction to linocut relief printing. Learn safe carving techniques, inking and printing methods, and create a small edition of bold, graphic prints. Perfect for beginners or anyone wanting to develop their relief print skills.
25-26 July 2026,
For more information and to book, click here.
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This informal workshop is open to anyone who is curious about experimenting with text.
Short Vines takes Lauren Berland & Kathleen Stewart’s anthology of vignettes The Hundreds (2019) as a starting point. Proposing language as a medium that can traverse contexts, Astrid Newman and Fran Hawker invite participants to use pre-existing phrases as building blocks to forge new narratives through a series of exercises, prompts and activities. This continues their ongoing international collaboration and recent residencies at Green Corridor Brussels (BE) and Mermaid Arts Centre (IRL).
For more information and to book, click here.
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This 3-day painting workshop will show you the principles and practices behind seascape painting en plein air (or “in the open air”), which includes related features such as the sky, water, sand, cliffs, headlands. The workshop is divided between (1) theory and preparatory studies in studio, and (2) outdoor painting sessions on the Copper Coast, Co. Waterford, where you will paint directly from the source.
For more information and to book, click here.
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This 5-day workshop will show you how to produce original contemporary fine art portraits using the Flemish painting method and associated techniques. The Flemish painting technique involves building the portrait painting in carefully separated, transparent, and opaque layers on a rigid panel, creating rich luminosity, deep shadows, and an incredibly smooth, glass-like finish.
This is a 7-layer painting process, and you will produce one complete original portrait painting during the week.
For more information and to book, click here.
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This 2-day studio workshop puts colour practice before theory, and prioritises your subjective experience of colour over prescribed ‘rules’, in order to use colour in a more personal and effective way. Following from the teachings of Josef Albers, you will learn about the subjective and elusive qualities of colour through fascinating guided experiments and studies. Conventional colour theory will also be explained and we will identify the shortcomings of traditional colour systems.
For more information and to book, click here.
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This 3-day painting workshop will show you the principles and practice of landscape painting en plein air and in studio. You will learn both direct (alla prima) and indirect (layering) painting methods. The outdoor painting sessions will show you how landscape forms and colours translate into paint, and how to capture light, colour, form and texture with immediacy and speed. Indoors, you will learn how to develop strong and unified compositions from your sketches.
For more information and to book, click here.
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The 3-day workshop follows four vital strands that underpin good abstract painting:
- Technical Execution
- Originality
- Consistency
- Relevance (or Art Historical Context)
You will study the different elements or building blocks of pictorial representation, and how these elements combine to form a painting composition. This will also help you to formally analyse and evaluate your own work. Painting projects and assignments are designed to develop both your technique and your creativity.
For more information and to book, click here.
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In this short 2-day workshop, you will learn how to capture gesture, light and colour quickly, distilling the essence of any scene down to its fundamental parts and then representing them with speed. Brushwork plays a vital role in this type of painting, and you will be shown how to promote rhythm, interest and style through with a variety of brushstroke techniques. You will also learn many painting skills and techniques and how to avoid many common painting pitfalls.
For more information and to book, click here.
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Following on from her sold out Oil Painting Course, this workshop explores the expressive and technical possibilities of oil paint.
Suitable for all levels, the workshop combines practical exercises, demonstrations, discussion, and art historical references in a supportive, engaging environment.
Explore key aspects of oil painting including mark-making, colour theory, composition, space and form through a series of guided exercises, with an emphasis on painting as a physical and intuitive process.
For more information and to book, click here.
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During the brush practice, you will learn how to hold a brush, the body posture and how to relax your body with brush movement. You will learn how to paint bamboo and the spirit behind it, and explore various brush techniques and exercises supported with step-to-step guidance. At the end of the workshop, you will paint a bamboo piece with black ink on rice paper.
For more information and to book, click here.
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Join artist Marie Le Men at Butler Gallery for an adult masterclass in portrait drawing using coloured pencils.
Designed for adults and suitable for beginners, this workshop offers a practical, engaging introduction to portraiture in a supportive environment. Through observation, colour, texture, and expressive mark-making, participants will explore portrait-making while developing their own artistic approach.
For more information and to book, click here.
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Studios
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Deadline 8th July 2026
The DAS Home Residency provides artists based in Ireland and the UK four months to develop a project of your choice, expanding skills and practice.
Artists receive a dedicated workstation in a shared studio space, access to state-of-the art equipment, professional training, a range of online resources, and exhibition opportunities. Residents can also participate in our weekly XR Lab sessions and avail of our bespoke Production Lab.
For more information and to apply, click here.
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For Sale / Wanted / Other
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With the support of the Arts Council of Ireland and on behalf of Cork City Council and our partners, Cork City Council Arts Office invites responses to our tender for Coordination Services for Creative Places Knocknaheeny 2026-2029.
Creative Places Knocknaheeny is an ambitious community led artistic programme for Knocknaheeny in Cork city developing inclusively through partnership.
There are two stages in the tendering process. The deadline for Stage 1 is at 12pm on 27th July 2026.
For more information, click here.
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Mide Arts Group is seeking quotes to engage the services of a Researcher, with the relevant skills and expertise to gather data from relevant stakeholders to identify, map and evaluate the needs of artists, arts organisations and arts communities working in County Longford.
For more information, click here.
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We recommend that you check all eligibility criteria carefully. As the All Ireland representative body we aim to advertise opportunities available to all artists. But with new restrictions, some opportunities may only be available to artists in the Republic of Ireland, the EU or specifically in Northern Ireland or the UK.
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International Memberships
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