Organizer Information
A4 Sounds is a non-profit, artist-run workspace and gallery in north-inner-city Dublin, and one of the biggest artist-led spaces in Ireland, currently providing studio facilities and professional development supports to 60 artists. Its mission is to transform how cultural works are produced, accessed, and understood in Ireland, contributing to the development of a more just society, guided by feminist, anti-racist, anti-capitalist, and LGBTQI+-inclusive politics. A4 Sounds runs We Only Want the Earth (WOWTE), a yearly programme of awards, exhibitions, and events now in its 7th edition, which interrogates the goals and strategies of social change. The programme is supported by the Arts Council's Art Grant Funding 2020–2026, Dublin City Council, and the Department of Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht.
Title & Description
We Only Want the Earth (WOWTE) Residency Awards 2026
A4 Sounds invites applications from visual artists for two residency awards as part of its We Only Want the Earth Programme 2026. Each residency runs for five months starting September 2026 and aims to support an artist currently living in Ireland to research, develop, and deepen their artistic practice. Proposals must respond to the theme "We Only Want the Earth," though artists are free to choose their own topic, with no requirement to address issues relating to their identity within the award's priority communities.
Theme
We Only Want the Earth — the programme interrogates the goals and strategies of social change, asking: what kind of society do we want, and how should we get there? Proposals are expected to critically engage with the wider politics their work is situated in; personal experience is welcome, but should be framed through a broader political and social lens. The organizers invite critical, bold, mischievous, and political proposals, welcoming practices such as politically or socially engaged art, installation, media, video, sound, collaboration, conversation, performance, sculpture, print, and research.
Categories
- Visual Arts
- Multiple Disciplines
- Residency
- Research
Eligibility
- Open to visual artists currently based in Ireland
- Applicants must identify as being from at least one of four priority communities: artists who are transgender, nonbinary, or gender nonconforming; artists from racially or ethnically minoritised backgrounds, including members of the Traveller Community; artists from countries in the Global South; or artists who are disabled
- Not open to artists who are not currently living in Ireland — this is not an international residency programme, and proof of address may be requested during review
- Not open to artists currently in full-time undergraduate or postgraduate education
- Best suited to applicants who can commute to Dublin (e.g. from Dublin, Wicklow, Kildare, Meath, or Louth); applicants from further afield are welcome but should explain how they'll manage accommodation/travel
Program Benefits & Awards
- Free 24-hour access to a studio space at A4 Sounds
- A monthly stipend of €1,600 toward materials and residency costs (€8,000 total)
- Access to professional development, training, and technical supports
- Access to A4 Sounds facilities, including a sculpture workshop, photography darkroom, printing suite, and equipment
- Access to all A4 Sounds workshops and courses for the duration of the residency
- Opportunities to experiment with ways to disseminate their work publicly
- Mentorship from A4 Sounds and consulting artists throughout the residency
- A small monthly budget toward travel costs (note: accommodation is not included)
- An additional access budget available on a needs basis (e.g. travel support, assistive technology, extra time)
- Artists who engage fully with the residency may be considered for exhibition in 2027/2028 as part of A4's Common Thread Strand
Application Fee
None
How to Apply?
Online Application
Key Dates
- Application Deadline: 6 August 2026
- Residency Period: 5 months, starting September 2026
Location
A4 Sounds Studios, north-inner-city Dublin, Ireland
Additional Details
- Selection is a two-stage process: Stage 1 (eligibility check and shortlisting) and Stage 2 (panel assessment), with a panel including A4 Sounds representatives and consulting artists
- Assessment criteria: how the proposal responds to the theme; artistic quality of the proposed work; artistic quality of previous work; the artist's potential to develop their practice and how the award would benefit them; and feasibility of the proposed work within the 5-month timeframe
- Selected artists are expected to work from the studio a minimum of 3 days per week, participate in studio life, meet monthly with the programme producer, and develop new work across the 5-month period; some documentation of their progress will be requested for A4's use
- Stipends are valued at A4's hourly wage of €17, equivalent to a 3-day work week (€1,600/month), intended to set fair time expectations and fairly compensate artists currently in full-time employment for time away from work
- The A4 Sounds studio building is not fully accessible: the studio space, bathrooms, darkroom, print, textiles, and library facilities are on the first floor, accessed via approximately 22 steps with no lift; the workshop, gallery, and outdoor garden area are on the ground floor and accessible, with an accessible toilet outdoors
- The residency studio is a private workspace shared with two other artists, with LED lighting and generally quiet conditions, though loud sounds may leak in from the workshop and gallery
- A4 Sounds will develop an individualized access plan with selected artists and offers flexible communication and support for fluctuating energy levels
- Applications are acknowledged by email on the day of submission; feedback is provided to all shortlisted applicants
- Personal data collected is used solely for award management, is not disclosed to third parties without consent (except where legally required), and application materials are deleted after the selection process concludes