Since our first year in 2008, Cow House Studios artist residencies have provided studio space for professional visual artists working in any discipline. These residencies offer a valuable platform for emerging, mid-career, and established artists. Furthermore, our residency program brings critically engaging contemporary artwork to our rural locality, expands our
community, and informs our educational programming. We are committed to creating a welcoming and supportive environment for artists to explore and challenge new ideas, facilitating individual research and interdisciplinary exchange.
Artists share our large, adaptable studio allowing them to become acquainted with and challenged by one another's work. Additionally, artists are provided with comfortable private accommodation where participants regularly
enjoy great meals and conversation. Over the years, we have changed and expanded our offerings to include residences designed for artists at all levels, educators, and curators. Our regular programming now comprises three main programs. These are our Open Residency Programme, our Parenting Artist Residency (PAR), and our annually themed curated residency.
In addition to our recurring residencies, we continue to develop new programming in
collaboration with key national and international organizations and artists working independently in Ireland and abroad. These partnerships offer unique opportunities for the exhibition and publication of new works and professional development through facilitated discussions, public talks, workshops, and studio visits. With the generous support of
Wexford County Council, we will continue to expand upon these offerings and experiment with new residency models aimed to support our artistic community.
Open Residency: Program Description
The Open Residency Program at Cow House Studios is our most flexible offering, providing artists with critically valuable time and space to think, research, and make new artwork. These artist residencies aim to minimize distraction and ensure that momentum gained while working in the studio can be acted upon, helping to make even shorter stays highly productive. The Open Residency offers a minimum of one-week visits and may last as long as six weeks depending on availability. Most artists elect to stay for one or two weeks.
Applications are open to both Irish and international cultural practitioners working in any discipline; visual artists, theatre-makers, writers, thinkers, choreographers, designers, performers, filmmakers, sculptors, photographers, and more are all strongly encouraged to apply. At Cow House Studios, we value education and believe in the importance of educators maintaining their own artistic practice. We also understand the value of spending time abroad as a student. To this end, we offer a discounted rate to both educators and students.
Cow House Studios provide a private room in our shared accommodation, meals, and twenty-four-hour access to the studio and facilities. Generous individual spaces are provided, and the ample, open-plan space contains a variety of tools, equipment, and art materials readily at hand that participants may use freely. Cow House Co-Directors Rosie and Frank value these residencies as they enrich our studio culture. We continually learn from artists who pass through our doors. Accordingly, our residences are run as a not-for-profit endeavor, where fees are allocated to operational costs associated solely with artist residency programming.
PAR: Program Description
Building on Satellite, a hugely successful series of artist residencies run in collaboration with The Mothership Project as part of our 2018 curated residency program, Cow House Studios, with the support of Wexford County Council, is pleased to offer an annual two-week residency expressly designed for parenting artists. We recognize many artists discover they must drop or drastically curtail their creative practice while having children, leaving a cultural gap. The Parenting Artist Residency makes it possible for awarded artists to dedicate time to their work by providing all the support necessary.
This residency supports parenting artists at this crucial stage in their lives, assisting them to have productive and rewarding careers as they rear their families. The Parenting Artist Residency is designed specifically for parenting artists with dependants under 18 years of age; children and partners are welcome. Through an open call, this residency Makes it possible for participating artists to develop new work, progress existing projects, or get back to their practice after taking time out to have children. This residency offers childcare, a stipend, accommodation, and meals.
This residency aims to provide a residency platform that is notably rare among existing residency offerings, fostering solidarity among artists who often, as a result of having a family end up isolated and alienated from existing art structures. Selected artists and their families reside at Cow House Studios for two weeks. While here, they will be immersed in the supportive and invigorating environment at Cow House Studios. Meals, technical support, and childcare from 9 AM till 5 PM on weekdays allow artists to focus entirely on their work.
Curated Residency: Program Description
In 2014, following substantial efforts to establish a successful international artist residency program, Cow House Co-Directors Rosie and Frank recognized an opportunity to expand our residency and exhibition programming's scope and rigor. Now, for one annual residency, we invite a curator to propose a theme and write an open call, inviting artists with relevant interests to apply. This approach provides context for the production of new artworks and resulting exhibition or publication in association with the residency.
Since our first collaboration in 2015, these outside voices have re-invigorated the studio with unique perspectives and motivations. Our curated artist residencies are an opportunity for curators and artists to have a meaningful collaboration where the selection and the production of works are centered around a specific theme or area of research. The residency program connects with the community through several organized events, ranging from smaller gatherings with local experts, artists, and academics to our open day, where people from our expanded community are welcome to visit the studio.
Wexford County Council generously supports this residency program and its scope, length, and resulting production change annually based on the proposed project. In addition to events, talks, and excursions organized by Cow House Studios and our invited curator, this residency provides ample time and space to think, research, and create. Artists can make use of the equipment and materials readily available in the studio, and meals, as well as a private room within our shared accommodation, are freely provided to successful applicants.
