Organizer Information
Clare County Council is the lead commissioning agent for public art in County Clare, Ireland, operating through its Arts Office (Clare Arts) under the National Per Cent for Art Commissioning Guidelines 2004. The Per Cent for Art Scheme allows a percentage of capital construction project budgets to fund public artworks, giving the Irish public the chance to experience contemporary art in everyday life while offering artists across disciplines — including visual art, dance, film, literature, music, opera, theatre, architecture, performance, live art, multimedia, video art, and sound art — the opportunity to create work for public engagement. Clare Arts Office runs a range of ongoing arts programmes (arts and education, arts and disability, youth theatre, traditional arts, and visual arts) and has commissioned numerous permanent public artworks countywide through the scheme, including its recent Gaining Ground programme (completed 2020, comprising four commissions and a symposium on public art in rural areas).
Title & Description
Per Cent for Art Scheme — Inis Cealtra (Holy Island) Visitor Experience Artwork Commission
Clare County Council is seeking proposals to commission a new artwork for the grounds of the Inis Cealtra (Holy Island) Visitor Experience Centre at the Rectory in Mountshannon, Co. Clare, overlooking Mountshannon Harbour, Scarriff Bay, and Lough Derg. The commission is part of the wider Rectory Development, which converted the Old Rectory Building — acquired by the Council in 2022 — into an interpretative visitor centre with a reception area, three exhibition spaces telling stories from Mountshannon and Inis Cealtra, and a revitalised Rectory Garden. The brief was devised in consultation with local partners, including Mountshannon Arts (which runs the annual Mountshannon Arts Festival, formerly the Inis Cealtra Arts Festival, and created the village's art trail) and Mountshannon Community Council. The commissioners envision a unique, innovative artwork that reflects the character and history of the area and the Rectory, and that strengthens the community's reputation as a hub for creativity and cultural expression.
Theme
The history and character of Inis Cealtra (Holy Island) and the Rectory site — Inis Cealtra is one of Ireland's most significant early monastic sites, in use since the mid-sixth century and associated with St. Caimin and the family of High King Brian Ború; the island holds the ruins of six churches, an early monastic cell, several cemeteries with more than 80 inscribed or cross-marked recumbent graves, and an unfinished round tower believed to date to around 1000 AD.
Categories
- Public Art
- Sculpture
- Site-specific
- Multiple Disciplines
Eligibility
- Open to artists working in any art form, at any career stage
- Collaborative proposals are encouraged
- Selected artist(s) will be selected through a one-stage open competition process
Program Benefits & Awards
- Commission budget of €21,500, inclusive of VAT and all taxes and charges
- At least 25% of the budget must be allocated toward artist fees (a scored selection criterion)
Application Fee
None
How to Apply?
Online Application
Key Dates
- Submission Deadline: 17 September 2026
- Panel Assessment: October, with notifications issued to artists no later than October 31, 2026
- Commission Target Completion Date: January 2027 (dependent on the chosen proposal and its timeline)
Location
Clare, Ireland
Additional Details
- Application materials required: a typed CV (max. 3 pages); examples of previous work as photographs/digital images (max. 10 images in one PDF); a commission proposal (as one PDF) explaining why the artist is proposing the work, how they will achieve it, and the intended outcome; a detailed project explanation including dimensions (preferably metric), materials, and specific location; technical specifications, construction, and installation details where appropriate; a visual representation of the proposed work in situ (e.g. drawings, CGI, photographs); a realisation timescale; required ongoing maintenance information; and an outline budget (a template is optionally provided)
- Applicants are asked to observe green procurement policies when planning the production and creation of the artwork, and to outline any processes that reduce environmental impact, in line with Clare County Council's Green Procurement Policy
- Selection panel: a community representative, a member of the project team, and an artistic advisor/independent artist, chaired by a representative of Clare County Council Arts Office. In attendance at the site visit: Siobhán Mulcahy (Clare Arts Officer), Rachel Macmanus (Public Art Coordinator, Clare Arts), Theresa Hughes Lannon (Acting Senior Executive Officer, Tourism, Festivals & Events Unit, Clare County Council), Feargus McGarvey (Rectory Gardens Landscape Designer), and Mel White (Mountshannon Arts Festival Director)
- Selection criteria (scored out of 20 each): track record or potential of the artist; quality of the idea (originality, innovation, impact, and scale); suitability and connection to the context of the location and proposed site positioning; feasibility, durability, and future maintenance implications (including green procurement processes); and budget, including the requirement that at least 25% go to artist fees
- Successful candidate(s) will be required to provide (not needed at submission stage, but agreed to as a condition of submitting): a tax clearance certificate; evidence of public liability insurance; health and safety documentation; evidence of payment of customs/tariffs as necessary; and any other documentation the commissioners deem necessary before signing contracts
- Site visit registration/queries: Rachel Macmanus, Clare Arts Office — tel. (065) 68 99091, email rmacmanus@clarecoco.ie