Fingal County Council and Ardgillan Castle Studio Award 2024–2025

Fingal County Council, in partnership with Ardgillan Castle, is delighted to announce Genevieve Howard, a visual artist, maker and musician living and working in Fingal, as the recipient of the 2024 Fingal County Council and Ardgillan Castle Studio Award.

This prestigious award provides a funded studio space for the period of one year and offers the recipient an opportunity to develop their practice within the institutional framework of the RHA.

This significant award includes provides a funded studio space for the period of one year and offers the recipient an invaluable opportunity to develop their practice in supportive environment.

In addition, this year’s award also includes a €5,000 bursary, which commissions the artist to create work for a solo exhibition to mark the culmination of the residency.

Sarah O’Neill, Fingal County Arts Officer, stated that “we are pleased to announce Genevieve Howard as the recipient of the Studio Award in partnership with Ardgillan Castle. This local award supports Fingal County Council’s dedication to fostering creative excellence within our community. We are happy to support Genevive’s artistic development over the coming year and look forward to seeing the outcome of her residence at her first international solo exhibition in 2025.”

When asked about the award Genevieve Howard said, “receiving the support from Fingal and Ardgillan Castle of a fully funded studio space has come at a crucial time for me as I prepare for my first solo exhibition in the Netherlands next year. The space will allow me to make larger scale work and will enable me to be experimental in my approach of synthesising sculpture with music and sound.”

Ardgillan Castle Ltd. and Fingal County Council currently support 15 studio spaces for artists and designers with a diverse range of practices, an initiative began in 2020. Ardgillan Castle opened Ardgillan Gallery in March 2023, providing a contemporary artistic space in Fingal. The gallery hosts exhibitions, artist talks, workshops and events. Additionally, the Castle offers a year-round programme of theatrical and musical productions.

About the Artist 

Genevieve Howard is an Irish artist, maker and musician living and working in Fingal. She graduated with an honours degree in Metals & Jewellery from the National College of Art and Design in 2015 and with an MA in Fashion & Technology from the University of Arts Linz in Austria in 2021. Her work explores the visualisation of sound and music in the form of wearables and sculpture. She creates her distinctive sculptural pieces through a synthesis of handcrafted techniques with the latest cutting-edge technologies. Genevieve’s work has been exhibited nationally and internationally in major institutions and acquired for the collections of prominent museums worldwide, including the National Gallery of Victoria in Melbourne and The Dallas Museum of Art in Texas.

Image caption: Fingal County Council and Ardgillan Castle Studio Award 2024–2025 recipient, Genevieve Howard