St. Mary's National School Dunleckney Bagenalstown

Home , Carlow, Leighlinbridge, Muine Bheag

BRIEFING DOCUMENT PER CENT FOR ART OPPORTUNITIES

ST. MARY’S NATIONAL SCHOOL DUNLECKNEY BAGENALSTOWN CO CARLOW October 2015 CONTENTS

1 Introduction p2

2 Local Context p3

3 School Context p6

4 Commissioning Opportunities

Strand 1: Artist in Residence p8

5 Commissioning Opportunities

Strand 2: Procurement of artworks p10

6 Terms and Conditions for Artists p12

Architectural plan and elevations attached

Visuals of interior attached

1 1 INTRODUCTION

St Mary’s National School invites proposals from visual artists for the commission of artworks to be funded under the Per Cent for Art Scheme in the context of its new school at Dunleckney Bagenalstown Co Carlow which serves ninety-five pupils. These artworks will form the basis of a new school art collection. The overall budget is €9,000.

This briefing document invites expressions of interest from visual artists in response to a per cent for art/public art opportunity at St. Mary’s National School, Bagenalstown. The School wishes to commission visual art works for a site-specific interior exhibition (main corridor) space.

There are two distinct yet overlapping strands to the commission: I Artist in Residence in collaboration with the school community leading to a site- specific artwork in a dedicated interior exhibition (main corridor) space. Budget: €5,000 II Procurement of Artwork(s) for a dedicated interior exhibition (main corridor) space. Budget: €4,000

It is possible for artists to apply for both strands.

Artists are invited to respond to the school – its people, place, ethos and identity - in ways that are meaningful to both the artist(s) and to the context. A description of the school and information on the commissioning process and the application and selection procedures are included below.

This opportunity is open to artists at all stages of their career and experience level.

The Selection Panel includes the School Principal, Board of Management Representative, Professional Independent Artist, Professional Curator.

2 2 LOCAL CONTEXT

(Part of) A rare hand drawn Ordnance Survey map of the Town Plan of Bagenalstown, Co. Carlow, 1873 Source: The National Archives

Bagenalstown, otherwise known in its Irish version as Muine Bheag is a small town in rural Co Carlow. The town sprang up within the townland of Moneybeg, which comes from Irish Muine Bheag, meaning ‘small thicket’. In the 18th century there was a small hamlet there. Englishman Walter Bagenal decided to build a town on the site, named 'New Versailles' and modelled after Versailles in France. The town is laid out in squares and noted pieces of architecture include the Bank of Ireland, the Post Office Building and the Victorian designed Railway Station. The Court House/ Library and other Georgian buildings also add to the unique look of this town. Lord Bagenal resided in his home Dunleckney Manor which now in private ownership with public acess in the summer months. The Manor is minutes from St. Mary’s National School.

Bagenalstown can be approached along the banks of the river Barrow from Leighlinbridge, where these landmark buildings become a feature of the landscape. Bagenalstown is formerly a mill town which made full use of the river Barrow to transport grain, beet, coal, turf and so on by barge, evidence of which can be seen in the town’s industrial architecture.

3 The River Barrow flows from Carlow town through Bagenalstown and onwards through Graiguenamanagh in Co. Kilkenny. It joins the River Nore above New Ross before entering the sea at Waterford Harbour. The Barrow is 192 kilometres long, making it the second-longest river in Ireland. The River Barrow is considered a Special Areas of Conservation meaning it’s illegal to damage the plants or habitats.

Another striking physical feature which also has this conservation status are the Blackstairs Mountains, situated near Bagnealstown on the border with Co. Wexford. The peak of Mount Leinster rises here to a height of 793 metres.

Other physical features include Dunleckney Manor, Viaduct and Ballymoon Castle.

Today Bagenalstown is a hub of engineering excellence with numerous industries in existence employing hundreds of people. It also has a very vibrant community that engages in many activities such as promoting sport, a clean environment and which has strong community and voluntary support structures for all. Census 2011 cites the population of Bagenalstown urban area at 2765 and of Bagenalstown rural area at 644.

For more information / source of images (except the map, already cited) http://www.barrowriver.ie/index.php/2013/01/bagenalstown-2/

5 3 SCHOOL CONTEXT

St. Mary’s National School is a co-educational school under Church of Ireland patronage. It serves the Church of Ireland Dunleckney Group and surrounding parishes. We cater for children from the rural communities of Carlow/Kilkenny and the majority of children arrive to school by bus. Our school is part of the local church community and has strong links with the parish. At St. Mary’s we teach the National School Curriculum including Religious Education. The essentials of the Christian faith are explored and children are encouraged to think for themselves and to develop a personal faith by which they may later live. St Mary’s has a current enrolment of 95 children. There are six teachers on the staff – four mainstream and one special class teacher (for children with Autism Spectrum Disorder) and one support teacher. In addition there are four special needs assistants (S.N.A’s).

We are an enthusiastic community of children, staff, parents, families and friends. We aim to offer a secure, positive environment and provide a foundation for the development of the whole child. We encourage and celebrate the uniqueness of each child and also encourage teamwork and collective action. In our school community we aspire to promote a nurturing inclusive environment where each child is encouraged and motivated personally, academically, socially, physically and spiritually to become a responsible, happy individual. We work in partnership with parents and the community to empower students to live in and contribute to a rapidly changing society and to act as responsible, independent children and later, self-sufficient adults who care about others and their environment.

We promote the professional and personal development of teachers and encourage the involvement of parents through in a variety of ways including home/school contacts and a very active Parents’ Association. We work in close partnership with many educational, arts and cultural organisations including Music Generation Carlow, Leinster Rugby, the Library Service and local initiatives such as the Junior Entrepreneur Programme. We have participated in a variety of local and national programmes e.g. Something Fishy, One World –development education and the Green School Initiative. The arts form a central part of school life and diverse opportunities are available to the children including visits to exhibitions, workshops with visiting specialists and attendance at performances locally and at VISUAL Arts Centre Carlow Town. We look forward to establishing a school art collection that reflects and engages with our place

6 and identity.

Location of school St Mary’s is situated in the townsland of Dunleckney just two minutes from the town. At the Bagenalstown Mill there is a sign for Dunleckney and turn right before the Mill if approaching from town side with River Barrow on your left as in this image:

If approaching from Leighlinbridge with the river on your right turn left after Bagenalstown Mill as in this image:

from http://www.digitaldoit.com/photo-gallery/bagenalstown-mill/

The school is situated on this road on the left hand side approximately 500 yards from this sign.

Please note that the School cannot accommodate artist visits to the school (scheduled or unscheduled) except invited shortlisted artists on the date and time set out below in Section 4.

School Website: http://www.stmarysnsbagenalstown.ie

7 4 COMMISSIONING OPPORTUNITIES STRAND I: ARTIST IN RESIDENCE

The artist will collaborate within 10 weeks / one school term with the children and the school community to create a signature site-specific artwork for a dedicated interior exhibition (main corridor) space in the school.

€5,000 is allocated to this strand. This will include the fee to the artist for their residency inclusive of research and development: realisation/production; installation of art work; insurance and VAT.

Key features of the residency o The development of a collaborative artwork which involves meaningful interaction and/or collaboration between the artist, the children and wider school community and that the resulting work will reflect this process o In making the work the artist and collaborators will engage, inquire into and respond to the context of the school in ways that are meaningful to the artist and the school community o The selected artist(s) will not necessarily be expected to live in the county but will make regular contact/interaction a central part of their residency o It is desirable that the residency will be a primary focus of his/her work for the duration of the project.

Application Process for Strand I: Artist in Residence

Expression of interest Artists are asked to submit the following to: [email protected] i) an expression of interest which detailsthe artist’s statement of interest, practice and methodology, approach to the collaboration with the children (including proposed contact hours) and a general budget breakdown. (Max 500 words/ A4) ii) a recent CV (max 3 pages) iii) weblinks to previous experience with a particular emphasis on work undertaken in school/educational settings. Please include title and size of works.

Closing date is December 9th 2015 by 12 noon.

Short-list A number of artists will be shortlisted by the selection panel. Shortlisted artists will be advised the week of December 14th and invited to attend a facilitated site visit of the school on Monday 21st December between 3.15pm and 4.15pm. Attendance is optional. Site visits cannot be accommodated outside of this date.

Shortlisted artists will be invited an informal roundtable meeting with members of the selection panel during the week of the 18th January 2016 where their expression of interest will form the basis for the conversation.

Subsequently one artist (or group of artists) will be selected.

Criteria for selection o Quality and originality of previous work and practice * o Quality and originality of the outline proposal with a clear rationale for, and commitment to, working in St Mary’s National School o Potential to engage with the school in a dynamic and interactive way o Capacity to develop, manage and deliver the project.

*Where an artist is at an early stage of his/her/their career, they may include an additional reference from an individual or organisation who is familiar with his/her/their current practice and potential.

Please note that the criteria are equally weighted.

Summary of Commission schedule Closing date for expression of interest 9th December 2015 12 noon Shortlist advised Week of 14th December Shortlisted artists’ site visit 21st December 3.15-4.15pm Shortlisted artist meet selection panel Week of January 18th 2016 Artists informed of final decision Week of January 25th Commission time frame for selected artist February – June 2016

9 5 COMMISSIONING OPPORTUNITIES STRAND II: PROCUREMENT OF ARTWORKS

Artwork(s) will be selected through purchase or commission from visual artists for a dedicated interior exhibition (main corridor) space.

If more than one artwork is selected it is envisioned that the artworks will work as individual pieces in their own right as well as forming the basis for a coherent and unified school collection to be added to incrementally as funds become available. The number and scale of the artworks chosen will be proportionate to the site and the budget.

€4,000 is allocated to this strand.

Key features o Artwork(s) that engage, inquire into and respond to the context of the school and the wider context in ways that are meaningful to the artist and the school community o The selected artist(s) will make visible his/her process to the school community o The artwork(s) will form the basis of a school collection and if more than one piece is selected will demonstrate diversity in terms of materials and engagement with brief.

Application Process for Strand two: Procurement of artworks

Open Submission of artworks

Artists are asked to submit the following to: [email protected] i) an expression of interest which details their statement of interest, their practice and methodology and its resonance with the educational context and school environment (max. 500 words/ A4) ii) a recent CV (max. 3 pages) iii) images of three artworks (in jpeg format) for consideration. Jpegs need to be titled and dated and details of medium, size need to be provided as well as approximate price per artwork. If artist(s) wish to make a new piece they need to state this explicitly.

10 iv) links to relevant works to show the wider body of work of the artist.

Closing date is December 9th 2015 by 12 noon.

Shortlist A small number of artists will be shortlisted and will be invited to attend a facilitated site visit of the school on Monday 21st December between 4.15pm and 5.15pm. Attendance is optional. Site visits cannot be accommodated outside of this date.

Subsequently shortlisted artists will be invited to present their submitted artwork(s) - up to three and no less than one (as identified by the selection panel)– at an informal meeting between the artist and the selection panel during the week of the 18th January 2016.

Criteria for selection o Quality of work o Appropriateness to context o Value for money

Please note that the criteria are equally weighted.

Selected artists will be invited to participate in the hanging of their work to make visible the process to the school community. Selected artists will be invited to meet the children to introduce their practice and speak about their artwork.

Summary of Commission schedule Closing date for expression of interest 9th December 2015 12 noon Shortlist advised Week of 14th December Shortlisted artists’ site visit 21st December 4.30-5.30 pm Shortlisted artist’s meet selection panel Week of January 18th 2016 Artist informed of final decision Week of January 25th Commission time frame for selected artist(s) February – June 2016

11 6 TERMS AND CONDITIONS FOR ARTISTS

Contracts For the artist in residence an agreed contract will be negotiated between the Principal and the selected artist.

For procured work invoicing will be required.

Insurance For artist in residence the School has strict guidelines around insurance requirements and those selected will be required to provide evidence of relevant insurance policies (including public liability) to a specified amount prior to signing of contracts.

Tax clearance All successful artists will be required to provide St Mary’s National School with a valid tax clearance certificate before any payments will be made.

VAT All Artists should note that all commissions awarded are VAT inclusive (whether VAT liability lies with the artist or the commissioner).

Child Protection The selected artist in residence will be required to follow School policy with regard to child protection and will require Garda clearance.

Support from St Mary’s National School St Mary’s National School as commissioner provides support to the artists and the Per Cent for art project through its Curator, Sharon Murphy, who is managing the commission on their behalf. Sharon will act as the primary liaison between the artists, arts groups, children, staff, parents and other stakeholders as appropriate.

St Mary’s National School reserves the right to not proceed with any submissions from this selection process.

12 Freedom of information The provisions of the Freedom of Information Act 1997-2003 apply to St. Mary’s National School. Applicants should state if any of the information supplied by them is confidential or sensitive and should not be disclosed in response to a request for information under the aforementioned act. Applicants should state why they consider the information to be confidential or commercially sensitive.

Prompt Payments Under the Prompt Payments Accounts Act, St Mary’s National School is obliged to release payment on receipt of a valid invoice within thirty days.

Submissions Submissions by email only to [email protected]