Selected from art colleges all over Ireland, the RDS Visual Art Awards will bring together 13 of the best graduating artists of 2016 at a free exhibition in the RDS Concert Hall. Restructured for 2016 and formerly known as the RDS Student Art Awards, the RDS Visual Art Awards Exhibition will exhibit some of Ireland’s best emerging artists chosen from hundreds of visual art students who graduated from one of thirteen art colleges across Ireland this year. Alice Maher will curate the exhibition which will be open daily from 10.30am – 6.00pm, with late opening Thursday October 27 until 8.00pm.

The thirteen artists cover a range of disciplines: painting, installations, sculpture, video, photography. There are a number of talk and tours running alongside the exhibition many of which are free to attend but must be booked in advance:

Curator Tours of RDS Visual Art Awards Exhibition with Alice Maher, free to attend, booking required, first come first served basis: October 26, 12pm and 3pm, October 27, 12pm, RDS Concert Hall.

Free public lecture by Alice Maher on her own work as part of the RDS Library Speaker Series, October 27 at 6.30pm, RDS Library, after which she will be joined by Seán Kissane of IMMA for a Q&A.

Visual Artists Ireland will host a VAI Cafe for recent graduates and emerging artists and curators 10am to 2.30pm, on Wednesday, October 26 in the Minerva Suite in the RDS (€5 VAI members, €10 Non-Members, lunch included). Book directly with VAI here.

Alice Maher was also part of the judging panel that selected the final exhibitors from a long list of artists. This long list was chosen by a team of independent curators engaged by the RDS to view the end of year BA and MA degrees shows around the country. The judging panel will also select the prize winners of the €20,000 prize fund from the thirteen exhibiting artists. Other judges include:

Noel Kelly – Chair of the Judging Panel, CEO of Visual Artists Ireland
Seán Kissane – Senior Curator, IMMA
Colin Martin – Professional artists & RHA Head of School
Vivienne Roche – Professional Artist

The premier award of the RDS Visual Art Awards is the RDS Taylor Art Prize which is currently valued at €10,000 and has been awarded since 1878. Previous RDS Taylor Art Award winners include Walter Osborne, Sir William Orpen, Seán Keating, Nora McGuinness and Louis le Brocquy alongside contemporary artists such as Eamon O’Kane, Dorothy Cross and James Hanley. The RDS arts programme is an important part of how the RDS fulfils its philanthropic mission to see Ireland thrive culturally and economically.

See www.rds.ie/visualart for more information and to book your place at a tour or for Alice Maher’s talk.