Kerry County Council said this week that they are delighted to welcome Lisa Fingleton as the Kerry Visual Artist in Residence for 2026.

The residency programme is one that promotes access, participation, and standards of practice in the visual arts across the county.

Interested individuals, groups, schools, and artists (professional or amateur) who would like to reserve time with Lisa to develop their skills or visual arts projects can register their interest by emailing [email protected] before Friday, September 18.

Lisa is also available to deliver workshops, mentoring and talks around the county.

Kate Kennelly, Arts Officer, stated: “Interest in our residency programme is always very high; I advise people who would like to avail of this opportunity to contact us sooner rather than later.”

Those who know Lisa will know that she’s passionate about creativity and has a huge range of experience in the visual arts and arts participation.

Her large-scale projects with Creative Ireland, The Arts Council and the Irish Museum of Modern Art explore how communities can be brilliant, not brutal, in the face of the climate, migration and biodiversity crises. She explores how communities can mobilise for change through collective, creative experiences such as the ‘Ballybunion Bean Festival’ and the creative climate action project Brilliant Ballybunion.

Lisa has an MA in documentary film (Goldsmiths College, London) and a degree in Fine Art (NCAD). Her work is in the National and State collections of Ireland.

Lisa said that she is very much looking forward to engaging with schools and community groups interested in learning more about visual arts. In addition, she said that she is looking forward to supporting artists, helping to build and sustain their visual arts practice.

“I love being the Kerry Visual Artist In Residence as it enables me to work with individuals and groups that I might never otherwise meet. The programme is fully funded, so there is no cost to participation. Art is so important, particularly at this time, as a means of expression and also in terms of imagining the future we want to create,” Lisa said.

For any further information, please contact Kerry Arts Office on 066 718 3541 or by email [email protected].

The Kerry Visual Artist in Residence is co-funded by Kerry County Council and The Arts Council of Ireland.