Ireland’s leading creators are being invited to join an innovative programme that will showcase their work on a global stage. Design & Crafts Council Ireland (DCCI) today announced an open call for applications to the PORTFOLIO programme 2021-2022.
PORTFOLIO has been instrumental in promoting and championing Ireland’s leading creators, designers and craftspeople.
These include Úna Burke, whose high-profile clients include Lady Gaga, Rihanna and Madonna, and furniture designer Joseph Walsh, whose work has been acquired for major international collections, most recently the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York.
The RDS Irish Craft Bursary is also open for application which has become an important financial support for established craft makers.
A distinguished panel of international judges has been appointed to select new members of this year’s PORTFOLIO programme. The panel consists of Belgian‐Italian gallerist, antiquarian and glass sculptor Jean Blanchaert, Juliana Cavaliero and Debra Finn, Directors of London’s Cavaliero Finn gallery and renowned writer, critic and curator Alice Stori Liechtenstein.
Now in its 15th year, the focus of the 2021-2022 PORTFOLIO programme is to raise the online profile of Ireland’s top designers to enable them to reach a global gallery and collector market.
There will also be a more focused and targeted individual mentoring programme to improve members’ selling opportunities.
Designers and makers who are accepted onto the PORTFOLIO programme are automatically eligible for consideration for the prestigious Critical Selection, a biennial publication of the leading edge of Irish contemporary craft in a world-class context.
Successful applicants will feature in a printed and online volume that has a proven track record in raising awareness among Irish and international collectors, galleries, commissioning bodies and museums.